Gigi Hadid Redirects Blame Over ‘Blackface’ Vogue Italia Cover

Gigi Hadid has finally broken her silence amid the backlash she’s been receiving for her latest appearance on the May issue of the Vogue Italia cover. Though the model apologized for the controversy, she is not taking the blame over the alleged inappropriate photo.

Hadid took to Twitter on Thursday to share a snap that was taken after the April 3 shoot for the controversial magazine cover. She pointed out that she was heavily bronzed that day due to the aesthetic photographer Steven Klein was going for.

“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,” Hadid wrote.

She then went on to explain her limited involvement in the direction of the shoot. “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,” Zayn Malik’s girlfriend stated.

“The bronzing and photoshop is a style that S. Klein has done for many years and I believe I was what was 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,” she continued.

Hadid said that the cover may have turned out differently had she been given control over the situation. She then apologized if the cover offended a lot of people. “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,” she stated.

Hadid received a lot of flak on social media after sharing the Vogue Italia cover on her Instagram. Many pointed out how the 23-year-old model’s skin tone appeared altered, making her barely recognizable. Others claimed that Hadid was doing “blackface” and took offense from it, according to Us Weekly. Hadid has since deleted her post.

Vogue Italia’s parent company, Conde Nast International, has issued a statement to TMZ regarding the controversial cover. “In our latest cover shoot by Steven Klein, the vision was to create a beachwear-themed story with a stylized bronzing effect. We understand that the result has caused some debate with our readers, and we sincerely apologize if we have caused any offense,” read the statement.

This isn’t the first time that Hadid got involved in a mess due to a photo shoot with Vogue Italia. In 2015, Yolanda Hadid’s daughter was also criticized for rocking an afro wig and darker skin tone for a shoot.