Sidibe 'Elle' cover receives complaints

A 25th anniversary Elle cover featuring Precious actress Gabourey Sidibe has caused controversy for allegedly lightening her skin and cropping her photograph.

The '25 women under 25' issue of the fashion magazine features four cover stars - Sidibe, Transformers actress Megan Fox, The Hills star Lauren Conrad and Dear John lead Amanda Seyfried.

However, OK reports that Elle has received complaints after Sidibe's skin appears noticeably lighter on the cover of the October issue.

Also, critics have noted that while the other three actresses were awarded a full-length shot on the cover, plus-sized Sidibe has been cropped to show her from above the waist.

E! Online says that Elle has rejected the criticisms and insists that all four cover subjects were treated the same.

The magazine said in a statement: "We have four separate covers this month and Gabby's cover was not retouched any more or less than the others. We had 25 cover-worthy subjects in our portfolio and we chose Gabby because of who she is.

"We shot this as a story of exuberant young women changing the world. If you take a look at the portfolio, each of the women were shot in different ways and for different reasons."