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Cape Town – Gigi Hadid has issued a statement after receiving backlash over her Vogue Italia magazine cover.
The supermodel took to Twitter to address an emerging controversy surrounding the May cover, which people say have been edited to the extent that Gigi no longer looks recognisable and appears a lot darker than her usual skin tone.
The cover was photographed by Steven Klein and stars Gigi and male model, Justin Martin.
SEE THE COVER HERE:
Soon after the cover was revealed on social media on Wednesday, fans and followers pointed out two definite problems, namely: Gigi’s heavily bronzed skin as well the Photoshop editing done on her face.
Sharing a photo of herself leaving the shoot back in April, Gigi wrote a lengthy post about her involvement.
“This is a photo of me returning home from shooting my Italian Vogue cover on April 3rd…you can see the level I had been bronzed to on set that day,” she explained.
“Please understand that my control of a shoot 1. is non-existent in terms of creative direction. 2. ends completely when I leave set, and anything done to a photo in post is out of my control fully.”
Gigi went on to explain that the bronzing as well as the Photoshop style is something Steven Klein is known for, leading her to “believe was what was expected from the shoot.” That being said however, the 23-year-old added that “it was not executed correctly.”
Apologising, Gigi continued: “I want to address this for those who were offended by the editing/retouching/colouring of the cover. Please know that things would have been different if my control of the situation was different. Regardless, I want to apologise because my intention is never to diminish those concerns.”
“There are real issues regarding representation in fashion—it's our responsibility to acknowledge those issues and communicate through them to work towards a more diverse industry,” Gigi concluded.
SEE THE FULL STATEMENT HERE:
In response to the negative reaction, Vogue Italia told E! News in a statement that it has always “respected” and “encouraged” the viewpoint of its commissioned photographers, and that includes Steven Klein’s latest work for the May issue.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE:
“Throughout its history, Vogue Italia has always respected and even encouraged the viewpoint of commissioned photographers. Needless to say, this is the case with the latest shoot by Steven Klein, a creative whose vision has had an impact in shaping the path of our publication. Fashion photography, and Vogue Italia's in particular, is an interpretation of reality, not a literal representation of it, and this creative approach applies to the cover of the May issue.”
