Karol G Slams GQ Over ‘Disrespectful’ and ‘Misleading’ Cover

Singer Karol G is not happy with her GQ Mexico cover. The “Tusa” singer took to Instagram on Thursday to call out the magazine for the “disrespectful” and “misleading” cover, which she said was heavily edited without her approval. Karol G, real name Carolina Giraldo Navarro, is a two-time Latin Grammy winner. Her newest album, Mañana Será Bonito, made her the first solo female artist to have an all-Spanish-language album top the Billboard 200 chart.

Karol G posted a gallery on Instagram with a makeup-free selfie and the cover she found offensive. “Today my GQ magazine cover was made public, a cover with an image that does not represent me,” Karol wrote in Spanish, via Variety. “My face doesn’t look like that, my body doesn’t look like that and I feel very happy and comfortable with how I look naturally.”

Although she was grateful for the opportunity, she was unhappy with the editing done to her face. She said the magazine allowed her to oversee edits, but the magazine “didn’t do anything about it, as if to look good I needed all those changes.” The final cover is “disrespectful to me,” she wrote. “It’s to the women that every day we wake up looking to feel comfortable with ourselves despite society’s stereotypes.”

GQ originally published Karol G’s interview in English. It was translated into Spanish for the GQ Mexico edition as part of the brand’s first Global Creativity Awards. Karol G was the only Latina nominee for the award. Actor Donald Glover, Apple’s Tim Cook, and designer Yohji Yamamoto were also nominated. GQ has not responded to Karol G’s criticisms.

Karol G has scored huge hits with “Tusa,” “Ay, Dios Mio!,” “Mamiii,” “Provenza,” “Gatubela,” “Cairo,” and “X Si Volemos.” Her latest single, “TQG” with Shakira, has also been dominating the charts. She won Best New Artist at the 2018 Latin Grammy Awards and won Best Reggaeton Performance for “Bichota” at the 2021 Latin Grammys. Last year, she scored a Grammy nomination for Best Música Urbana Album for KG0516.

“TGQ” is an acronym for “Te Quedó Grande,” which roughly translates to “I’m too good for you.” In the lyrics for the song, Karol G and Shakira sing about becoming stronger after seeing their exes date other people. Karol G was engaged to Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA before they ended their relationship in April 2021, notes Today. Shakira and her longtime partner, Gerard Piqué, split last year.

In the interview with GQ, Karol G talked about how challenging things seemed after her split with Anuel AA. “I wanted to die, I was crying horribly,” she said. She soon realized that the next day was a new day. “I wanted to tell people: ‘It doesn’t matter. Everything is going to be fine,’” she said. Karol G is scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live on April 18.