From her extensive career as an actress on both the big and small screen, to oozing grace and sophistication on every magazine cover she’s appeared on, there’s truly nothing Nicole Kidman can’t do while looking like a goddess. But when we saw Kidman’s October 2018 Marie Claire cover, we were a bit shocked. Through no fault of her own, Kidman looks nothing like herself. Is it just us or…?
Her dyed red hair against the cherry red background paired with bright red lips is a lot to take in all at once. But after cutting through the color, it’s still so hard to figure out whose face is gracing the October 2018 issue of Marie Claire. Thankfully, “Nicole Kidman” is written in bold white lettering right next to her portrait so we can put two and two together.
Although the photo is beautiful and is giving us grunge ’90s vibes, having so much of Kidman’s face concealed by her new, unrecognizable hair may be to blame for us not registering who the heck it is. Or maybe Photoshop is to blame…
This cover comes several months after Marie Claire underwent a total rebrand, remarking its territory as a prominent fashion and lifestyle magazine. Prior post-rebrand issues have featured cover models Zendaya, Halsey, and Amy Adams, and each cover shoot has been clean and simple with a vintage flair.
[fm_instagram url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn05rXFluOA/?taken-by=marieclairemag”]
[fm_instagram url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BoI-LgwHG0R/?hl=en&tagged=nicolekidman” hidecaption=true]
Kidman’s cover follows suit, yet it feels confusing compared to those that came before it. Seriously, what is up with this pic?
And the rest of the photos from the cover shoot are no better. The red on red on red look could have worked if Kidman’s face wasn’t photoshopped within an inch of its life AND if her hair wasn’t covering her face.
[fm_instagram url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BoDGRFJAdtu/?taken-by=marieclairemag”]
[fm_instagram url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn07PLwA_DL/?taken-by=marieclairemag”]
At least we have this video of Kidman doing the Marie Claire “Pop Quiz” to verify that the cover model was actually her and not a stand-in.
[fm_instagram url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn1jXckA1_5/?hl=en&taken-by=marieclairemag”]
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that a woman has been heavily photoshopped on the cover of a magazine (remember Kerry Washington on the cover of Adweek?) In fact, at this point in time, such alterations are pretty standard. But why is it that we have to hide perfectly normal body types and features with the likes of photo-editing? I mean, if Marie Claire is trying to rebrand, shouldn’t they pave the way by ignoring what society has deemed “imperfections”?
As you can imagine, the internet has a lot to say:
[fm_twitter url=”https://twitter.com/mellkk33/status/1044753078031970304″]
[fm_twitter url=”https://twitter.com/omnigist1/status/1042422021324529667″]
[fm_twitter url=”https://twitter.com/michmichsf/status/1044372042135392258″]
[fm_twitter url=”https://twitter.com/nicolekidwman/status/1041690263528374273″]
[fm_twitter url=”https://twitter.com/blutjeans/status/1041671727456165889″]
Usually, we’re always happy to see our girl Nicole. But this photo caused us to react the same as we did when our dad shaved his beard off during our terrible twos: Who is that person and why are they in our house? We’ll let this strange cover fly, Marie Claire — because we love you regardless.