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Elle magazine in Gabourey Sidibe skin lightening controversy Elle magazine has been criticised after internet (99 hits)

The 27-year-old is one of four celebrities to appear on four separate covers for its 25th anniversary issue.

In the image Sidibe’s skin appears to be several shades lighter than her normal colour.
The magazine said the four celebrities – Sidibé, actresses Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, and Lauren Conrad, the reality star – were chosen as examples of young women who were “changing the world”.

ELLE has also been criticised because each of the other three cover girls are shown in full length photographs while Sidibe’s image is cropped at chest level.

In a statement the magazine said that “nothing out of the ordinary” had been done to the photograph.

“We have four separate covers this month and Gabby's cover was not retouched any more or less than the others” it read.

“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."

It is not the first time there has been a row over the use of skin lightening of celebrities on magazine covers or advertisements.

In 2008 beauty giant L'Oréal was accused of 'whitewashing' the complexion of Beyoncé Knowles in an advertisement for a haircare product.

Sidibé shot to fame after her appearance as Claireece Jones, a 16-year-old who is abused by her mother, and pregnant with her father's child in the film Precious.