Kerry Washington graces the new issue of InStyle, but to many observers, her skin color on the cover is making this more controversial than celebratory.
The 38-year-old Scandal star’s entirely wrinkle-free appearance is one thing, but her fair skin was met with mixed reactions at best from fans.
She shared the cover early on Instagram, and her followers weren’t altogether thrilled. Along the responses the image received in the comments:
And on and on it went to the point where InStyle addressed Washington’s fairer-than-usual appearance, denying that they altered her complexion.
“While we did not digitally lighten Kerry’s skin tone, our cover lighting has likely contributed to this concern,” the magazine said in a statement.
InStyle noted, “we understand that this has resulted in disappointment and hurt. We are listening, and the feedback has been very valuable.”
“We are committed to ensuring that this experience has a positive influence on the ways in which we present all women going forward,” they added.
If nothing else, that response pleased Washington herself.
Linking to the InStyle statement on Twitter, she wrote, “Beautiful statement. Thank u 4 opening this convo. Its an important 1 that needs to be had.”
Case closed? It remains to be seen if Washington’s fans buy that answer (or the issue) or whether it results in tangible changes from the publication.
This isn’t the first time Kerry has faced such a situation, either. In 2013, a photo of her in Lucky magazine was thought to be heavily over-edited.
Check out that and other noteworthy photos of the beauty below, and watch Scandal online to see her in her element on the hit ABC drama:
