”Racism Affair” ROSE was actually sitting in the center

The renowned British fashion magazine ELLE UK published a cropped photograph of BLACKPINK's ROSE from a group shot taken at the Saint Laurent fashion show in Paris, France, sparking accusations of racial discrimination. It later emerged that ROSE had been seated in the centre position at the venue that day.

American pop star Madonna shared photos from the Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2026 Collection fashion show in Paris, France, on her social media on the 3rd (local time). The photo captured ROSE seated alongside global celebrities including Madonna, Charli XCX, Hailey Bieber, and Zoe Kravitz. Notably, ROSE was positioned in the centre of the group, drawing particular attention.

The racial discrimination controversy arose after ELLE UK cropped and removed ROSE from a group photo featuring her alongside Charli XCX, Hailey Bieber, and Zoe Kravitz, publishing only the remaining three.

In contrast, British Vogue posted a photo on X showing all four individuals, including ROSE, displaying a different approach to ELLE UK.

Furthermore, Charlie XCX and Hailey Bieber, who appeared alongside ROSE in the group photo published by ELLE UK, posted photos on social media showing them sitting with their backs to ROSE or with ROSE alone rendered dark and shadow-like, further escalating the controversy.

ROSE has served as Saint Laurent's global ambassador since 2020, acting as the brand's iconic face at major events. Consequently, not only fans but also British media criticised ELLE UK's photo editing.

As the controversy grew, ELLE UK posted a solo photo of ROSE on Instagram two days later, accompanied by an apology. The publication stated, "We sincerely apologise for cropping BLACKPINK's ROSE from a group photo in a recent post about Paris Fashion Week," adding, "It was never our intention to cause offence to anyone." They also removed the problematic post and uploaded a solo photo of ROSE.

Recently, ROSE won the Video of the Year award at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards for 'APT.', proving her influence as a solo artist.