US Vogue September 2018 : Beyoncé by Tyler Mitchell

[Lola701]

I find it quite hard to believe it went down like that, but let's leave it at that. And while I agree that we can't change the past, if we don't talk about the fact that in 30 years Anna Wintour hasn't had a black photographer shoot any cover, this will be just a blip in the radar and won't happen again for at least ten more. People tend to forget and forgive unless someone constantly reminds them.

I think i have a different perspective...
I'm a black french woman and from my point of view (and i must say for the majority of black people here), you are very progressive right there!

I think what bothers me is that when people are saying that Anna hasn't had a black photographer in 30 years, is a bit of a way to say that she is "racist" or "insensitive" about it when in fact i really think that American Vogue is maybe the most inclusive Vogue of all. And i'm not just talking about the western world...

Here in France, we don't expect from Vogue to relate to any social discussion or something like that. We are happy when we have a black woman on the cover or something like that but it's not a big deal because people relate more to Elle.
I mean, Rihanna on the cover of Vogue Paris doesn't make headlines anywhere else than on TFS and on IG. That's a fact...

I think Anna is very aware of her responsibility and her power and i personally applaud when someone is doing the right thing.
People are turning the photographer thing as a race thing when for me, it's a class thing and even a generation thing.

Some of the big top photographers of today started 30 years ago when fashion was a very private club and the generation of photographers that came later somehow was involved with those circles. I wonder if it was possible back then for a black photographer to breakout...There were black models, editors, make-up artists and everything. Those people are legendary, outspoken and everything and yet we didn't have a black photographer.

I guess it was easier for Ebony Magazine to hire a black photographer than for the same photographer to expect from Naomi or Tyra to push him into those private circles.

I get what you and some of you all are saying but for me, it's not just an Anna Wintour thing. It's bigger than that...

 

[sweetpop]

Beyonce has always been someone who has insisted on complete creative control of her image, and while some might say that means that the 'real' her is very rarely seen, I think differently. In the world of celebrity, so much can be twisted and misinterpreted about you, even your best intentions or opinions to bring about good. I think both covers are beautiful; it's very her, and considering that this issue is guest edited by her, I'm glad she hasn't taken this responsibility lightly. Rather, she's used this opportunity to speak frankly about herself, and about very private matters too (if I am to go on the snippet read about the feature article in the Australian paper The Age). She's also given a promising talent the chance of a lifetime, and I think Tyler Mitchel's done wonderfully. Yeah, the pictures might not be anything incredible or new, but it's in line with Beyonce's aesthetic and she's glowing with power and self-assuredness. While power and self-assuredness is not something new with Beyonce, having that attitude come through in print is difficult, and I think it's been captured really well.

 

[Benn98]

I get what you and some of you all are saying but for me, it's not just an Anna Wintour thing. It's bigger than that...

Precisely the same thought crossed my mind as I read all the comments thrashing Anna. She deserves it, there's no two ways about that. When you elect yourself as the de-facto dictator of the fashion industry, you take the criticism and praise in your stride. I mean, the possibility of Serena Williams to book a British Harper's cover is all down to her, really. But we shouldn't absolve the rest. Even the smaller tier titles such as Elle and Harper's, with a greater reach and impact, need to be scrutinised. And especially the ones where there were black staff in top masthead positions. That's why I agree with you completely when you say ALT is such a disappointment, and even Edward! It seems in everyone's haste to get diverse subjects on the cover in terms or race, shake, age, gender (read: window-dressing), they've forgotten about the talent behind the scenes.

I mentioned this to Phuel in another thread (Rihanna x VP) when he railed against the absence of an Asian supermodel on Beverly/Naomi's level throughout history. There may have never been any Asian supermodel, but there happen to be an inordinate amount of Asian editors, photographers, stylists. Yet on the flip-side, we've always had a trending black model at any given stage, while the lack of black editors, photographers, stylists continues to be staggering! When the industry approach the matter of diversity it's never in a way which covers all the bases. It's just a very short-sighted idea of 'you've complained about no Asian women on a mainstream beauty magazine? Here's 3 in one month! I've filled my quota, now leave me in peace.'

I just personally wish fashion can get past this superficial diversity discussion to a state where the only currency is creativity, not creed, gender, size or age selling points. They're clearly not equipped to address this properly anyway because it keeps on popping up. Case in point, this cover, Emmanuelle Alt's little trifle with Valentina Sampaio, British Vogue and their special 'Age' issues........

