Kerry Washington is Unrecognizable in Adweek

Kerry Washington and her fans are accusing Adweek of Photoshopping the actress on their April cover. Many people argued that Washington didn’t even look like herself. Washington personally addressed these ideas. She made remarks about her cover and, although she was very polite about it, she did call out the magazine for their alterations of her. She mentioned that although Photoshopping and adjustments are not new to her, this cover in particular took her aback. She writes in a tweet, "Look, I’m no stranger to Photoshopping. It happens a lot…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 is true; she is no stranger to Photoshop. She has been previously Photoshopped in the December/January cover of Lucky magazine in 2014 and her skin tone was altered for the March 2015 issue of InStyle. I agree with her that this cover in Adweek is just another example of bad and aggressive Photoshopping and editing.  This cover makes her look completely different. The most notable alteration is Washington’s skin tone; she appears to have lighter skin.

This is not the first time that magazines have been accused of altering celebrities’ appearances. Whether it is making their waste slimmer, enhancing their makeup, or changing the tone of their skin, these kinds of alterations are sending bad messages. I think that Kerry Washington did a great job taking a stand and speaking out about this. As a woman of color, she is telling people that these kinds of alterations are not and should not be condoned. She is proud of her heritage and of her skin color and this magazine does not have the right to change that.