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Jennifer Aniston's tanned skin tone prompts cries of blackface and comparisons to former NAACP chapter leader Rachel Dolezal
Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Jennifer Aniston's tanned skin tone prompts cries of blackface and comparisons to former NAACP chapter leader Rachel Dolezal

Can't make this stuff up

InStyle magazine is under fire after featuring a photo of actress Jennifer Aniston looking tanner than normal.

What are the details?

The magazine shared one of Aniston's covers to Instagram on Wednesday, prompting heavy backlash from social media users.

As highlighted by the Los Angeles Times, one commenter wrote, "When we asked for south Asian representation in the media this isn't what we meant."

Another added, "Blackface."

"I didn't know she was a person of color," yet another user wrote.

One person even took it as a shot to marginalizing women of color in the fashion and beauty industry.

"I get that these covers are supposed to be channeling the glamour of yesteryear but that 'glamour' routinely marginalized women of color for white women (whether made tan or otherwise). Seeing Jennifer Aniston several shades darker than normal reminds me of that legacy. In 2019, if you want a brown-skinned woman on your cover, put a brown-skinned woman on your cover," another commenter added.

Another added, "Y'all that thought it would be ok to have a very brown Jennifer Aniston on your cover?"

Another user said that Aniston's tan was nothing more than "brown face."

"You can totally 'stretch your boundaries' without doing brown face though so ..." the user wrote.

According to NBC News, some commenters even compared Aniston to embattled former NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal, who, though born white, has repeatedly insisted that she is black.

The magazine chose Aniston as its cover model to promote its October 2019 issue, and captioned the offending photo, "Jennifer Aniston has been a beacon of American glamour for the past 25 years, and now she's stretching her boundaries. In a series of five newsstand covers (just try to choose a favorite), she channels iconic beauty looks from the '60s and '70s. Read the full interview from our October beauty issue at the link in bio, and stay tuned for more cover shots."

Anything else?

A publicist for the magazine told NBC News that the photo was inspired by a German model popular during the 1960s.

"This one shot in particular was inspired by Veruschka," the spokesperson said. "The other four looks [included in the feature] were inspired by Catherine Deneuve, Lauren Hutton, Brigitte Bardot and Charlotte Rampling."

The outlet reported, "The magazine sent NBC News three images of Veruschka appearing heavily tanned, which they said inspired the photo of Aniston in question. InStyle would not comment as to whether Aniston's skin was darkened, either with makeup or through photoshopping."

Representatives for Aniston have not issued a comment about the photo.

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Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor

Sarah is a former staff writer for TheBlaze, and a former managing editor and producer at TMZ. She resides in Delaware with her family. You can reach her via Twitter at @thesarahdtaylor.