GIGI APOLOGISES FOR ‘BLACK FACE’ MAGAZINE COVER

Top model Gigi Hadid has apologised for her Vogue Italia cover, which has been slammed for using a ‘black face’ image of her — meaning her skin is made to look darker than it really is.

The image, taken by photographer Steven Klein, shows a very brown Hadid in a sequinned jumpsuit, along with model Justin Martin.

The 23-year-old model, who has Middle Eastern roots, took to Twitter to address this skin colour controversy, releasing a photograph taken of her on the same day when the cover was shot, reports E!Online.

“This is a photo of me returning home from shooting my Italian Vogue cover on April 3. You can see the level I had been bronzed to on set that day,” Hadid tweeted.

She continued that the post-production work for any modeling assignment is “out of my control fully”.

Her online post said: “The bronzing and Photoshop is a style that S. Klein has done for many years and I believe 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.”

The model added: “Regardless, I want to apologise 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.”

PHOTO: AFP PHOTO/JEWEL SAMAD Gigi Hadid believes the concerns are ‘valid’