American model Gigi Hadid has apologized for her appearance on Vogue Italia cover after facing backlash online for appearing in a darker skin tone than her actual colour. Gigi in an Instagram post has gone on to state that she has no control over the shoot in terms of creative direction but immediately said she apologizes and hopes other magazines take it as an example in the future.
Gigi Hadid who appears on the May cover of Vogue Italia cover issued the statement through stories on her Instagram account which stated that she loses control of the shoot after she has left the set and anything done to the photo post the shoot is out of her control and in the hands of the magazine. Interestingly, this is not the first time that Vogue Italia has faced backlash for its covers as they faced accusations of blackface and cultural appropriation in 2015. Surprisingly, in 2015 it was Gigi again on the cover wearing an afro.
The model, however, said, she understands the intentions of Vogue Italia and it was not executed correctly and the concerns of the users are valid and things would have been different if her control over the situation was different. Many users have criticised Vogue on its cover photo on Instagram as well as Gigi Hadid but there are many who have also supported her after she put up the story.
However, the magazine's contributing editor, Patti Wilson, who is a black, has come out to state that it was a summer issue and Gigi was meant to look tan and "nothing more than that". She went on to state that throughout her career she has championed models of all elasticities and has always fought for diversity in this industry and also celebrates women of all color.