When I first saw this photo I thought it was a fake Elle cover. In the past Elle has done good covers as a rule. So seeing this horrible cover my initial reaction was to think it was a fake.
But unfortunately it's not a fake.
This is the October Elle cover featuring actress Gabourey Sidibe. There's a lot going on here. First is the weave/ wig thing on her head, it looks really bad. And does she have on a sari? Finally, why is she 5 shades lighter than her actual color?
And as someone else noted, why is Gabby's cover shot so tight? Normally Elle covers are not that close-up. Maybe they are trying to minimize Gabby's size?
Gabby and her real skin toneIf they couldn't handle putting a big, dark, Black woman on the cover they shouldn't have attempted it. A nice inside spread would have sufficed. Gabby's cover is the worst Elle cover I have ever seen. And it is not her fault.
Liya Kebede covering Elle Italy
Rihanna's Elle cover
22 comments:
I usually pay little attention to skin tone on photos as makeup, lighting, etc. always messes with it... except this one is a bit much. The close up? Of course they are minimizing her size. The whole purpose of the wide shites you displayed are to show off the shape of the one being pictured.
It is obvious the publisher here is not proud of the subjects appearance and are trying to make due.
Race, taste, and all that aside, I say its odd that they would attempt such a counterintuitive cover subject in the first place. Some editorial dissagreement going on behind the scenes perhaps?
I agree, this cover is HORRIBLE, just all types of wrong. SMDH...
Nothing against Gabby, but I need a do over.
hahahaha @ "WTF Files." i noticed more than a few peeps where commenting on Twitter about the cover. i wonder how Gabby feels about it, what it does to her self-esteem, if anything. kinda figure that her look isn't as well-received as her popularity.
on another note: Rihanna looks HOT. it will require a Rude Boy.
@brohammas
"It is obvious the publisher here is not proud of the subjects appearance and are trying to make due."
I agree and that is really sad.
@Beauty and Health Editor
Yeah her size is going to become more and more problematic for her as she gets older.
You're right and she'd probably look her age if she lost weight.
Obesity is a huge, pun intended, problem here. But is it any wonder when fast, over-processed food is cheaper than vegetables?
@Penny Wize
They def need to do this cover over.
And the sad part is that when sales of this issue are low they'll blame it on having a Black woman on the cover rather than the cover just being horrible.
@Don
It's not Gabby's fault. It's the magazines fault for choosing to show her like that.
Lol, yeah RiRi is a cutie.
agreed. i just wonder what message does ELLE sends to Gabby, when apparently the real Gabby isn't good enough. Rihanna has a pair of eyes unlike most. Rihanna's eyes > Betty Davis's eyes
I see enough ugly in real life.
I don't want to see it on the cover of magazines.
I applaud ELLE for featuring Gabby on the cover, usually women with her unique looks aren't featured on magazine covers.
I agree. The cover looks horrible. It seems like the publishers didn't care because of who the subject is.
I wonder did Gabby have any input about the cover?
I wrote a blog post about Gabby being typecast in Hollywood if she never loses any weight.
I want to see her to live more than I want to see her in another movie!
@ Jason - Really?
I don't go to auto shows to check out last year's buckets. I want to see the new top of the line models.
If I want to see less than desirable cars - I'll go to the scrap yard.
Why would anybody pay to see what they see everyday?
@Don
"i just wonder what message does ELLE sends to Gabby, when apparently the real Gabby isn't good enough."
Exactly
@Beauty and Health Editor
Actually home gardens are becoming popular here. Michelle Obama is leading the charge. She planted a garden at the White House.
I'm even thinking of starting my own mini garden, maybe this coming spring.
@Jason
"I wonder did Gabby have any input about the cover?"
I doubt it. Usually a magazine will know what they want to do and have stylists and photogs on the scene when the subject arrives.
@UBJ
"I see enough ugly in real life."
Well this isn't about anyone being 'ugly'. Beauty is a matter of taste. So what pleases one may not please another, looks wise.
This is about being made presentable. And Elle did not do a good job of making Gabby presentable for that cover.
Lots I could say. In one way, it's a victory for overweight, dark-skindid sistas to even make the cover of fashion /glam mag. Props on dat, Gabby.
But that AIN'T her.
Then again, neither are the fashion models we see on any mag. If a person doesn't meet the impossible 'ideal' (set by a committee of people, NOT black), leave to the editors & gatekeepers to change you.
One.
@Lin
True. To a certain extent all cover models are 'shopped-up'. But they seemed to have gone an extra mile in presenting Gabby.
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