WTF Files - Gabby Sidibe's Elle cover?

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 tone

If 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

What's next for Gabby?

Imagine you are a college student and a rookie actress. You go for a role in an independent film. You get that role and you are then nominated for an Academy Award. Wow, right. Well all of this has happened to actress Gabourey Sidibe. Unfortunately Gabby didn't win the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Precious.

But then you might wonder, what next? Considering Gabourey's obese figure what kind of roles can she expect to be offered?

Let's face it there is already a shortage of good roles for Black actresses. And leading roles are even harder to come by. And good leading roles even harder. So where does that leave Gabourey? Will we even ever see her again in anything like a leading role? Or will she be a one hit wonder and disappear from film work all together?

Though it's impossible to say what if anything will come next for Gabourey I really can't imagine that we'll be hearing a lot from her in the future. Can you?