Kerry Washington recently graced the cover of Adweek magazine, and it didn't take long for people, especially her, to realize how different the publication made her look.
While the 39-year-old "Scandal" star is honored to be on the cover, she couldn't help but notice how much Adweek altered her appearance. Washington is nearly unrecognizable on the cover, and she wasn't going to sit back and let that happen without saying something, so she took to social media with a lengthy post sharing her thoughts.
"So...You know me. I'm not one to be quiet about a magazine cover," she wrote. "I always celebrate it when a respected publication invites me to grace their pages. It's an honor. And a privilege and ADWEEK is no exception. I love ADWEEK. It's a publication I appreciate. And learn from...When they invited me to do a cover, I was excited and thrilled. And the truth is, I'm still excited."
She went on to say how proud she is of the article and that she likes "some" of the images within the magazine, but it's the cover photo that really stood out to her.
"I have to be honest...I was taken aback by the cover," she continued. "Look, I'm not stranger to Photoshopping. It happens a lot. In a way, we have become a society of picture adjusters - who doesn't love a filter?!?...Yesterday, however, I felt weary. 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."
Washington then once again explained how "proud" she is of the article, despite the fact that the magazine altered her image. But she also added that there were also a few things that are "important" to her that she discussed with Adweek that were not included in the article.
"Like: The importance of a strong professional support and my awesome professional team," she continued. "And I've been thinking about how to discuss those things with anyone who is interested, in an alternate forum. But until then...Grab this week's ADWEEK. Read it. I hope you enjoy it. And thank you for being patient with me while I figured out how to post this in a way that felt both celebratory and honest."
Once word got out about Washington's respectful post, the publication's editorial director James Cooper released a statement on behalf of Adweek.
"Kerry Washington is a class act. We are honored to have her grace our pages," Cooper said. "To clarify, we made minimal adjustments, solely for the cover's design needs. We meant no disrespect, quite the opposite. We are glad she is enthusiastic about the piece and appreciate her honest comments." He also responded on Twitter by writing, "Happy @kerrywashington was proud of her Adweek profile, sad cover misses for her. Added volume to hair for dramatic effect. No disrespect."
Happy @kerrywashington was proud of her Adweek profile, sad cover misses for her. Added volume to hair for dramatic effect. No disrespect. — Jim Cooper (@jcoopernyc) April 6, 2016
Last February, Washington faced similar issues when her skin appeared to be lightened on the cover of InStyle magazine. While Washington did not speak out about the image herself, many fans were not happy with her seemingly altered look, so InStyle immediately responded and denied deliberately lightening Washington's skin.
"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," InStyle said in a statement. "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."
