Vogue apologizes for Kendall Jenner's 'afro' hairstyle

Kendall Jenner wore big, "puffed-out" hair in a new photo shoot for Vogue. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

By Annie Martin, 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.

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15 years ago, the @CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund was created to make the American fashion community more caring, more creative, more conscionable. Tap the link in our bio for a look back at the prize that changed American style. Photographed by @mikaeljansson, styled by @tonnegood, Vogue, November 2018

A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine) on Oct 17, 2018 at 2:36pm PDT

"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."

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Fifteen years and 150 finalists later, the @CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize has created global stars, local heroes, a must-watch New York Fashion Week, and, most important, a true sense of community among designers of all ages and backgrounds—all with differing aesthetic and commercial aspirations—who communicate, collaborate, and essentially care for one another through the fun and not-so-fun times. Laura Vassar Brock—one of the founders of 2016 #CVFF winner Brock Collection—says, “We spoke to a few friends who had gone through it, and they all said the same thing: that the Fashion Fund is a life-changing experience. And indeed it was!” Tap the link in our bio to learn more. Photographed by @mikaeljansson, styled by @tonnegood, Vogue, November 2018

A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine) on Oct 19, 2018 at 1:29pm PDT