‘Cosmo’ Editor-In-Chief Pulls Bachelor Cover After Contestant Victoria Fuller Modeled Clothing With An Offensive Slogan

Published on February 4, 2020.

On Monday night, February 3, Bachelor Nation fans might have been expecting to see Bachelor contestant Victoria Fuller on Cosmopolitan‘s next digital magazine issue – but that won’t be happening after Fuller was allegedly spotted modeling clothing featuring the words “White Lives Matter” for another clothing brand.

The photo surfaced last month that Fuller had previously modeled for a “Marlin Lives Matter” ad campaign and wore clothing featuring the offensive slogan.

In an open letter penned by Cosmopolitan‘s editor-in-chief Jessica Pels on Monday, Pels wrote, “Unequivocally, the White Lives Matter movement does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand.” She also announced that despite Fuller winning the group date challenge, her cover would not be released.

“We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and any cause that fights to end injustices for people of color,” she added.

“When my team and I flew down to Costa Rica for our challenge, we weren’t told who our models were going to be. We didn’t even meet them until we were all on camera on-set, ready to start our shoot,” Pels wrote.

“So when it came time for me to choose the winner of the challenge—whose prize was a digital cover of Cosmo—all I knew about the contestants were their first names and the energy they conveyed through the camera lens,” she continued. “It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I found out that the woman I’d chosen had, in her past, modeled in an ad campaign wearing White Lives Matter attire.”

Pels concluded the open letter with: “My team and I had many long discussions about how we wanted to address this issue. We’d already printed the fashion shoot in our March issue, complete with an inset of the cover, and of course the episode had already been filmed. Ultimately what felt right was choosing not to publish the digital cover on our website or social feeds, and simply being honest with you, the audience we respect, about what happened and where we stand.”

Fuller’s modeling gig was reportedly linked to the White Marlin Marina, which used slogans “White Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” to promote the conservation of certain types of fish, specifically white marlin, USA Today reported in 2016.

The Bachelor airs every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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