 

[MON]

Let us not evade our own culpability. Is this not the same forum that lambasted Alexandra for her "white" staff and cover stars, and at the same time managed to forget about the photographers as well? We clamored for diverse cover stars, yet, if my memory serves me right, no one clamored for a diverse set of photographers. Everyone was excited for Meisel, Nick Knight, Adwoah, Naomi, and more. But that's it. Did I read a comment about people recommending Tyler Mitchell, Chuando & Frey, et al? None.

It took us (majority, not all) one Tyler Mitchell to realize that there is indeed no diversity in the photographers roster. They got away with it, because we too forgot.

I've always considered US Vogue to be one of the most diverse magazines out there, and here I am being proven wrong. Why? Because I myself forgot that having diverse cover stars is not, and should not, be enough.

This is not me discounting the fact that the outcry is valid and that it must be CHANGED. Photographers like Tyler should not be a "special guest" photographer. They should be part of the norm.

 

[Perickles]

Very bad taste!!!

 

[Nymphaea]

Mother earth vibes. Nothing remarkable, but I like the pic with the green/yellow/red dress.

 

[octoberchild]

I guess it was easier for Ebony Magazine to hire a black photographer than for the same photographer to expect from Naomi or Tyra to push him into those private circles.

Well, as an Black American woman, I see a lot of fallacies in this post. The biggest fallacy is the fact that you think what has happened at US Vogue re: black photographers is a "class" issue or a "generational" issue and not solely an Anna issue- matters regarding a lack of opportunity for so many people of different backgrounds in the fashion industry can not be solely attributed to one issue. Arguing as much demonstrates a pretty unsophisticated understanding of the problem. It's race and class and generational, and so much more... it's all of these things. And yes Anna is included in all of these things.

And discussing whether or not Anna is racist is a distraction to the topic at hand - whether she is or isn't, the most "powerful" woman in fashion didn't take it upon herself to do anything about increasing the diversity of who's shooting her magazine covers until this year. In 2018. And that's the problem. She supposedly has all this power and she has used it to uphold white supremacist standards regarding beauty, success, who's talented and who's worthy to belong in the industry. She has more often than not perpetuated the ideology of white supremacy in the past 30 years under her "leadership" so all the dragging she's getting for this (or being considered "out of touch with the culture" per that BOF article) is much deserved. Anna doesn't get the benefit of the doubt from me because of her own actions and choices indicate that's she not worthy of it.

And let me preface the following by saying that I'm not trying to be a jerk, but as a black French woman who seems to have a very limited understanding regarding issues impacting black Americans in America it'll probably serve you well to think deeply about the topic you want to discuss and you should probably ask yourself if you're well positioned to speak about it authoritatively (you stating that you guessed it was easier for Ebony to hire black photogs demonstrates you have an incredibly limited understanding of the history of black magazines and black publishers in America, so you may want to look more into this history). I don't speak authoritatively on issues impacting black French people because I don't know about those issues intimately and therefore it's not my place to do so.

 

[octoberchild]

I've always considered US Vogue to be one of the most diverse magazines out there, and here I am being proven wrong. Why? Because I myself forgot that having diverse cover stars is not, and should not, be enough.

Anna is supposedly this champion of diversity but compared to her EIC counterparts at other fashion/women's interest magazines in the US, she is right above Glenda Bailey (who will only book a black cover subject if they're Rihanna or if they're a man (Kanye/The Weeknd) but ignores black actress as well). Meaning Anna's at the bottom. 4 issues a year with her fave tokens with a wild card thrown in every once in a while (a Ruth Negga or Zendaya) does not a diverse magazine make (irrespective of the content inside - no one is reading magazines nowadays. So covers are even more important now since that's all most people will see of the magazine). Every other EIC who's not Anna or Glenda have made strides to try to increase diversity on their covers (there is still much more work that needs to be done, but they've at least tried).

I can't understand for the life of me why you'd think Anna's magazine is one of the most diverse, when, as it relates to black cover stars in nearly the past 10 years, starting from Beyonce's first cover, she's only managed to give covers to Beyonce, Rihanna, Lupita, Serena, Ruth, Zendaya, Halle, Michelle Obama, Joan/Adowa/Imaan/Liya (the previously mentioned 4 models didn't get solo covers and no, neither Kanye, nor the athlete who posed with Gigi on her first cover count) for a total of 12 women in nearly the past 10 years.

