WATCH: SELF Magazine is facing a major backlash after their insensitive mocking of cancer survivor’s tutu. Vinita Nair has the report
“In our attempt to be humorous, we were inadvertently insensitive and we deeply apologize,” said the magazine’s editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger said in a statement.
Cancer survivor Monika Allen told NBC 7 that she was recently contacted by the magazine via email with a request to use a photo of her and her friend wearing tutus while they ran the L.A. Marathon.
Allen was told the photo would appear in an issue of the magazine about the trend of women running marathons while wearing tutus. She said she was not told that the image would be used to ridicule her and her friend.
“It was super offensive,” said Allen in an interview. “We donate a portion of our company’s proceeds to a charity called Girls on the Run, which sponsors exercise and self-confidence to fight bullying — which is exactly what it felt like to see my photo in SELF. It was also snarky and implied that we looked lame.”
The section headline of the magazine read “BS METER: Our SELF-y guide to what’s legit and what’s lame this month” with the caption: “A racing tutu epidemic has struck NYC’s Central Park, and it’s all because people think these froufrou skirts make you run faster. Now, if you told us they made people run away from you faster, maybe we would believe it.”
Many on social media blasted the magazine for the incident, some even pointing out that Allen’s friend’s running bib clearly reads “die tumor die.”
Allen said the marathon came in the middle of her chemotherapy treatments and the tutus gave her “special motivation.”
SELF magazine said it supports women such as Allen as “she is an inspiration and embodies the qualities we admire. We have donated to her charity and would like to cover her good work in a future issue. We wish her all the best in her road to good health.”
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