Letter from the Editor: Thank You Zendaya
Thank You Zendaya for raising a very important issue.
In light of our not-yet-released November issue, with Modeliste’s Cover Girl, Zendaya and the swirling controversy in regards to any re-touched images, I am compelled to publicly address this situation which was brought to my attention yesterday, personally by Zendaya. Upon review of the final edited images which had been submitted to us by an independent editing company, together, as a collaboration between myself, Zendaya and her parents, we concluded that the images had been retouched to an extent that was not acceptable and not true to the values and ideals we represent and promote in our publication. I, therefore, made the executive decision to immediately pull the issue in order to have this rectified and have the images restored to their original, natural state which will reflect the true beauty and radiance of Zendaya.
We were honored to work alongside Zendaya and her entire creative team and family for the photoshoot in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and specifically chose Zendaya as our Cover Model for the issue as we have a deep respect and admiration for her openness, honesty, the genuine manner in which she connects with her loyal fan base, as well as her integrity. We believe her to be an authentic and positive representative and an inspiration to women and of the values which we at Modeliste also hold.
As always, Modeliste is committed to celebrating what we enjoy: fashion, beauty, art, travel and giving back. Modeliste is an authentic source for emerging designers and creative visionaries, and provides a voice to the talented artists behind the scenes. Most importantly, Modeliste advocates positive body image, self love and the empowerment of women. We are all beautiful and unique in our own way, and it is through these differences that make us who we are as individuals. There are so many issues with public body shaming, negativity on the internet and social media, personal attacks on celebrities, and such an intense focus on weight and body issues in media that has created a distorted reality, and for many, a negative internal dialogue, eating disorders, and an unrealistic and often confused expectation of what is real.
I absolutely loved that when personally speaking with Zendaya on the phone in regards to the re-touching, that she specifically had noted that her fine baby hairs had been photoshopped from her forehead. As we had so many different hair styles throughout the shoot, this was something I hadn’t noticed; however, it was incredibly profound that this was something in particular in which she loves about herself, and what is a part of what makes her who she is. What one person may see as a “flaw” is someone else’s “fabulousness”. We are proud that Zendaya has taken this as an opportunity to address this situation, and create a very necessary honest and open dialogue.
It is that open dialogue with Zendaya and her family and representatives that we have decided to present to you the most beautiful and untouched photos of our Cover shoot that are a result of this wonderful collaboration. It is our hope that these images and the truthful portrayal of these unedited images brings attention and awareness to this issue. It’s important that we learn to be uplifting not only to one another, but to ourselves. That we learn to embrace our differences, our unique gifts and those aspects and qualities that make us real and who we are.
A beautiful photograph is sometimes the result of catching lightening in a bottle – and I think we accomplished this thanks to the contribution of so many unnamed participants and their support. I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who helped us create these beautiful inspirational images, for helping us to capture such unique images of Zendaya at this moment in time. We hope that you will be inspired by these photos that are the result of everyone involved — from the model to the photographer, the clothes designers, to the stylist, the make-up artist, the location and even daylight itself, and so many people and elements in between, that can affect a photo shoot and image. We are also honored to be a part of the dialogue and to be able to bring light to this extremely relevant and sensitive issue.
I would also like to send a message to all of Zendaya’s beautiful, shining and loyal fans: We hear you and thank you for your outpouring support of the issue and this talented and inspiring young woman that we are all blessed to have as a role model and who will continue to inspire us through her artistic talents, intellect, creativity and honesty. Thank you!
We hope you enjoy the ‘Unedited Edit’ images from Modeliste that we will release soon as a collaboration between Modeliste and Zendaya while also learning more about Zendaya from our interview with her which can be read in our Model Diaries on www.ModelisteMagazine.com.
Amy McCabe, Editor-in-Chief
-Modeliste Magazine
