Who is that woman on the cover of the latest spring issue of InStyle Magazine? Word on the street, the woman is supposed to be actress, Kerry Washington (pictured) but her fans beg to differ. It looks as if the cover photo has been retouched to the point where the “Scandal” star appears shades lighter than her actual complexion.
Kerry Washington poses in the press room at the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, January 11, 2015 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
Washington shared her cover shot with her legion of fans via her Instagram account, but instead of being met with praise she received more than her fair share of criticism. The cover backlash was so intense that magazine’s powers-that-be decided to release a statement on their website explaining the actresses’ seemingly bleached skin tone:
“We are super fans of Kerry Washington here at InStyle. 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. 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 apparently seems happy as a lark with the InStyle’s explanation and even directed fans to their Twitter website stating:
“@InStyle: On KWs Cover: http://trib.al/iGx1k6C ” Beautiful statement. Thank u 4 opening this convo. Its an important 1 that needs to be had.
In the not too distant past, Washington also felt the ire of her fans when she appeared on the December/January 2013 cover of Lucky Magazine looking TOTALLY unrecognizable.
