Aishwarya Rai Leaves Beti B Behind to Shoot for 'Elegant Living'?

Aishwarya Rai features on the cover of this month's issue of Elegant Living Magazine, a US-based lifestyle publication based in Calabasas, California. The question is: does Aishwarya know?

When the cover first came to light yesterday it was surprising, because it seemed unlikely that Aishwarya would have had taken the time to pose for a magazine cover, especially given how reclusive she's been since Beti B was born. And then the questions began: was the photo taken before or after she gave birth? Or was it taken before she even became pregnant? While Aishwarya always looks lovely, the picture of her on the cover depicts a much younger, slimmer Aishwarya than has been seen the last few years.

And as it turns out, the photo (in which Aishwarya wears a white suit and lowcut blouse with what is frankly a ridiculous feathered hat) is quite old. A quick reverse Google image search shows that the portrait of Aishwarya has appeared on dozens of websites over the past couple of years.

So why did Elegant Living bother featuring Aishwarya Rai if they weren't even interested enough to get a more recent photo of her? The magazine cover touts this as their special issue on India, so perhaps they decided to entice readers by featuring the only Indian celebrity most Americans have even heard of on their cover?

The cover is insulting to Aishwarya's fans, who have been desperate to catch a glimpse of her (and her daughter) ever since she gave birth. To feature Aishwarya on the front of the magazine using such an old image seems like nothing more than a ploy to gain a few extra readers.