Written by Oscar Holland, CNN
Collaborators Jasmine Wright, CNN
Kamala Harris’ upcoming appearance on American Vogue has sparked criticism for looking casual and “
washed“, with the team of the elected vice president blinded by the election of the cover of the magazine.
The hotly debated image, which shows Harris in a black jacket and Converse sneakers, was not the one he expected to post on the front of the print edition. A source familiar with the discussions said Harris’ team believed the cover would represent her posing in a light blue dress on a gold background.
A seemingly leaked copy of the cover of the February issue of the publication, shot in front of a pink and green background, began circulating online Sunday. The photo instantly drew anger on social media for looking dimly lit and stylish, while others suggested it was “
disrespectful“to the elected vice president.
Some Twitter users even wondered if the image had been forged, Vogue
he confirmed it as authentic – but it added to the confusion by revealing a second “digital” cover that featured Harris in a powder blue Michael Kors dress on a gold background. A CNN source said Harris’ team expected this dress to be used as the main photo on the cover, with the more casual attire appearing inside the magazine. The same source said Harris’ team has requested a new cover, although the print version of the magazine was published in mid-December.
Vogue revealed a second “digital” cover with Harris in a blue suit. Credit: Tyler Mitchell / Vogue
A Vogue spokesman did not comment on discussions between the magazine and the vice president-elect’s team, but said in an emailed statement that Vogue “loved the pictures Tyler Mitchell made and that the image most informally captured was authentic vice president-elect, accessible in nature – which we believe is one of the hallmarks of the Biden / Harris administration.
“To respond to the gravity of this moment in history and the role it must play in moving our country forward, we celebrate its images and covers digitally.”
Both images were taken by Tyler Mitchell, who became the first black photographer to shoot a cover of American Vogue when he captured Beyoncé for the September 2018 issue of the magazine. Mitchell posted just one of the covers on Instagram: that of Harris in a blue dress. Mitchell did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
A “mess”
Explaining the influences behind the filming of the cover, Vogue said the apple green and salmon pink background had been inspired by the colors of Howard University’s Alpha Kappa Alpha, the “first historically African American sorority.” An accompanying article said that Mitchell had wanted to “honor Harris’s college days and the powerful women who make up the ranks of brotherhoods like Alpha Kappa Alpha.”
The article also said the vice president-elect’s style choices “were hers” and that the image “reflects Harris at her best casual moment.”
The cover of the February 2021 issue of Vogue. Credit: Tyler Mitchell / Vogue
But critics said the images made her skin look “washed out” and didn’t agree with Vogue’s glamorous aesthetic. Playwright and lawyer Wajahat Ali
described as a “mess,” adding that Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, “really shouldn’t have black friends and colleagues.”
Not everyone was so disdainful of the casual style shot. “People are arguing about the photo chosen for VP Harris’ Vogue cover, but that’s the important thing: it looks fantastic, it’s being honored, and the cover is making Trump and Melania new.”
he tweeted the novelist Paul Rudnick, an apparent reference to the outgoing president’s complaint that his wife has not yet appeared on the cover of a major fashion magazine as a first lady.
Meanwhile, Washington Post’s chief general critic Robin Givhan wrote that while “there’s nothing inherently bad about this image,” in selecting the most informal as the cover, “Vogue stole the roses from Harris.” .
“A little fear would have served the magazine well in its cover decisions. Nothing on the cover said, ‘Wow.’ And sometimes that’s all black women want, an admiring, celebratory ‘wow.’ for what they have achieved “.
The debate comes just over a week before Harris opens as the first woman and first black and South Asian vice president. In an accompanying profile, posted online by Vogue on Sunday, Harris recalls the time the election was called and his subsequent victory speech. He also talks about climate change and protests for racial justice.
Related video: Naomi Campbell on diversity in fashion
“I always say, he can be the first to do a lot of things; make sure he’s not the last,” Harris told reporter Alexis Okeowo. “I was thinking of my nieces, who will only know a world where a woman is vice president of the United States, a woman of color, a black woman, a woman with parents who were born outside the United States.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he reiterated that Covid-19 will be the top priority of the Biden-Harris administration for its first 100 days.
“The first line of approach should be to take control of this pandemic,” he says.
