Heidi Klum's Native American-inspired photo shoot on "Germany's Next Top Model" has received major backlash, with critics labeling the work racist.
The 12 contestants of the 2014 series posed in headdresses, blankets and face paint, some holding peace pipes and spears. Klum posted the black-and-white editorial shots on Facebook, coupled with the caption: "Here are my beautiful girls!"
Outraged fans bombarded the photos.
"Thank you Heidi Klum and GNTM for contributing to the fetishization and hypersexualization of Native Women," one user wrote.
"WOW! That is absolutely disgusting and offensive. Ugly! Racist! Demeaning to our heritage, religion, culture... our nation," another commented in German.
"Natives haven't lost touch with what's sacred either, and we do not take kindly to ceremonial objects like the pipe being used to hawk your wares, nor garner publicity for your second rate reality TV show," commentator Ruth Hopkins wrote on the blog LastRealIndians.com.
"As a Native woman, I'm tired of being bombarded with negative, false imagery of who society thinks I am," she added.
The two-week-old post has received more than 500 comments and 115 shares. Klum has yet to issue an apology.
Christoph Korfer, a spokesperson for ProSieben, "Germany's Next Top Model" production company, however, did issue a statement on behalf of Klum and the show.
"We have nothing but the utmost esteem for the Native American culture and are so sorry if our shoot was offensive to anyone," he told The Independent.
"By no means was our intention to insult Native Americans or in any way demean their heritage. We sincerely apologize."
The "Project Runway" host's use of Native American apparel is not out of the ordinary. Indian-themed garb seems to be commonplace in fashion, according to PolicyMic. Enormous headdresses at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and hipster-like headdresses from H&M are just two examples.
