Harper’s Bazaar France March 2025 : Rihanna by Luis Alberto Rodriguez & Lulu Tenney by Johnny Dufort

[svpernova]

So many gorgeous editorial photos and they decided to put Rihanna on the cover. I’m sorry to any Rihanna fan but her presence in Hf is simply vulgar. It’s like taking a girl from the slums, dress her well and expect that she will exclude elegance. It gets on my nerves how she landed that J’adore campaign and now this vulgar cover.
Mind you it’s not like she has unimaginable talent and is incredibly photogenic. Where are they even getting with this? I myself as a fashion fan would buy a magazine because I feel inspired by the beauty of a model and creativity of the team, not because an average celebrity is on it. It’s giving I want to be a model.

 

[blueorchid]

So many gorgeous editorial photos and they decided to put Rihanna on the cover.

Considering that practically every international Bazaar has her on the cover, I doubt it was their "choice" in the way that we'd assume it was. Probably has to do with licensing and contracts.

 

[Avonlea]

It's all really technically solid and well styled but doesn't move me in any way. I find it quite soulless.
I can't believe I am writing this, but I prefer Samira's issue. It's not as strong but feels much more organic, especially the ed by Josh Olins. Its atmosphere beats anything posted here.

 

[blueorchid]

@Avonlea I still think this edition is a bit too smug for what they (barely) offer. Granted, they don't have to try very hard considering the state of Vogue France.

 

[Legolas]

There's no angle she can't handle. Lulu is lowkey becoming the most modelesque model of her generation. Saying something like this might have sound redundant a decade ago, but these days is a necessary affirmation.

 

[Alien Sex Friend]

Super basic low budget studio shots in each editorial, despite a-list contributors, it looks safe and flat. A lot of content but apart from teller who shot his wife and I can’t stand her, everything has white/grey back. Bazaar France also made this super basic street shootings now they finally ceased and we enter a studio era. Nothing impresses me here, even anja/alt/galiegue. Galiegue shots in the studio look super pedestrian and I am quite fed up with anja everywhere nowadays, plus she doesn’t have any real good works and that ysl everywhere meh. I prefer her to pop up sometimes. Even wigs in her editorial aren’t saving the story to provide diversity in this boring story and these grimaces and jumps look just stupid, and do not reveal her modeling potential.

 

[blueorchid]

I am quite fed up with anja everywhere nowadays, plus she doesn’t have any real good works and that ysl everywhere meh. I prefer her to pop up sometimes. Even wigs in her editorial aren’t saving the story to provide diversity in this boring story and these grimaces and jumps look just stupid, and do not reveal her modeling potential.

Just glad to read this and not feel like a single crazy person.

 

[mikel]

I’m sorry to any Rihanna fan but her presence in Hf is simply vulgar. It’s like taking a girl from the slums, dress her well and expect that she will exclude elegance. It gets on my nerves how she landed that J’adore campaign and now this vulgar cover.

I wonder if Rihanna would be described in such terms if she wasn’t a person of colour.

 

[youarearockstar]

Dufort remains the most offensive, to me. I had not seen a bad photo of Lulu until now. BIG shout out to Anthony Turner for the hair in that portrait story with Karim.

 

[penny609]

Dufort remains the most offensive, to me. I had not seen a bad photo of Lulu until now. BIG shout out to Anthony Turner for the hair in that portrait story with Karim.

Well, I don't think there is one of those I truly dislike, even when it gets a little far away from the Lulu I'm used to see in magazines. But, and especially after last month's awfully tedious issue, I wonder if I should be angry at myself for having subscribed to some magazine after all these years or if I should rejoice for having managed to get that very same subscription for half of its real price...

 

[svpernova]

I wonder if Rihanna would be described in such terms if she wasn’t a person of colour.

This has nothing to do with racism nor people of color, rather with my own preference. We have Melania Trump who is a white woman yet I think she’s completely vulgar. There are many black women which exclude elegance if not models, actresses or famous people. Elegance has to do with aesthetics, I can’t expect Addison Rae to have the same elegance that HF work requires. My comment has nothing to do with colorism or racism and I apologize if it came out that way. The cover could’ve been executed much better than this.

 

[blueorchid]

Yeah, but let's be honest, you wouldn't have said that Melania or Addison Rae were pulled out of the slums.

 

[MModa]

The issue seems packed with fashion editorials but I am not in love with any of them. They look good but are not strong or memorable.

 

[svpernova]

Yeah, but let's be honest, you wouldn't have said that Melania or Addison Rae were pulled out of the slums.

if the cover would be like Rihanna’s i would. The slums at least in my country don’t only consist of one special race. And they were supposed to pay homage to one of the greatest artists and this isn’t the way to execute the cover. I dislike when Hf covers look like Playboy. But my intention wasn’t racism anyways.