Vogue apologizes for Kendall Jenner’s ‘afro’ hairstyle

Oct. 23 (UPI) — Vogue is sorry for causing any offense with Kendall Jenner’s “afro” hairstyle.

The magazine responded to backlash in a statement Monday after photographing Jenner with big, “puffed-out” hair for a new feature.

“The image is meant to be an update of the romantic Edwardian/Gibson Girl hair which suits the period feel of the Brock Collection, and also the big hair of the ’60s and the early ’70s, that puffed-out, teased-out look of those eras,” Vogue told E! News.

“We apologize if it came across differently than intended, and we certainly did not mean to offend anyone by it,” the magazine said.

Vogue shared a photo of Jenner with the hairstyle Friday on Instagram. Social media users accused Vogue of cultural appropriation and questioned why the magazine didn’t use model with a natural afro.

“Instead of hiring a model with an Afro @voguemagazine decided to make Kendall Jenner a ‘make shift’ Afro,” one person tweeted.

“Instead of hiring a Black model, Vogue just teased Kendall Jenner’s hair into an afro and called it a day,” another added.

Jenner also appeared in an earlier post with Dutch model Imaan Hammam, who is of Egyptian and Moroccan descent. Jenner wore an afro hairstyle, while Hammam sported straight locks.

Jenner previously faced controversy after appearing in a protest-themed Pepsi commercial in 2017. She cried over the backlash in an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, saying, “I just felt really, really bad.”