Kerry Washington Says Photoshopped Adweek Cover Made Her Feel ‘Weary’
Kerry Washington doesn’t think she looks like this — and we have to agree. (Image: Adweek)
Beauty is in the eye of the Photoshopper — or something like that. On Wednesday, Kerry Washington took aim at Adweek for allegedly altering her image on its cover.
“So…You know me. I’m not one to be quiet about a magazine cover. I always celebrate it when a respected publication invites me to grace their pages. It’s an honor. And a privilege. And ADWEEK is no exception,” she wrote on Instagram, leading off with a friendly tone. “I love ADWEEK. It’s a publication I appreciate. And learn from. I’ve long followed them on Twitter. And when they invited me to do a cover, I was excited and thrilled. And the truth is, I’m still excited. I’m proud of the article. And I like some of the inside images a great deal.”
Then the bad news: “But, I have to be honest…I was taken aback by the cover,” she continued. “Look, I’m no stranger to Photoshopping. It happens a lot. In a way, we have become a society of picture adjusters — who doesn’t love a filter?!? And I don’t always take these adjustments to task but I have had the opportunity to address the impact of my altered image in the past and I think it’s a valuable conversation.”
She went on to explain the emotional toll the image caused. “Yesterday, however, I just felt weary,” she lamented. “It felt strange to look at a picture of myself that is so different from what I look like when I look in the mirror. It’s an unfortunate feeling.”
It was a polite slap on the wrist for the mag, but a slap on the wrist just the same. “That being said. You all have been very kind and supportive. Also, as I’ve said, I’m very proud of the article,” she insisted before pointing out some editorial choices she wasn’t thrilled with. “There are a few things we discussed in the interview that were left out. Things that are important to me (like: the importance of strong professional support and my awesome professional team) and I’ve been thinking about how to discuss those things with anyone who is interested, in an alternate forum.”
The 39-year-old Scandal star made sure to end on a friendly note, however. “But until then…Grab this week’s ADWEEK. Read it. I hope you enjoy it. And thank you for being patient with me while I figured out how to post this in a way that felt both celebratory and honest.”
Following her post, Adweek’s editorial director, James Cooper, defended their edits, tweeting, “Happy @kerrywashington was proud of her Adweek profile, sad cover misses for her. Added volume to hair for dramatic effect. No disrespect.”
Hmm. It’s easy to believe the magazine added volume to her hair, but contrary to what Cooper’s tweet implies, it seems unlikely that’s the only change Adweek made — at least, many of the actress’s Instagram followers found the claim dubious.
“Well said, looking forward to reading it,” Kristen Defaria wrote. “I didn’t even recognize you on the cover, I still don’t get the ‘photo shopping’ you clearly don’t need it, what are they thinking??obviously some is acceptable but not When we can’t recognize the person .. Glad you spoke up, not sure I would’ve picked this issue up otherwise. I do look forward to reading it.”
Another user, Shaelas129, joked, “I think Scarlett Johansson was the inspiration. The pic looks just like her.”
Alongside another picture from inside the mag, one user wrote, “The only picture from the shoot that actually looks like you.”
Washington seemed happy with this photo, which was part of the Adweek shoot. (Photo: Instagram)
But this isn’t the first time that Washington has been the focus of a retouching controversy. Last year, fans were not pleased when they felt that InStyle magazine had lightened the actress’s skin for its cover. Much like Adweek, the publication insisted the change was not intentional.
“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,” the statement from InStyle read. “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 responded to the release on Twitter writing, “Beautiful statement. Thank u 4 opening this convo. Its an important 1 that needs to be had.”
Apparently, it needs to be had again. And again.
