Gigi Hadid has issued an apology after posing for a controversial Vogue Italia cover.

The model came under fire after appearing on the cover of the magazine’s May issue, which was shot by fashion photographer Steven Klein:

“High voltage”, eh? Electrifying, it ain’t.

Social media and various outlets basically tore her to shreds for her bronzed appearance, likening it to blackface, and they also criticised Vogue Italia and Klein for using Photoshop (the modelling world’s worst-kept beauty secret) to manipulate Hadid’s facial features.

This is not the first that the model’s been accused of doing something like this. Posing once before for Vogue Italia in 2015, a veeerrrry bronzed Hadid was photographed wearing colourful afros.

Smart move – not.

Per the The Huffington Post, Hadid removed the tasteless pic from her Instagram account and said she was sorry for what happened:

I want to apologize [sic] because my intention is never to diminish those concerns or take opportunities away from anyone else, and I hope this can be an example to other magazines and teams in the future.

There are real issues regarding representation in fashion ― it’s our responsibility to acknowledge those issues and communicate through them to work towards a more diverse industry.

Conde Nast International has also pleaded forgiveness:

Throughout its history, Vogue Italia has respected and encouraged the creative viewpoints of commissioned photographers. In our latest cover shoot by Steven Klein, the vision was to create a beachwear-themed story with a stylised bronzing effect.

We understand that the result has caused some debate with our readers, and we sincerely apologise if we have caused any offence.

“Stylised bronzing.” Right …

Although the apologies seem sincere, people won’t forget the cover image in a hurry. After all, it’s still floating on Klein and Vogue Italia‘s Instagram accounts.

Progress at its finest, people.