Bollywood actress apologises after twitter outrage over ‘refugee’ T-shirt cover
Popular Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra on Monday apologised for a glossy travel magazine cover after it sparked outrage with social media users accusing her of insensitivity towards refugees and migrants.
The 34-year-old former Miss World is featured on the cover of the October edition of Condé Nast Traveller India wearing a white T-shirt with the words, “REFUGEE”, “IMMIGRANT” and “OUTSIDER” crossed out in red – leaving only the word “TRAVELLER”.
They [Condé Nast] specially got this [T-shirt] made and implored me to wear it. They said they were addressing xenophobia which is a big issue that is happening
Condé Nast Traveller tweeted the cover photo on October 7 with the tagline “Bold and fearless, @priyankachopra makes a statement on our 6th anniversary issue cover. #WhyWeTravel”.
The message on her T-shirt sparked a flurry of criticism on the microblogging site twitter, with users accusing Chopra of belittling the plight of refugees forced to leave their homes.
Chopra – who was named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential people and is an ambassador for the UN children’s agency Unicef – said the message was aimed at addressing racism and had been misunderstood.
“They [Condé Nast] specially got this [T-shirt] made and implored me to wear it. They said they were addressing xenophobia which is a big issue that is happening,” Chopra told NDTV in an interview.
“So their idea was that. And I bought into it, I guess. And I am really, really apologetic about the fact that sentiments were hurt ... The point the magazine wanted to make was actually something good.”