*Kerry Washington may have been “thrilled” to see herself on the cover of InStyle magazine’s March issue, but that doesn’t mean her fans share the same sentiment.
The cover has drawn the ire of several of Washington’s fans over InStyle’s alleged lightening of the “Scandal” star’s skin tone and altering of her facial features. On Wednesday, Washington released the image of the cover on Instagram, saying she was “THRILLED” to share it.
Nevertheless, Washington’s fans were not pleased:
– “Very sad to see this cover. Way too much photoshop!!”wrote one fan as another posted a response, saying, “Looks like a white woman with no cheekbones.” (via Cosmopolitan).
– “Why would you lighten her skin that much?! She is gorgeous just the way she is!!!!” another fan voiced.
The outrage of the alleged lightening didn’t go unnoticed by InStyle, which responded to the criticism Thursday in a statement saying that Washington’s skin tone was not digitally lightened.
‘To feature her on the cover of our March spring fashion issue is both an honor and a delight. We have heard from those who have spoken out about our newsstand cover photograph, concerned that Kerry’s skin tone was lightened,” the fashion mag stated. “While we did not digitally lighten Kerry’s skin tone, our cover lighting has likely contributed to this concern. We understand that this has resulted in disappointment and hurt. We are listening, and the feedback has been valuable. We are committed to ensuring that this experience has a positive influence on the ways in which we present all women going forward.’
Washington herself later weighed in on the situation via social media as she called InStyle’s statement “beautiful.”
“Thank u 4 opening this convo. Its an important 1 that needs to be had,” tweeted the actress.