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Renowned fashion designer Michael Costello was recently accused of whitewashing images of Asian model Shereen Wu. The latter went on to reveal that her Instagram account was suspended after sharing her experience with the former. Meanwhile, the stylist took to the internet to address the scandal at hand.
Taiwanese American model Shereen Wu recently took to TikTok to claim that Costello posted a picture that looked nothing like her on his Instagram story. In the photo, Wu could be seen in a slinky black gown that she wore during a runway show. However, her face was allegedly edited to make her look more Caucasian.
Wu also revealed online that she was called in last minute to take the place of a model who had gone missing.
Michael Costello accused photographer of editing Shereen Wu’s picture
Wu revealed in her video that when she confronted Costello about the picture at hand, he claimed that he had no control over the photographs he was given. He also reportedly accused the photographer of making changes to Wu’s face to make her look more of White descent.
However, when the model confronted the photographer about the same, he denied doing so. Substantiating his claim, it was noted that he had posted a picture of the model without any editing on his own Instagram account.
The 21-year-old model also shared that Costello claimed that the edited picture was actually 'fan art' and that "someone made with AI.”
Wu stated that she was an independent model who did not get paid for the show she walked in.
Michael Costello addresses allegations in a now-deleted Instagram post
As the accusations continued to spread like wildfire across social media platforms, the designer who is known for having a vast clientele, including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion, took to Instagram to address the scandal in a now-deleted post.
The designer clarified that he had cast Wu for his fashion show well in advance, contrary to what the model claimed. He went on to state that he was not responsible for paying the models as they were provided to him through the Art Hearts agency, who were to pay them.
Michael Costello told followers that he offered to pay the model when he learned of her not getting compensated for her work. He also claimed to have posted a video of the model sans edits on his Instagram account.
Speaking about the viral edited photo and his claims of it being AI- art, Costello said:
“I re-shared a fan art someone had sent me of an AI art of the very same image. I didn’t think before re-sharing it on my Instagram Stories as I was on an emotional rollercoaster, re-sharing all that I was tagged in."
"I take responsibility for the re-share of the image. I apologized to Shereen over text, and I offered to apologize to her over the phone for re-sharing the image.”
Michael Costello also addressed the allegations of him having the model’s Instagram account suspended. Speaking about the same he said that he did not have the power to do so. The 40-year-old explained:
“I don’t have that power. No individual has that power. A representative at Meta should confirm this is not how social media works.”
Michael Costello ended his statement by saying that his employees and family have been receiving death threats following Wu’s claims and mentioned that his building had been vandalized.
The designer finally added that he would be taking legal action due to the defamatory content posted against him online.
Michael Costello's older controversies revealed
This is not the first time the designer has been accused of racism and body shaming. Designer Maxie James accused him of using the N-word against one of her supporters. Model Falynn Pina came forward as well and alleged that Costello refused to give her his dress due to her not being 'model-size'.
Makeup artist and photographer Jordan Liberty also accused the designer of s*xual assault.
At the time of writing this article, Wu had not addressed Costello’s statement.
