http://shine.yahoo.com/ch...le-2391180

Was Gabourey Sidibe's skin lightened for the cover of ELLE?

by Jennifer Romolini, Shine staff
5 hours 20 minutes ago

Getty Images

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There are about 600 comments... 2 lovely ones by the same "person" -

Posted by not impressed
4 hours 46 minutes ago
Are you kidding me? Sorry. She is not beautiful. What in the world was Elle thinking when they put her face on the cover? She should be on the cover of national geographic... specifically an issue about gorillas.

Posted by not impressed
4 hours 48 minutes ago
The question of whether or not her skin has been lightened should not even be an issues because she should not even be on the cover. Period.

I always hate to read racist comments made by the ugliest of us.

I swear, its no wonder why so many young girls fall prey to having low self esteem when so many people work so hard to degrade and tear down anything they do not understand or embrace.

I love Gabourey's skin tone, its rich and luscious... its shameful that they lightened her skin so much. They could have presented a matt-finish cover so that the reflection from her face doesn't read "too dark".

I don't know about the skin lightening, but I disagree with this part of what they said: "Sidibe is cropped at the mid-chest, with a swath of ruched green fabric hiding her curvy frame."

Obviously she's cropped, but the fabric does not hide her curvy frame. She looks very pretty on the cover, and they made her look glamorous. If they did indeed lighten her skin, then they should be criticized heavily for it. But if they didn't--the rest of the photo is done very well, imo.

a few ppl claiming to be professional photogs in the comment ssaid it could have just been the lighting, which can be really bright/extreme at some shoots..

Efan said:

I don't know about the skin lightening, but I disagree with this part of what they said: "Sidibe is cropped at the mid-chest, with a swath of ruched green fabric hiding her curvy frame."

Obviously she's cropped, but the fabric does not hide her curvy frame. She looks very pretty on the cover, and they made her look glamorous. If they did indeed lighten her skin, then they should be criticized heavily for it. But if they didn't--the rest of the photo is done very well, imo.

IMO they did, but I think they did it for reasons other than racsim. I think they lightened the cover because she's in green and its in color. The magazine stock is shiny, and the reflective quality of a glossy pic would look awful with someone with such a dark skin tone.

In a black & white photograph, she may have looked better. No need for the lightening, or switching up a glossy cover stock for a more matt card stock.

But I'm not in the biz, so a professional graphic artist may disagree. I just think of models like Alex Wek that are always photographed in B&W for the cover shots.

paintedlady said:

Efan said:

I don't know about the skin lightening, but I disagree with this part of what they said: "Sidibe is cropped at the mid-chest, with a swath of ruched green fabric hiding her curvy frame."

Obviously she's cropped, but the fabric does not hide her curvy frame. She looks very pretty on the cover, and they made her look glamorous. If they did indeed lighten her skin, then they should be criticized heavily for it. But if they didn't--the rest of the photo is done very well, imo.

IMO they did, but I think they did it for reasons other than racsim. I think they lightened the cover because she's in green and its in color. The magazine stock is shiny, and the reflective quality of a glossy pic would look awful with someone with such a dark skin tone.

In a black & white photograph, she may have looked better. No need for the lightening, or switching up a glossy cover stock for a more matt card stock.

But I'm not in the biz, so a professional graphic artist may disagree. I just think of models like Alex Wek that are always photographed in B&W for the cover shots.

Yeah, with magazines I've worked on, not that I have any really high-profile experience or anything, I've often been amazed at how people of all kinds of colors and skin tones can look so different in various photos. I wouldn't be surprised if they did not lighten her at all. And I wouldn't be surprised if they did. I'll assume they're innocent on that till proven guilty.

I think it's kind of unfair of the website in the OP to use it for their own propaganda purposes, though. They asked the question of Elle, got an answer, and still posed the question provocatively just to get attention. And then they throw in the criticism of how she's cropped. I don't have much positive to say about how popular fashion magazines like Elle operate, but in this case, I think the website just wants attention here.

I find darker skin difficult to light, and have taken photos which inadvertently make the skin look much lighter than it really is.

http://www.flickr.com/sea...;q=valerie

a couple of those black and white ones came out way too pale

But that cover isn't just lighting No way.

mmm... none of the skin tones on magazine covers or most any manipulated photos are accurate, to comment on skin lightening for a magazine cover is a little bit idiotic. Skin tone regardless of race is manipulated, and often a too pale complexion is darkened.

So dumb! I mean they also rehape faces and bodies on these magazines, remember Beyonce in Maxim? they made her slimmer.

dumb dum dumb! It's like complaining that the red m&m's are too fake a shade of red when everything in the bag is fake and unhealthy!

ufoclub said:

mmm... none of the skin tones on magazine covers or most any manipulated photos are accurate, to comment on skin lightening for a magazine cover is a little bit idiotic. Skin tone regardless of race is manipulated, and often a too pale complexion is darkened.

