For decades, Vogue has been the leader in fashion magazines. Its flagship publication, American Vogue, if you will, has been headed by the same Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour since 1988. The publication is known for displaying some of the most artistic, beautiful, and tasteful covers, but recently British Vogue has outdone its parent publication.
Vogue has come under fire for its cover shoot featuring Kim Kardashian. Kardashian was accused of “blackfishing”, as her skin and appearance seemed noticeably darker. The issue was also published during Black History Month. The shoot even garnered attention from model Naomi Campbell, who liked an Instagram
post about Kardashian’s history of blackfishing and cultural appropriation. This isn’t the first time Vogue has made headlines for its problematic covers. In 2008 Vogue pictured LeBron James and model Gisele Bundchen in what appears to be a reference to King Kong.
Anna Wintour has shown that she simply does not care about creating a diverse and inclusive space for the celebrities she puts on the cover of Vogue. On the other hand, British Vogue seems to be engendering inclusivity and representation on its cover shoots. Headed by Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful since 2017, the magazine has seen new life. In its most recent issue, Naomi Campbell is on the cover holding her newborn child. While maybe not intentional, the cover is in clear defiance of Anna Wintour’s Vogue that features Kim Kardashian. Another recent cover shows a group of all Black models in an attempt to highlight Black beauty and fashion, something American Vogue has failed to do. The magazine seems to be more progessive because of its EIC who has launched British Vogue in the proper direction. It seems that Vogue would learn from its racist mistakes, but time and time again Anna Wintour has shown her racism has not gone “out of fashion”. While British Vogue is a great example of a modern magazine, real change at Vogue cannot happen with Anna Wintour as its EIC.
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