SZA turned down a magazine cover story after a publication refused to hire a Black photographer, the artist shared on social media this week.
Without naming the publication, SZA shared on Twitter that she asked for a Black photog to shoot a cover story, and the publication didn’t agree.
“I requested a black photographer for a cover n the mag told me no lol its 2021.. and almost Juneteenth,” SZA tweeted. “Respectfully I can’t do it.”
After her announcement, fans asked the artist to share the name of the publication, which she responded that it wasn’t her “vibe,” but that there’s “TOO many elite black creatives rn to not allow it.” She then shouted out a few publications—including Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan and Wonderland—“for all using black photogs in our recent covers.”
In a comment on aShadeRoom post about her tweets, SZA elaborated a bit on what it meant to her, adding that it’s “not deep I jus like the way my ppl SEE me.”
“...love how we magnify us through our own unique gaze,” she shared. “Its artful and magical. Jus Not into fitting ‘the white gaze’ rn.”
In other SZA news, the star’s hit single “Good Days” dropped off the Hot 100 after a 20-week run. After learning of the news, SZA wrote that she hates her label in an Instagram comment, but clarified her response today and asked fans to be nice to TDE president Terrence “Punch” Henderson.
“Punch is my manager (not a machine or a label) lol also been like my stage dad the last 10 yrs,” SZA said on Wednesday. “Be nice to him pls. He really fights for me. Not angry w him. Or anybody really. Jus my own choices.”
