Vogue’s Cover of Kamala Harris Is Stirring up Controversy for the Wrong Reasons
Kamala Harris has appeared on several magazine covers, always exuding power, confidence, and a signature smile—her Vogue cover is a little different and people noticed.
For most, Vogue is the epitome of a fashion magazine, broadcasting the current trends in a timeless and sophisticated voice. However, Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, has created many controversies and admitted mistakes for certain covers. Fans of Kamala Harris have taken to Twitter to describe their concerns amid the image and what exactly it’s trying to convey about Harris as a powerful figure.
Vice President-elect @KamalaHarris is our February cover star!
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) January 10, 2021
Making history was the first step. Now Harris has an even more monumental task: to help heal a fractured America—and lead it out of crisis. Read the full profile: https://t.co/W5BQPTH7AU pic.twitter.com/OCFvVqTlOk
Vogue’s Tyler Mitchell took two images that could have been the cover image: the one that will be released and another of Harris in her ‘power pose.’ Vogue was originally going to publish the second image and Harris’s team was on-board. However, at some point in time, a switch was pulled. Vogue published the image with harsher lighting and unappealing background, a full-body photo that is atypical of its covers and makes her look shorter, and a laugh that looks a bit awkward and discomforting. There are many who say that they believe Harris’s race was a factor because media still has issues with the representation of diverse models; lacking the ability to capture them properly in an image that speaks to their power and sophistication.
VP-elect Kamala Harris looks great on the Vogue cover. But she also looks uncomfortable. The pose is neither powerful nor engaging. Her skin tone is inaccurate and sallow. The photo is unsophisticated. And all of that informs split second judgements millions of people will make
— Eliza (@ghosts_hmu) January 10, 2021
At a closer look, Vogue has the executive power to its images so this wasn’t technically under-the-table even though that’s how it feels to many. Wintour responded to the social media storm with the perspective that in these horrendous times of trouble, the readers would want to see someone who is approachable and comfortable. She talked to the New York Times stating, “And I think the fact that the cover itself is so charming and so relaxed — and for me, so surprising and so real — and as I listen to the President-elect and the Vice President-elect talk about empathy, and unity, and bringing people together, to me, this cover symbolizes that. I feel it’s a very welcoming image.”
Couldn’t think of a better cover @voguemagazine @KamalaHarris pic.twitter.com/2gXgzYYcyi
— OlisaFowlin (@FowlinOlisa) January 11, 2021
For anyone who sees the cover, it is certainly an image that stands out, explicitly for the reason it is so un-Vogue-like. People won’t let that go and perhaps that is the right reaction for the first female Vice-President the country has ever seen. But the reason we should still embrace this cover is because of the history it brings. Kamala Harris is an icon of the times and a champion for women everywhere. She may be the first female Vice-President magazine cover, but she certainly won’t be the last.
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