"It was not executed correctly," Hadid said of her cover. "The concerns that have been brought up are valid."
 |
| Gigi Hadid issued an apology Thursday after social media users accused her of appearing in blackface on the May cover of Vogue Italia. File Photo by Dennis Van Tine/UPI | License Photo |
By Annie Martin, UPI
Gigi Hadid and Vogue Italia apologized Thursday following controversy about the model's darkened skin tone.
The 23-year-old American model and Vogue Italia issued apologies after social media users accused Hadid of appearing in blackface on the publication's May cover.
Hadid said on Twitter the heavy bronzer and editing were meant to show her in "a different way creatively." The images were captured and re-touched by American photographer Steven Klein.
"The bronzing and photoshop is a style that S. Klein has done for many years and I believe was what 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," Hadid wrote.
"Please know that things would have been different if my control of the situation was different," she said. "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."
Many criticized Hadid's appearance after Vogue Italia posted the cover Wednesday on Instagram.
"In case you can't tell who that is, it's Gigi Hadid, who has been edited into another person and given such a deep 'tan' that it's insulting to even try to pretend that it's not blackface," one person tweeted.
"Yeah why hire a black model when we can paint Gigi's complete body and face to look like one," another person added in the comments.
Vogue Italia apologized in an Instagram post Thursday.
"Throughout its history, Vogue Italia has respected and encouraged the creative viewpoints of commissioned photographers. In our latest cover shoot by Steven Klein, the vision was to create a beachwear-themed story with a stylized bronzing effect," the magazine said.
"We understand that the result has caused some debate with our readers, and we sincerely apologize if we have caused any offense."
COMMENTS