Meanwhile, as it relates to black cover stars in the same time period, Elle booked Zoe Saldana, Kerry, Gabourey Sidibe, Naomie Harris, Gugu, Lupita, Aja Naomi King, Nicki Minaj, Viola, Taraji, Zoe Kravitz, Ava Duvernay, Missy Elliot, Cicely Tyson (at 92!), Beyonce, Rihanna, Tessa Thompson, Alicia Keys, Joan Smalls, Leslie Jones, Jasmine Tookes, Maria Borges, Chanel Iman, Solange and FKA Twigs (I think that's everyone) for a grand total of 25 black women in roughly the past 10 years... need I say more? Some of these women did 'share' covers because they were multicovers but at least you were able to buy almost every single one of these covers on the newsstand and these cover subjects represent women of all different ages, sizes, ethnicities, skin tones, hair textures, sexualities, etc.

There's just no comparison between Elle and Vogue here. None. And Elle doesn't get enough credit for what it's accomplished.

And in terms of actual covers and not fold outs, Elle also booked Priyanka and Mindy K. while Vogue only booked Liu Wen in the same time period but she had to share it with tons other models. Additionally, for Elle's Women In Hollywood issue this November I'm hoping/anticipating seeing the likes of Tracee Ellis Ross, Amandla Stenberg, Issa Rae, and probably at least one of the Crazy Rich Asian stars like Gemma Chan or Constance Wu on the cover. And since Anna has already reached her 4 diverse covers quota per year rule with this Beyonce cover, she's done for the year.

And not only that, since she booked all her tokens this year, so Anna's in trouble next year. Who's she giving covers to next year? Lupita since she has a movie out next spring - is she going to give her a 5th cover? Maybe Zendaya since her Reese produced movie will be out next year, I believe. I'm really wondering if Vogue will even have 4 black cover stars next year - she might not be able to find any that meet her standards.

I'm impatiently waiting for the day when a US major news outlet will call out Anna for the impossible standards she holds for her black cover subjects (since any one who isn't black is nonexistent on her mags) meanwhile her white cover subjects just need to look cute in the latest hottest dress from the last fashion month. It's shameful.

US Vogue under Anna being considered one of the most diverse mags is not the truth. It's far from it and it's been right under your noses, on her covers, for a long time now. Despite everyone railing about how mediocre of a photographer Tyler is, him landing the cover was a good thing if it means some of you are finally getting a clue on how much more work Anna needs to do before she'll be worthy of the diversity accolades you're trying so hard to award her.

 

[HeatherAnne]

The second cover is perfect, right down to the shadows on her arm from the sheet she's holding. I love how natural she looks. Stunning.

 

[steeltoe]

This was posted by MDNA in Cover Rumor Thread. Seems like it's the thinnest September issue in the past 5 years or more.

The thinnest in recent memory was in 2009, with 584 pages. Last year's was 774. Judging by that image, I would say it's in the low-700s.

 

[Rigida]

I like the cover, it's nothing special but for me it's warm and inviting.

I hope the content delivers, last year's sept issue was dull. (I'm still bitter over the 12 pages of Last Look in that issue when instead they can give us one more ed.)

 

[Ken Doll Jenner]

I found it interesting that people here criticized Tyler's photography for resembling Jaime's aesthetic where mediocre white--yes, I went there--photographers like Collier Schorr or even High Fashion's beloved Juergen Teller exist and have been given the opportunity to produce insipid outcomes for years.

His work is miles better than the aforementioned photographers' and frankly this is the second best US Vogue cover of the year after Rihanna's june cover. Everything here works from the hair and makeup to the styling. Beyonce's expression in the first cover could've been less intense, but overall, both covers are arresting.

 

[ellastica]

Acknowledging issues won't make them go away. As it shouldn't. If the #MeToo movement is any indication.

However, we are participating in "the conversation" in a small way. Taking those baby steps needed to shine an intense (social) media spotlight on just one of the numerous, long entrenched racial, social, ethical issues plaguing the fashion industry.

