Karlie Kloss has come out and issued an apology.
The model says she’s sorry for her involvement in a controversial Vogue photoshoot that has stirred up quite a bit of backlash for casting a Caucasian woman as a Geisha.
The spread, which appeared in the fashion magazine’s “diversity themed” March issue, depicts the 24-year-old model decked out in traditional Japanese attire for a series of pictures.
The images were shot in Japan and Kloss was styled by Phyllis Posnick – and they include poses of Kloss standing alongside a pool and a sumo wrestler, among other backdrops.
As you might expect, and as Vogue likely should have known, the backlash against the pictorial on social media has been swift and strong.
“Apparently no Japanese models were available for Vogue’s ‘diversity’ issue. Thank god Karlie Kloss could fill in,” wrote one annoyed user as a caption to the following Vogue photo:
A photographer named Mikael Jansson shot the editorial, allegedly as an homage to a 1966 Vogue shoot by Richard Avedon of German model Veruschka.
But that nod to history didn’t do anything to alleviate the anger online.
After the images made their Internet rounds and criticism began of Vogue and Kloss for participating in “yellowface,” as many critics cited, the magazine removed the snapshots from its website.
And then Kloss wrote the following on Twitter:
These images appropriate a culture that is not my own and I am truly sorry for participating in a shoot that was not culturally sensitive.
My goal is, and always will be, to empower and inspire women. I will ensure my future shoots and projects reflect that mission.
In 2012, Kloss was forced to issue a similar mea culpa after walking the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway while wearing a Native American-inspired headdress with high-heel moccasins and fringe leather bra and panties.
After more charges of cultural appropriation were leveled against her, Kloss Tweeted the following:
“I am deeply sorry if what I wore during the VS Show offended anyone. I support VS’s decision to remove the outfit from the broadcast.”
In general, this “diversity issue” has received a bit of criticism for its cover, which featured Ashley Graham, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and a quartet of other high-profile models posing together on the beach, all wearing black turtlenecks and colorful high-waisted shorts.
It was an odd decision, considering how similar the women all looked to each other… and considering this was an issue allegedly dedicated to diversity.
But the cover feedback was nothing compared to what folks had to say about Kloss dressed as a geisha. To wit:
Do you see where these users are coming from?
Are they overreacting to a simple photo shoot?
And what does close Karlie Kloss friend Taylor Swift have to say about all this?
THAT’S the real question!