Kerry Washington says she was thrilled to be invited to appear on the cover of Adweek—but "taken aback" when the photo was so altered she barely recognized herself. "I'm no stranger to Photoshopping. It happens a lot," the Scandal star writes in an Instagram post with a picture of the cover, explaining that she doesn't "always take these adjustments to task," but she felt "weary" after seeing the Adweek image. "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," she writes. "It's an unfortunate feeling." She stresses that she has a lot of respect for the magazine and is pleased with the interview and images inside.
Washington doesn't spell out the changes she's unhappy with, though Ashley Weatherford at New York notes that "the incomparably beautiful actress" has been unrecognizable on previous magazine covers. She urges future photographic teams to "ease up on the Photoshop" and "include people who celebrate, instead of muzzle, the beauty that is black skin." ABC News reports that according to Adweek Editorial Director James Cooper, the magazine only made "minimal adjustments," including adding volume to her hair. "We are honored to have her grace our pages," he says. "To clarify, we made minimal adjustments, solely for the cover's design needs." (More Kerry Washington stories.)