Fashion does not exist in a vacuum. Has any influential fashion movement NOT been a direct reaction/reflection of shifting socio-political viewpoints? Casual perusal of vintage VOGUE or BAZAAR from WWII era America for instance captures the cultural intersection of politics and fashion, conveyed with such immense, powerful and meaningful beauty.

In our ever Image obsessed world the old adage of "a picture is worth a thousand words" rings true.

Let's listen to ALL of those voices.

 

[Perickles]

I just personally wish fashion can get past this superficial diversity discussion to a state where the only currency is creativity, not creed, gender, size or age selling points. They're clearly not equipped to address this properly anyway because it keeps on popping up. Case in point, this cover, Emmanuelle Alt's little trifle with Valentina Sampaio, British Vogue and their special 'Age' issues........

Did you know that you can have both? diversity and creativity...Asking for diversity and racial representation does not mean you are asking for bad quality photography, design or styling.

 

[tigerrouge]

Magazines have a part in this and we should hold them accountable when they do not deliver or only represent a certain part of the world/population.

In terms of the media in general, I'd argue that it's very important to be aware of what's being presented as acceptable or desirable, and to work on widening those definitions.

But within the world of fashion, will there always be a sense of 'be this but not that' that cannot be eradicated? I'm talking every sort of trend, from the shape of your shoes or the size of your body, to the colour of your hair or the height that you are.

This might be the heart of the debate. What IS fashion? In abstract terms, does fashion rely on a constant sense of being exclusionary - or can it ever be truly inclusive?

And if we reach the point of being inclusive - if we're all represented in a way that we're happy with, what would fashion be about then? As it stands, the fashion and beauty industries seem to exist by creating and capitalising on our discontent with who we are, by selling us the 'solutions' we need to become who we want to be - but if we're all being told we're wonderful, what then?

 

[Perickles]

And if we reach the point of being inclusive - if we're all represented in a way that we're happy with, what would fashion be about then?

Fashion would be about Fashion.

 

[Bertrando3]

In terms of the media in general, I'd argue that it's very important to be aware of what's being presented as acceptable or desirable, and to work on widening those definitions.

But within the world of fashion, will there always be a sense of 'be this but not that' that cannot be eradicated? I'm talking every sort of trend, from the shape of your shoes or the size of your body, to the colour of your hair or the height that you are.

This might be the heart of the debate. What IS fashion? In abstract terms, does fashion rely on a constant sense of being exclusionary - or can it ever be truly inclusive?

And if we reach the point of being inclusive - if we're all represented in a way that we're happy with, what would fashion be about then? As it stands, the fashion and beauty industries seem to exist by creating and capitalising on our discontent with who we are, by selling us the 'solutions' we need to become who we want to be - but if we're all being told we're wonderful, what then?

The best answer !!!! Absolutely agreed on every word!

 

[Les_Sucettes]

Did you know that you can have both? diversity and creativity...Asking for diversity and racial representation does not mean you are asking for bad quality photography, design or styling.

No one denies you can have both. But in reality if do not give people the opportunity to fail, tokenism is always going to be problem. If an industry does not give ethnic minorities the opportunity to realise their full potential, you cannot expect the very few that actually make it, to be all at the top of their game. It reminds me of those newspaper lists of masterpieces through the ages that feminists always complain do not include enough women, no sh*t sherlock, what can you expect?!
Quality should always be paramount, as long as editors expect a pat on the back for something that should be organic, while at the same time riding a trend, nothing will change. Because everything that has been done to improve the situation is simply cosmetic, the structure remains the same, editors put black celebrities or models on the cover, the easiest route, and get drunk on virtue, they make sure everyone is aware the colour of people’s skin is highly important in the decision to offer them a job, even if they actually deserve it because they are talented in the first place. It’s not surprising people in charge do not care who is working backage, if you are not seen doing the right thing, there is no point.

 

[tigerrouge]

Fashion would be about Fashion.

That would sound good on the front of a T-shirt - but what would you see fashion as?

 

[Perickles]

That would sound good on the front of a T-shirt - but what would you see fashion as?

I am not entitled to define Fashion but I can tell what Fashion means to me although nobody cares, I know. But I love design, creativity, style, music, cinema, and photography and I think that Fashion combines all of them together in the most awesome way. That's why I don't understand why one brand should limit itself to work with only certain people and exclude the rest. I think that having many different people working with you makes your work more interesting and not so limited.