Gigi Hadid apologizes for Vogue Italia 'blackface' cover, says backlash is valid
Gigi Hadid may have looked fabulous on the latest Vogue Italia cover but the presentation seems to have irked readers. Reason being the noticeable darker skin she sports on the cover. Now doing damage control after seeing the barrage of criticism directed her way, Gigi was forced to address the issue
In an Instagram photo, Gigi shared with her fans a picture which was taken right after she was heading back from the Vogue photoshoot and she looks her natural self. In the picture, one can see Gigi is trying to hide from the paparazzi and does not seem to have the same skin tone which now appears on the Vogue cover.
In a long post, Gigi then explained how the image was made to fit into something the magazine wanted and shed light on how much she is involved in any photoshoot.
“Please understand that my control of a shoot 1. is non-existent in terms of creative direction 2. ends completely when I leave to set, and anything done to a photo in the post is out of my control fully," she began.
She went on to explain that a shadowed look can often be seen in pictures taken by photographer Steven Klein for the editorials.
"The bronzing and photoshop is a style that S.Klein has done for many years and I believe was what was expected from the shoot (to show me in a different way creatively)."
"BUT, although I understand what Vogue Italia's intentions were, it was not executed correctly, and the concerns that have been brought up are valid," she wrote. Following this, Gigi went on to apologize to anyone and everyone who had been offended by the picture.
"I want to address this for those who were offended by the editing/retouching/coloring of the cover. Please know that things would have been different if my control of the situation was different," she wrote.
"Regardless, I want to apologize because my intention is never to diminish those concerns or take opportunities away from anyone else, and I hope this can be an example to other magazines and teams in the future."
Gigi also shed light on how there have been several other situations in which fashion has been misinterpreted. "There are real issues regarding representation in fashion — it’s our responsibility to acknowledge those issues and communicate with them to work towards a more diverse industry," she concluded her post.