Vogue Challenge
Vogue is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine covering many topics, including fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway, based in New York City. Founded as weekly newspaper by Arthur Baldwin Turnure, an American businessman, Vogue released its its first issue on December 17, 1892. It began as a weekly newspaper, first published in New York City, before becoming a monthly publication years later. [1]
In July 1988, Anna Wintour became editor of Vogue and immediately transformed Vogue covers by emphasizing the woman’s body, rather than just her face, as well as by frequently featuring Hollywood actresses as opposed to traditional fashion models, thereby sparking an international trend. Wintour also began Teen Vogue (2003) and Men’s Vogue (2005–2008) in the United States.[2]
Contents
Racism in Vogue
Vogue's September 2020 issue celebrated Black culture and contributors. But some current and former employees say Anna Wintour, the magazine’s powerful editor, fostered a workplace that sidelined women of color, especially Black women.[3]
Condé Nast employees went public this summer with complaints about the company’s handling of race, but Anna Wintour had been criticized in the past for Vogue’s portrayals of Black people, including using tropes and cultural appropriation in photo shoots.
Many Black people who worked for her said they felt so out of place in Anna Wintour's domain that they created white alter egos just to get through the workday, reconditioning their presentation and dress in a way that mentally draining.
Other people of color interviewed said Anna Wintour made positive changes and promoted them to top roles. Naomi Campbell, one of the first Black supermodels, who was on the cover of Wintour’s first September issue in 1989, vehemently defended the editor.
In April 2008, American Vogue featured a cover photo by photographer Annie Leibovitz of Gisele Bündchen and the basketball player LeBron James. This was the third time that Vogue featured a male on the cover of the American issue (the other two men were actors George Clooney and Richard Gere), and the first in which the man was black. Some observers criticized the cover as a prejudicial depiction of James because his pose with Bündchen was reminiscent of a poster for the film King Kong.[4]
Apology
Protests against the death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in the United States have sparked a global debate about racial inequalities - putting pressure on major brands and industry leaders to do more to foster change.
Earlier in June 2020, Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, apologized for "hurtful and intolerant" mistakes by the magazine during her 30-year tenure.
"I want to say plainly that I know Vogue has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators," Wintour said in an internal memo widely reported in the media. "We have made mistakes too, publishing images or stories that have been hurtful or intolerant. I take full responsibility for those mistakes."[5]
A new investigation from the New York Times delves into the recent push for diversity at Vogue, and explores whether these efforts are "too late."[6]
Colored People Contribution in Vogue
As we all know, colored people contribution in fashion just a little portion. British Vogue's had the first male editor also the first black editor, Edward Enninful as the magazine's new chief editor. He was appointed on August 1st 2017. He was born in Ghana and moved to London as a child. [7]
July 2020, when accepting the award of PPA Editor of the Year for a consumer magazine, Enninful said: “It would be disingenuous of me not to point out that I am the first black person to ever win this award – the first black person in 40 years. “Diversity is making its way into our commissioning and on to our pages. But what about inside our workplaces?". Who are we hiring? Who are we nurturing? Who are we promoting? How do our office environments treat people? Who is allowed to get to the top?”
According to the BBC, when taking the job at Vogue three years ago he said he wanted the magazine to reflect diversity and about “showing different women, different body shapes, different races, different classes [and] tackling gender”.[8]
Tyler Mitchell, a 23-year-old from Atlanta who became the first African-American photographer to shoot a Vogue cover in the magazine's 125-year history. Mitchell had worked with TeenVogue on a cover and other pieces for the magazine but to land the Vogue cover was a huge deal, he said. Not forgot to mentioned Tyler took Vogue August 2018 issue with Pop Diva Beyonce for it's cover.[9]
#VogueChallenge an Anti-Black Racism Empowerment
As a reaction to racism in fashion industry which gave only little space for people in color to take part, Black models, stylists and fashion photographers have taken to social media to post their own versions of Vogue covers, demanding change in the industry to ensure greater diversity and opportunities.
The "Vogue Challenge", which went viral on social media, saw black fashion photographers, models, designers, stylists and make-up artists showcase their take on the cover of the iconic magazine.
"For far too long in the fashion industry the doors have been closed to so many black men and women," Micah Butler, creative director of fashion brand Kings Arise Clothing, said on Twitter in a thread about the challenge. "Our culture is always embraced but we are often excluded. My prayer is that this begins to change. We need to see real change," he added.[10]
External Link
#VogueChallenge by Mutua Matheka
#VogueChallenge by Kabutha Kago
#VogueChallenge on Twitter
See Also
References
- ↑ Warren, Lynne. Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography, 3-Volume Set
- ↑ Vogue, Britannica, 1 December 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ↑ Lee, Edmund. The White Issue: Has Anna Wintour’s Diversity Push Come Too Late?, The New York Times, 24 October 2020.
- ↑ Scott, Megan K. [https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-03-24-vogue-controversy_N.htm LeBron James' 'Vogue' cover called racially insensitive[, USA Today,24 March 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ↑ Milne, Amber.Models, stylists and photographers post their own take on iconic magazine cover as industry reacts to George Floyd protests, Thomson Reuters Foundation, 12 June 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ↑ Ahlgrim, Callie. Former Black staffers call for Anna Wintour to surrender control of Vogue, citing the magazine's racist work environment, Insider, 25 October 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ↑ British Vogue gets new chief editor after 25 years, The Jakarta Post, 12 April 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ↑ McCulloch, Adam.British Vogue editor racially profiled at his workplace. 16 July 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ↑ David, Wynne. Tyler Mitchell On Being The First African-American To Photograph A 'Vogue' Cover, NPR, 29 August 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ↑ Milne, Amber.Models, stylists and photographers post their own take on iconic magazine cover as industry reacts to George Floyd protests, Thomson Reuters Foundation, 12 June 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.