So dumb! I mean they also rehape faces and bodies on these magazines, remember Beyonce in Maxim? they made her slimmer.

dumb dum dumb! It's like complaining that the red m&m's are too fake a shade of red when everything in the bag is fake and unhealthy!

Agree.

I'm more troubled by the fact that that is the most realistic wig Elle could come up with for this girl.

Also, has anyone asked Gabourey Sidibe's opinion?

She was probably just over the moon to be on the cover of a beauty magazine till folk rained on her parade.

johnart said:

I'm more troubled by the fact that that is the most realistic wig Elle could come up with for this girl.

I came in here to say the same thing

forget the skin, check out that wack ass name they put on her

paintedlady said:

I always hate to read racist comments made by the ugliest of us.

I swear, its no wonder why so many young girls fall prey to having low self esteem when so many people work so hard to degrade and tear down anything they do not understand or embrace.

I love Gabourey's skin tone, its rich and luscious... its shameful that they lightened her skin so much. They could have presented a matt-finish cover so that the reflection from her face doesn't read "too dark".

You want brutal, you should see the stuff that was said on Okayplayer

I was reading and constantly saying "DAMN" at almost every comment

Personally I think t's the lighting. She's just what is referred to in the business as "blown out". Those Tungsten lights are a mofo. I've never worked for the American branch of ELLE, but I have worked for several of the European editions. Dark skinned models of African descent traditionally have enjoyed a working for the magazine without having to worry that someone would lighten their skin here, the darker skin color is part of the appeal and the sub-Saharan African woman has been a mainstay in couture fashion here for decades. I'm going to stick wth it being the lighting, but American attitudes are different, so I won't say that I'm 100% sure. Does anyone know who shot the story/cover? Also who's the chief editor of the American edition? Is it Nina Garcia? I can't remember. But knowing who shot it and who the editor in chief is would definitely provide some insight...

johnart said:

I'm more troubled by the fact that that is the most realistic wig Elle could come up with for this girl.

YOU KNOW???

It's triflin' because the industry in New York is chock full of h&m people who are Black Americans, Boriquas, Brasilians, and gay white boys from the deep south who knooow what to do, whether they're working with natural texture, wigs, or weaves. This right here don't make a lick o' sense

Ottensen said:

Personally I think t's the lighting. She's just what is referred to in the business as "blown out". Those Tungsten lights are a mofo. I've never worked for the American branch of ELLE, but I have worked for several of the European editions. Dark skinned models of African descent traditionally have enjoyed a working for the magazine without having to worry that someone would lighten their skin here, the darker skin color is part of the appeal and the sub-Saharan African woman has been a mainstay in couture fashion here for decades. I'm going to stick wth it being the lighting, but American attitudes are different, so I won't say that I'm 100% sure. Does anyone know who shot the story/cover? Also who's the chief editor of the American edition? Is it Nina Garcia? I can't remember. But knowing who shot it and who the editor in chief is would definitely provide some insight...

Nina is Marie Claire now. My first thought lighting too.

[img:$uid]http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i9/jgascot/images1.jpg[/img:$uid][img:$uid]http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i9/jgascot/images.jpg[/img:$uid]

Ottensen said:

johnart said:

I'm more troubled by the fact that that is the most realistic wig Elle could come up with for this girl.

YOU KNOW???

It's triflin' because the industry in New York is chock full of h&m people who are Black Americans, Boriquas, Brasilians, and gay white boys from the deep south who knooow what to do, whether they're working with natural texture, wigs, or weaves. This right here don't make a lick o' sense

That hair is HEAVY straight out the bag.

They probably cropped her cuz poor thing had to sit down to hold her head up.

johnart said:

I'm more troubled by the fact that that is the most realistic wig Elle could come up with for this girl.

it is quite troubling

Forget her skin, what the FUCK did they put on that girl's head?

Awful.

Guess I'm not the only one to notice the busted wig edit

[Edited 9/16/10 7:09am]

PunkMistress said:

Forget her skin, what the FUCK did they put on that girl's head?

Awful.

Guess I'm not the only one to notice the busted wig edit

[Edited 9/16/10 7:09am]

Girl, hell no you ain't.

johnart said:

I'm more troubled by the fact that that is the most realistic wig Elle could come up with for this girl.

THIS>>>>>>>>>>

She wears the WORST wigs! Every single wig I've seen her in looks horrid, like she got it in one of those hair supply stores on 125th street.

And I need folks to relax. Sometimes people look for racism when there is none. It's lighting.

[Edited 9/16/10 7:19am]

Ottensen said:

johnart said:

I'm more troubled by the fact that that is the most realistic wig Elle could come up with for this girl.

