Celebrity
Karol G Slammed Her Own GQ Cover For Its “Disrespectful” Photo Editing
“My face does not look like this, my body does not look like that.”
Given that Karol G calls herself la bichota, basically the girlboss, it’s no surprise she’ll stand up for herself when she feels disrespected. After the reggaetón star’s April/May 2023 GQ Mexico cover debuted on April 6, she made a statement about the repercussions of photo editing on Instagram. Specifically, she called out her GQ cover photo, which she says “DOES NOT represent [her]” because of all the changes made post-shoot.
“I don’t even know where to begin this message…” Karol G started her statement 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.”
The Colombian singer went on to share that she appreciated the opportunity, but she said she made her “discontent with the number of edits made to the photo” clear. “They didn’t do anything about it, as if to look good I needed all those changes,” she added. (Bustle has reached out to GQ for comment but did not hear back at the time of publishing.)
“I understand the repercussions this can have,” Karol G concluded, “but beyond feeling it’s disrespectful to me, it’s disrespectful to women that every day we wake up looking to feel comfortable with ourselves despite society’s stereotypes.”
Though Karol G didn’t feel like the magazine’s cover did her justice, the feature itself celebrated her impressive rise in the music world. GQ also named her as one of its inaugural Global Creativity Awards honorees alongside stars like Anna Wintour and Donald Glover.
Showing that she feels comfortable in her own skin, Karol G posted a no-makeup selfie along with her GQ cover and statement. “Bravo,” commented actor Joselyn Gallardo, “how nice that all girls can read this and have one more reason to admire you!” Musician Nathalia Milán chimed in, too, writing, “You’re prettier without editing!” Numerous others similarly showed their support and thanked Karol G for representing natural beauty.
The singer has been clear that she’s proud of who she is. In fact, she has a tattoo of herself on her arm next to the likes of Rihanna and the late Selena Quintanilla. “I went to the tattoo artist, and I told him I wanted a tattoo of the women I most admire in the world,” she told GQ. “People should get more tattoos of themselves! Because only you know how hard things have been for yourself. No one can feel that except you.”
Karol G also previously reflected on the harmful messaging the new generation receives. “This generation is always told how to be all the time: how to post a photo to get more likes, how to talk so you’re seen as nice or cool, how to dress,” she told Billboard in February. “When at the end of the day, they should be teaching that it’s amazing that you’re you — because everyone needs to meet different people to continue to grow and evolve and learn.”
