LOS ANGELES — Kerry Washington think she looks a little different on the cover of Adweek — and she’s setting the record straight.
The Scandal star took to Instagram to address the cover, which she says looks different than how she looks in person.
“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,” she wrote.
The Confirmation actress also made clear her appreciation for Adweek, saying that when any respected publication invites her to “grace their pages”, it’s an honour, also adding that’s she’s “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?!?” she wrote on her Instagram post.
She also encouraged fans to read her article and thanked them for being patient while she “figured out how to post this in a way that felt both celebratory and honest”.
Her rep declined to comment beyond the actress’ social media posts.
Later on Tuesday, Adweek editorial director Jim Cooper responded to the controversy on his Twitter. “Happy @kerrywashington was proud of her Adweek profile, sad cover misses for her. Added volume to hair for dramatic effect. No disrespect,” he wrote.
This isn’t the first time Washington has been at the center of a Photoshop fracas. Last year, she was on the cover of InStyle magazine, but fans were outraged, saying that her skin was lightened and that she looked unrecognisable.
InStyle responded to the backlash with the following statement:
“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 then tweeted back at InStyle saying, “Beautiful statement. Thank u 4 opening this convo. Its an important 1 that needs to be had.”
Washington is among many celebrities that feel they’ve been misrepresented by the use of Photoshop. Iggy Azalea tweeted a photo of herself for Schon! magazine that showed her considerably slimmer saying, “Love it, but i much prefer the picture before they photoshopped my thighs and hips to seem skinnier.”
Washington will be starring in HBO’s Confirmation as Anita Hill. The film airs on April 16. VARIETY.COM/REUTERS
