Elle magazine is on the defense after a recent cover of FOX star Mindy Kaling caused a stir on the internet.
The cover, one of four for the magazine’s February “Women in Television” issue, features a photo of the “Mindy Project” star cropped to focus on her face.
The other covers of the magazine, featuring Zooey Deschanel, Amy Poehler and Allison Williams, features full-body shots of those actresses.
Bloggers speculated that the close-up treatment for Kaling was due to the 34-year-old’s curvy physique, but the actress didn’t seem to have any concern about the image.
“I love my @ELLEmagazine cover,” she tweeted Tuesday. “It made me feel glamorous & cool. And if anyone wants to see more of my body, go on thirteen dates with me.”
Kaling has been vocal about her curves before. In 2011, she described her interaction with Hollywood in an interview with NPR.
“Since I am not model-skinny, but also not super-fat and fabulously owning my hugeness, I fall into that nebulous ‘Normal American Woman Size’ that legions of fashion stylists detest,” Kaling explained. “For the record I’m a size 8 (this week, anyway). Many stylists hate that size because, I think, to them, I lack the self-discipline to be an aesthetic, or the sassy confidence to be a total fatty hedonist. They’re like pick a lane.”
Though several bloggers pointed out that Kaling’s styling could be a coincidence or directed by the actress herself, others saw the cover as another example of an average-sized woman being shunned by Hollywood.
“The creative direction is curious, given Elle’s murky history when it comes to showcasing fuller-figured women,” Elise Sole argued on Yahoo! Shine.
“For all we know, Kaling directed the whole shoot. Does it matter?” Julia Sonenshein wrote on The Gloss. “The message is still the same: we treat a certain type of woman differently than the other celebrities in her cohort.”
But Elle stands by its treatment. In a statement to E! News, the magazine supported their decision.
“Mindy looks sexy, beautiful and chic,” the statement read. “We think it is a striking and sophisticated cover and are thrilled to celebrate her in our Women in TV Issue.”
Elle has landed in hot water before for their cover depiction of larger-framed women. For their November 2013 issue, the magazine featured comedian Melissa McCarthy on the cover, with her full-sized frame swaddled in a coat, provoking criticism from McCarthy fans who felt she was slighted.
McCarthy defended Elle, claiming that the styling was hers and not the magazine’s attempt to cover her up. “I picked the coat!” McCarthy told E! News.
