Karlie Kloss apologises for dressing as geisha in Vogue's 'diversity' issue

Karlie Kloss has apologised after she was criticised for appearing dressed as a geisha in a Vogue photoshoot.

The US model, who is the face of David Jones' autumn/winter campaign, attracted attention for portraying an element of Japanese culture as a white woman, a decision she now says she is "truly sorry for participating in".

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Kloss was wearing white facepaint and a black wig in the pictures, taken on location in Japan by photographer Mikael Jansson.

​The controversial pictures appear in the fashion magazine's March issue.

With a cover featuring seven models of different races, including plus-size model Ashley Graham, the issue has been widely interpreted as Vogue's attempt at embracing diversity on its pages.

Except for, of course, on Kloss' spread. 

"Paying homage to Japan's geisha culture, Karlie Kloss soaks up the serenity," the write-up on Kloss' pictures read.

Social media users quickly called out Kloss and Vogue for the photoshoot, describing the pictures as "yellow face".

The issue of having white women portraying Asian women has come up recently in the context of Hollywood castings.

In 2015, Emma Stone was criticised for appearing as an Asian-American character in the Cameron Crowe film Aloha, prompting both Stone and Crowe to apologise.

Last year, Tilda Swinton was called out by comedian Margaret Cho after she portrayed a character in the Marvel film Dr Strange who was drawn to be an Asian character in the story's comic book series.

On Wednesday, Kloss responded to the backlash with a statement on Twitter, saying she was "truly sorry for participating" in the photoshoot.

"These images appropriate a culture that is not my own and I am truly sorry for participating in a shoot that was not culturally sensitive," she wrote.

"My goal is, and always will be, to empower and inspire women. I will ensure my future shoots and projects reflect that mission."

It is not the first time Kloss has found herself as the model at the centre of a controversial shoot.

In June 2016, Kloss and her friend and fellow supermodel Gigi Hadid were the faces of a Versace campaign that some said promoted teenage motherhood and contained slavery symbolism.

The March issue of Vogue has been a subject of debate since its release earlier this week.

​Although its cover may feature models of varying sizes (read: one plus-size model) and races (Chinese model Liu Wen became the first Asian model to appear on the cover of US Vogue), it was noted by social media commentators that the magazine barely pushed boundaries.