ELLE UK has issued an apology following backlash over its alleged racial bias against BLACKPINK's Rosé—but fans say the magazine's explanation is nothing more than an excuse.

On October 3, ELLE UK released a statement on social media, saying, "We apologize for cropping Rosé out of a photo from Paris Fashion Week. It was due to image formatting, not intentional." The outlet denied any racial motive behind the edit.

"Formatting Issue"? Fans Aren't Buying It

However, the justification has only fueled further outrage. While Vogue Italia solved similar layout issues by uploading the full photo separately, and Harper's Bazaar US replaced its post with a video including Rosé, ELLE UK alone chose to remove her entirely.

Rosé was invited to the event as the global ambassador of Saint Laurent, unlike the other three attendees who had no brand affiliation. Yet ELLE UK cropped out the brand's official representative—an act many fans viewed as deliberate and disrespectful.

The magazine emphasized, "There was no intent to offend," but global fans were unconvinced, with some sarcastically asking, "So, are you saying Instagram is to blame now?"

The Paris Fashion Week Controversy

Rosé attended the 2026 S/S Collection Show in Paris on September 30, seated in the front row alongside Hailey Bieber, Zoë Kravitz, and Charli XCX. But ELLE UK posted a cropped photo excluding only Rosé, while keeping the other three women intact.

Adding to the tension, Charli XCX later uploaded a photo where Rosé appeared noticeably darker than the others—a choice that, intentional or not, reignited accusations of racial insensitivity.

The controversy continues to spark global debate about how Asian celebrities are treated by Western media, with fans demanding accountability from ELLE UK.