"Unrecognisable. What did you do to this gorgeous woman," a third reader wrote.
Despite widespread speculation by fans that the image had been heavily retouched, InStyle editor Laura Brown decided to step in and clear things up herself.
"Hey team, for those commenting on retouching, the brief was super sexy, a heavy eye and big hair," Brown wrote on Instagram.
She added, "You rarely see Reese like this – which was the point. We are not in the business of embalming women at @instylemagazine."
Witherspoon herself had no qualms about how the photos turned out, perhaps enjoying the departure from her usual "girl-next-door" look. The Morning Show star enthusiastically shared photos from the shoot on her own Instagram with the caption:
"Oh heyyyyy @instylemagazine! Thanks for putting me on this month's cover!", she captioned her post, adding, "HUGE thanks to the creative team that made me feel like a Real Sassy Badass Biz Woman and biggest hug saved for my fellow badass biz lady @gayleking, who helped me unpack @themorningshow, what it means to be a journalist today, the sale of @hellosunshine and why women should learn to flex more! Check it out."
Other photos on Reece's Instagram show the actress looking more as we are used to see her, proving that while the ageless beauty requires no photoshop to look good, perhaps the cover controversy can be attributed to heavy make-up and good lighting.
