Liam Grant

COMM 319

March 12, 2024

Lesson 8 Ethics Assignment

This article discusses a photo shoot in which Gigi Hadid and Justin Martin posed for

Vogue Italia back in 2018. However, their skin tones appeared much darker than they were in

reality, causing significant backlash. While this is not the first time a photoshoot has altered the

appearance of a model, this is one of the times where the alteration of skin tone has negative

connotations. Similarly to the United States, Italy has a history of blackface in various media and

art forms and is a controversial issue for many. The skin-darkening effect was intended to show

a bronzed look, as the theme was beachwear. However, the bronzing appeared darker than

anticipated under studio lighting and through the editing process. Vogue Italy was quick to

apologize for the picture, but in their apology, made sure to mention how they “respected and

encouraged the creative viewpoints of commissioned photographers,” which undermined the

sincerity of their apology.

Hadid, however, was very thorough in her apology and was clearly disturbed by the

photo and subsequent response to it. She worked to clarify that she had no control over

anything on set that day and how her “control of a shoot 1. It is nonexistent in terms of creative

direction 2. Ends completely when I leave set, and anything done to a photo in post is out of my

control fully.” While some may take this as a way of shifting blame, she is likely telling the truth,

as at the end of the day, she is the model, not the photographer or editor. Hadid also removed

the image from her Instagram, which is significant considering how much goes into these

photoshoots. However, it proved the correct move, as her career has moved on from this

debacle.
Ledbetter, Carly. “Gigi Hadid Apologizes for Vogue Italia ‘blackface’ Controversy.” HuffPost,

HuffPost, 3 May 2018,

www.huffpost.com/entry/gigi-hadid-vogue-italia-apology_n_5aeb6a0fe4b0c4f1932059fd.