Singer Karol G accuses magazine of ‘disrespectful’ editing of her face and body

Colombian singer Karol G has accused GQ Mexico of being “disrespectful” by Photoshopping her recent cover photo shoot.

The 32-year-old “Provenza” singer took to Instagram on Thursday to share a photo of the magazine cover, which she said was heavily retouched after she’d made it clear she was unhappy with the changes being made.

In her post, Karol G included a side-by-side image of the GQ Mexico cover and a natural, unedited selfie. “I don’t even know where to start this message,” she wrote in Spanish. “Today my GQ magazine cover was made public, a cover with an image that DOES NOT represent me.”

“My face does not look like this, my body does not look like that and I feel very happy and comfortable with how I look naturally,” she continued.

Karol G – whose real name is Carolina Giraldo Navarro – went on to thank the magazine for the opportunity to be featured on the cover of its April/May 2023 issue. However, she alleged that the retouches were made against her wishes. “Despite making my discontent clear with the number of [edits] they did with the photo, they didn’t do anything about it, as if to look good I needed all those changes," she continued in the post’s caption.

“I understand the repercussions this can have, but beyond feeling it’s disrespectful to me, it’s disrespectful to women who wake up looking to feel comfortable with themselves despite society’s stereotypes,” the singer wrote.

Heavily Photoshopped magazine covers and ads are nothing new, as beauty brands and fashion labels have often been called out for Photoshopping the models in advertising campaigns. The practice has come under criticism for the potential harm it may be causing, with research suggesting there’s a link between retouched or Photoshopped images and negative impacts on body image and mental health.

In response to Karol G’s post, many fans praised the singer for speaking out. “Good that you spoke up! You even look better in your natural photo,” one person commented, while another said: “Thank you for this.”

Last year, Nicole Kidman was at the centre of a Photoshop debate when Vanity Fair magazine released its 28th annual Hollywood Issue starring the Big Little Lies star, with many fans accusing the magazine of over-editing the actress.

Singer Meghan Trainor also said she cried after seeing her waist altered in her "Me Too" music video in 2016, while Euphoria star Zendaya called out Modeliste Magazine for a retouched photo of her in 2015.

The Good Place star Jameela Jamil has previously discussed how she was heavily airbrushed on magazine covers to make her “look white” in photo shoots. “People have made me look white in so many of the magazines and campaigns I’ve shot for,” she said during a podcast appearance in 2018. “Airbrushing and changing my ethnicity is bad for my mental health, it’s not just bad for the mental health of the girls who are looking at it.”

“It makes me dislike what I’m seeing in the mirror. It sends a direct message from the editor to me and from whoever Photoshops my image to me, that I am not good enough as I am, that the way I turned up on the set that day wasn’t good enough.

“It’s dangerous for the women in this position as much as it is for everyone reading it.”

The Independent has contacted GQ Mexico for comment.