Supermodel Gigi Hadid has taken to Instagram to respond to critics after receiving backlash for her Vogue Italia cover.
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Her bronzed make-up look for the magazine shoot led fans to accuse her of blackface, claiming she was "completely unrecognisable".
"Girl, why the hell is your face that dark… stop doing this. And you wonder why people don't like you, it's because of this," one commenter vented.
The US model then uploaded a photo of her returning from set on the day of the shoot, and included a detailed explanation and apology.
"You can see the level I had been bronzed to on set that day. Please understand that my control of a shoot is 1. Non-existent in terms of creative direction, 2. Ends completely when I leave set."
Hadid claimed the "bronzing and photoshop" was a trademark style of the photographer, Steven Klein.
"Please know that things would have been different if my control of the situation was different," she added.
"Regardless, I want to apologise because my intention is never to diminish those concerns or take opportunities away from anyone else."
A spokesperson for Vogue Italia has also addressed the controversy.
"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 offence."
It's not the first time Hadid has been at the centre of racism controversy. She was dropped from a Victoria's Secret show in China last year after her sister posted a video of her holding a Bhudda cookie while squinting her eyes.
Newshub.
