The editor of SELF magazine has issued a public apology to the cancer survivor whom the magazine mocked for wearing a tutu while running a marathon.
SELF’s editor-in-chief, Lucy Danziger, has apologized to brain cancer survivor Monika Allen, after the publication mocked her for wearing a tutu while participating in the L.A. marathon.
“I am personally mortified," Danziger told USA Today. "I had no idea that Monika had been through cancer. It was an error. It was a stupid mistake. We shouldn't have run the item.”
Monika Allen is the co-founder of Glam Runner, an organization that makes racing tutus to raise money for a San Diego-based organization called Girls on the Run. She ran in the L.A. marathon while still undergoing chemotherapy and dressed as Wonder Woman, stating that the outfit gave her motivation.
When she was contacted by SELF magazine asking permission to use her picture, she was thrilled at the publicity it would give to her organization. Instead, she was “stunned and offended” when the picture was shown in “The BS meter” section of the magazine.
The section shows what is “legit” and “lame” during that month. Allen’s picture was placed in the lame section alongside the caption “A racing tutu epidemic has struck NYC's Central Park, and it's all because people think these froufrou skirts make you run faster. Now, if you told us they made people run from you faster, maybe we would believe it.”
Danziger recently spoke to NBC 7, saying “At SELF we support women such as Monika; she is an inspiration and embodies the qualities we admire. We have donated to her charity and would like to cover her good work in a future issue. We wish her all the best in her road to good health."
Anyone who wants to help can donate to Girls on the Run can click here.