Gabourey Sidibe Cover Lightened By Elle? (PHOTOS, POLL)

Elle magazine has been accused of lightening actress Gabourey Sidibe's skin color for the cover of its 25th anniversary issue. Readers have also raised questions about why Sidibe's cover was cropped close to her face while the other three covers--featuring Lauren Conrad, Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox were zoomed farther out, showing the women's bodies. Elle sent the following statement to Yahoo! via email:

"Nothing out of the ordinary was done. We have four separate covers this month and Gabby's cover was not retouched any more or less than the others. We had 25 cover-worthy subjects in our portfolio and we chose Gabby because of who she is. We shot this as a story of exuberant young women changing the world. If you take a look at the portfolio, each of the women were shot in different ways and for different reasons."

Editor-in-chief Robbie Myers and Creative Director Joe Zee talked to E! about the "controversy," a word Myers was quick to dismiss. She told E!, "It's not a controversy. What's so sad about it is that people have not looked at anything else but this. There's an incredible portfolio inside that Joe [Zee] and Carter [Smith] shot. They haven't looked at it. People want to make something out of nothing." Myers added, "At a photo shoot, in a studio, that is a fashion shoot, that's glamorous, the lighting is different. The photography is different than a red carpet shot from a paparazzi."

Zee explained to E! "What we loved was her behind the camera laughing and telling jokes and laughing and chuckling and I thought, That's the girl people should know....That's what we captured in the picture and for any flak to come out of that is ludicrous, because at the end of the day it's about her personality."

Take a look and tell us what you think.

Quick Poll

Do you think Elle lightened Gabourey's skin?

Definitely.

Not sure--it's impossible to judge with such different lighting.

No way.

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Here's Gabourey's cover and an image of her from September 15.

Here are the other covers:

Comments

[GlassMask]

03:19 PM on 10/12/2010

I'm the art department for a print shop, and when I get a photo of a dark-skinned African American that's badly lit or badly shot, I frequently have to lighten it in PhotoShop just to show the details of their faces. I did it yesterday for a handful of high school athletes at their proms, and I probably would have touched up the very dark picture above. It's not a racist thing; I'm just trying to make it a more recognizable photo of the person. But, yeah, for a professional photo shoot, it is a lot lighter than I'd go for. Looks very washed out...

[ghs246]

10:08 AM on 09/28/2010

Its the lighting. But the cover is a bad pic. Yes, blk women want to see more of themselves on mag covers. they want to see more of their darker sisters celebrated but not just anybody in any way. and women of all colors want to see more realistic sizes in the mags but not just anybody in any way. its one thing to be bigger than a pencil. its another thing to be unhealthy. Gabourey is unhealthy. but, the fashion industry doesnt seem to understand that there's a gulf of a difference. why not jennifer hudson (who has lost a lot of weight and looks gd) who even when she was larger was easy to look at? or america ferrara?

the sad part is i tried to think of other currently relevant blk, hispanic, and asian actresses and really had trouble. they have so few options of women of color (and even fewer if u exclude the ones w less european features) and larger women, that they just slap on anybody and expect everybody to think theyre for diversity. Broaden the entertainment/modeling industry to other ppl.

[Senpay]

08:29 PM on 09/26/2010

To me, this looks more like a lighting/contrast fix than trying to make someone look "whiter."

[moderndaywarrior]

06:04 PM on 09/23/2010

I've shot people with off-camera strobes.

The quality and intensity of the light from professional strobes produces a look unlike anything photographed with a point-and-shoot or even an SLR under whatever drab steady light is available.

I have no reason to believe that that pro photo of her was 'lightened.'

[Marie Gilreath]

11:39 AM on 09/22/2010

Professional lighting and make up changed my complexion. I looked so different.

[Aesthete]

03:45 PM on 09/21/2010

Oh please! No more of that tired old skin color debate! Different lighting does different things to everyone's coloring.

[LHorton]

01:43 PM on 09/21/2010

I've done portraits of African Americans and I will tell you for a fact that lighting makes a HUGE difference in how darker skin renders on film. Or digital sensors. I'm not saying that they didn't lighten her later, but lighting and exposure could easily explain this.

[Pie7]

09:29 AM on 09/21/2010

What was the reasons for putting her on the cover?

[Doc Wattson]

10:51 PM on 09/20/2010

Its just different lighting. I bet HP knows that too but made this topic because they know if they play on racial tension they can make more money on ads via click throughs. Shame on HP.

[CrankyGal]

02:32 PM on 09/20/2010

She looks great.

Kudos to Elle for putting her on the cover.

[Caribbeana]

12:46 AM on 09/21/2010

Elle doesn't deserve any kudos for making a mockery of Ms. Sidibe. Look at the cover. It was poorly done. And it was poorly done on purpose. Also, why juxtapose her against alternate covers of 3 other slim, white women? Instead of using Sidibe in that context, why not use Kirstie Alley? Or better yet in keeping with the slim woman theme of the other covers why not use Zoe Saldana or Nia Long or Gabrielle Union? I smell something here.

[1jadednewyorker]

08:30 AM on 09/21/2010

really? She is a role model to whom? What woman do you know wants to be just like her?

[Mitzy]

10:49 AM on 09/20/2010

Duh. One photo is brightly lit, the other one isn't. Only a complete fool would compare the two, and sad to say, only a foolish website would publish the comparison, and I guess only a foolish reader would comment on it.

[Evelyn]

01:26 AM on 09/20/2010

Her hair looks more natural. And lighting makes a huge difference. It's a good photograph.

[1jadednewyorker]

08:32 AM on 09/21/2010

1 She has on a wig and a bad one at athat .
2 the magazine admitted to re-touching and yes they did lighten her skin. Just as Vanity Fair lightened Beyonce's skin when she was on the cover.

[DisgruntledYouth]

12:38 AM on 09/20/2010

i wonder what effect her size will have on her career in the long haul.

[Atchka]

11:32 AM on 09/20/2010

Well, she's already a regular on "The Big C," even though she was hired for a single episode. So, I'd say size is not having a detrimental effect as of yet.

Peace,
Shannon

[Doc Wattson]

10:49 PM on 09/20/2010

It won't affect her career much at all. The better question will anyone other young women her size also get roles chances are no.

[mlaiuppa]

12:01 AM on 09/20/2010

I rather like the close-up. You can actually see her face as opposed to the other three, who are easily ignored.

I like the hair off Gabby's face too so you can see her eyes. The picture on the right, the bangs are so long you can't see her eyes.

[skepticalbrotha]

11:43 PM on 09/19/2010

Nobody retouched anything. It's just proper lighting. As an African American, I know I look really dark in photographs without proper lighting.