YOU KNOW???

It's triflin' because the industry in New York is chock full of h&m people who are Black Americans, Boriquas, Brasilians, and gay white boys from the deep south who knooow what to do, whether they're working with natural texture, wigs, or weaves. This right here don't make a lick o' sense

THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who first noticed the wig/hair/do. Damn the skin tone, although it does look like something was done purposefully or not, she's definitely lighter. Somebody's ass needs to be kicked for the jacked up hair. They could have done 1000 times better that what's on her head. Hell, it looks like she's got on some cheap ass donkey hair wig. Shameful!

I'm not judging, but I thought Gabby was on a serious diet trying to drop some of that unhealthy girth. She's got an attractive face and she would be a real glamor-puss if she could shed about 100 pounds. Even at a plus size-16/18, she would look so much better and be so much healthier.

I haven't seen Precious, but I saw Gabourey on SNL and fell in love with her. She's hilarious.

bboy87 said:

paintedlady said:

I always hate to read racist comments made by the ugliest of us.

I swear, its no wonder why so many young girls fall prey to having low self esteem when so many people work so hard to degrade and tear down anything they do not understand or embrace.

I love Gabourey's skin tone, its rich and luscious... its shameful that they lightened her skin so much. They could have presented a matt-finish cover so that the reflection from her face doesn't read "too dark".

You want brutal, you should see the stuff that was said on Okayplayer

I was reading and constantly saying "DAMN" at almost every comment

Post the link. I can't find it.

Shyra said:

Ottensen said:

YOU KNOW???

It's triflin' because the industry in New York is chock full of h&m people who are Black Americans, Boriquas, Brasilians, and gay white boys from the deep south who knooow what to do, whether they're working with natural texture, wigs, or weaves. This right here don't make a lick o' sense

THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who first noticed the wig/hair/do. Damn the skin tone, although it does look like something was done purposefully or not, she's definitely lighter. Somebody's ass needs to be kicked for the jacked up hair. They could have done 1000 times better that what's on her head. Hell, it looks like she's got on some cheap ass donkey hair wig. Shameful!

I'm not judging, but I thought Gabby was on a serious diet trying to drop some of that unhealthy girth. She's got an attractive face and she would be a real glamor-puss if she could shed about 100 pounds. Even at a plus size-16/18, she would look so much better and be so much healthier.

I think she is so damned pretty. Her features are just perfect, the heffa has the perfect smile. But the weight at her age should be a health concern. We women of color are prone to diabetes & heart disease when we're not at a manageable weight, so we definitely don't want to see her go down that road. She's too damned cute and talented, and I would love to see her work a long and fruitful career without any health issues.

Ottensen said:

Shyra said:

THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who first noticed the wig/hair/do. Damn the skin tone, although it does look like something was done purposefully or not, she's definitely lighter. Somebody's ass needs to be kicked for the jacked up hair. They could have done 1000 times better that what's on her head. Hell, it looks like she's got on some cheap ass donkey hair wig. Shameful!

I'm not judging, but I thought Gabby was on a serious diet trying to drop some of that unhealthy girth. She's got an attractive face and she would be a real glamor-puss if she could shed about 100 pounds. Even at a plus size-16/18, she would look so much better and be so much healthier.

I think she is so damned pretty. Her features are just perfect, the heffa has the perfect smile. But the weight at her age should be a health concern. We women of color are prone to diabetes & heart disease when we're not at a manageable weight, so we definitely don't want to see her go down that road. She's too damned cute and talented, and I would love to see her work a long and fruitful career without any health issues.

Yes, Gabby is a pretty lady, but she needs to really start loving herself more. Her weight is not only terribly unattractive, it is life-threatening. She's too young to be that heavy, and she's is definitely limiting her acting opportunities. How many movie rolls are going to call for a morbidly obese black woman? Hell, for that matter, how many rolls are there available for morbidly obese white women or morbidly obese folk in general?

PunkMistress said:

I haven't seen Precious, but I saw Gabourey on SNL and fell in love with her. She's hilarious.

I actually thought she was horrible on SNL. The reading of the cue cards, the deadpan acting, the stumbling over the words. It was messy.

And that wig is still horrible. :/

jaybendy said:

PunkMistress said:

I haven't seen Precious, but I saw Gabourey on SNL and fell in love with her. She's hilarious.

I actually thought she was horrible on SNL. The reading of the cue cards, the deadpan acting, the stumbling over the words. It was messy.

And that wig is still horrible. :/

Hair shouldn't look like it's eating your head.

That needs eyes drawn on it and NOM NOM written across the bottom.

PositivityNYC said:

johnart said:

I'm more troubled by the fact that that is the most realistic wig Elle could come up with for this girl.

it is quite troubling

co x 2000