TONE DEAF

Model Lily Cole Apologizes for Bizarre Burka Pic Amid Afghanistan Crisis

The British model called on her followers to “embrace diversity” as chaotic scenes engulfed Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover.

British model Lily Cole has apologized for a bizarre post on Instagram in which she donned a burka to promote diversity as the Taliban took over Afghanistan. “Let’s embrace diversity on every level - biodiversity; cultural diversity; diversity of thinking; diversity of voices; diversity of ideas,” she captioned the post. After being met with severe backlash, Cole shockingly claimed she was not following the news from Afghanistan at the time of her post. “You can’t embrace diversity if you are still the white woman dressing in ethnic clothing,” said Aisha Ali-Khan, an activist. “That’s not embracing diversity.” Cole later shared links to fundraisers for Afghanistan, and said the burka photos were not taken recently.