Supermodel Gigi Hadid has apologised to fans after a controversial photo in which her skin colour appeared noticeably darker.
The 23-year-old had received significant backlash for a Vogue Italia shoot where she was heavily bronzed.
Social media lit up with complaints questioning why Ms Hadid had altered her normally pale skin colour.
Some went as far as to accuse her of adopting "blackface".
The US model's father is Palestinian-American and her mother is a Dutch-born American.
Following the backlash, Ms Hadid apologised on Instagram: "Please know that things would have been different if my control of the situation was different.
"The bronzing and photoshop is a style that [photographer] S. Klein has done for many years and I believe was what was expected from the shoot (to show me in a different way creatively), BUT, although I understand what Vogue Italia's intentions were, it was not executed correctly, and the concerns that have been brought up are valid."
Gigi Hadid at Paris Fashion Week 2018 (left) and on the cover of Vogue Italia (right). Source: AAP, Instagram
Ms Hadid said he wanted to apologise for "taking opportunities away" from more diverse models.
However, Vogue Italia's editor-at-large, Patti Wilson defended the shoot on Instagram
"It's a swimwear story. Gigi was meant to look bronze, tan, and gorgeous. Nothing more than that."
