Kerry Washington appears on InStyle Magazine‘s March’15 cover, looking a little less than herself and sparking controversy over the appearance of her skin tone.
Revealing the cover on her Instagram page, the actress, well known for her role in hit US TV show Scandal, captioned the covershot;
“I’m THRILLED to share with you all that I’m on the cover of this year’s March @instylemagazine! Can’t wait for you guys to see it and read it! So honored. And crazy excited.”
However, many of her followers were less than excited to see the star appear photoshopped to bare a lighter complexion – one fan commenting on her shot;
“Still trying to understand… is this supposed to be a Kerry Avatar? This is OTT photoshopping! This is the first cover score by a person of colour that I won’t be purchasing. Does Kerry’s mom recognise that person as her child… ?!!”
Another added;
“…I am saddened by the reshaping of your face and nose and super bright leingthing/tone of it…”
Following the reaction to Kerry’s post on 4th of February, InStyle chose to respond to the criticism, posting a statement to their site on the 6th, saying;
“We have heard from those who have spoken out about our newsstand cover photograph, concerned that Kerry’s skin tone was lightened. 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.”
Kerry, who has in the past been at the centre of this same debate over her skin tone, when she appeared on the cover of Lucky Magazine in 2013, took to Twitter to respond;
“@InStyle: On KWs Cover: http://t.co/NKzbNwimYP” Beautiful statement. Thank u 4 opening this convo. Its an important 1 that needs to be had.
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) February 5, 2015
We at SPICE agree and so ask, what do you think of Kerry’s cover for Instyle Magazine‘s March’15 issue – photoshopped and outrageous or ok and to be left alone? Let us know in the comments box below our on Twitter via @SPICETVAFRICA.
Image source: Huffingtonpost.ca
