The girlfriend of billionaire Russian oil oligarch Roman Abramovich has apologized after a photo of her sitting on a chair that looks like a half-naked black woman went viral on Martin Luther King Day.
A response from the people who brought the world this image. http://t.co/nVlJo64KkL pic.twitter.com/RmTKgKz5oP
— Marie Claire (@marieclaire) January 23, 2014
Dasha Zhukova, 32, was pictured on fashion website Buro 24/7 sitting on the shocking seat for an article about her magazine Garage, reports the U.K. Mirror.
The former model has two children with Abramovich, who is also chairman of English soccer club Chelsea F.C. “I utterly abhor racism, and would like to apologize to anyone who has been offended by this image,” said Zhukova.
The picture has received a barrage of abuse on social media.
[Mirror]
One word for Dasha Zhukova pic.twitter.com/q6lHVvINuY
— Lillian Kaivilu (@liliankaivilu) January 23, 2014
Dasha Zhukova photo on chair in form of black woman “tacky & distasteful” homage, says original sculptor Allen Jones http://t.co/Isr2RBl9BF
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 22, 2014