US Harper’s Bazaar March 2022 : Venus & Serena Williams by Renell Medrano

[vogue28]

 

[caioherrero]

I love both, but this is not good. I miss Glenda.

 

[WAVES]

no ma’am.

 

[vogue28]

Cover #2:

 

[Deleted member 141309]

If this is Venus and Serena on their own terms, I hope next time it will be on editor's terms, because this is terrible on all aspects. Nothing is working here, the most beautiful thing so far is the bamboo growing behind them on a second cover.

 

[SanderGreen]

What is wrong with Samira Nasr…

Why does the collective fashion industry nowadays seem intent on self sabotage?

 

[KoV]

Oh no, this is bad. Compare this to their Elle cover from the early 2000s. And solo, Serena has had several major covers FAR superior to this - including at least 2 fairly recent HB covers! Samira and Renell should both be ashamed, but I’m sure Twitter will find a way to twist this mess into a supposed win. Can you imagine if Anna dared release this?

 

[vogue28]

Without sounding like a broken record, I am officially done with Samira Nasr's Harper's Bazaar. What a depressing state she has the magazine in right now - especially with the covers which are the main event. Covers lately are just lacking colour, glamour and gloss.

Hearst made a major error in judgement when hiring Nasr, and the job should be handed to Laura Brown with immediate effect.

 

[crmsn]

While Harper's Bazaar under Glenda was too much, its current state under Samira is inadequate.

 

[THD96]

Oh no, this is bad. Compare this to their Elle cover from the early 2000s. And solo, Serena has had several major covers FAR superior to this - including at least 2 fairly recent HB covers! Samira and Renell should both be ashamed, but I’m sure Twitter will find a way to twist this mess into a supposed win. Can you imagine if Anna dared release this?

Why, Anna already release that tragic Lizzie cover with Hype Williams and Twitter already praise it to the sky. They're focusing on the cover subject and the photographer while ignoring the fact that is an embarassment in photography, styling and execution.

Let's stop pretending that Anna is some holier than thou, above from playing that social media game, when in fact now she just the same like the rest of all the American editor.

 

[Deleted member 141523]

Sad to see a legendary fashion title destroyed over the last 20 years. You can't believe is the same magazine that Liz Tilberis helped to build.

 

[PowerDroid]

Horrific. Speechless. Stuff nightmares are made of. Doubling down on depressing moods and unflattering photography.

 

[GERGIN]

The color scheme is right but the overall execution is so, so wrong.

 

[KoV]

Why, Anna already release that tragic Lizzie cover with Hype Williams and Twitter already praise it to the sky. They're focusing on the cover subject and the photographer while ignoring the fact that is an embarassment in photography, styling and execution.

Let's stop pretending that Anna is some holier than thou, above from playing that social media game, when in fact now she just the same like the rest of all the American editor.

Hmmmm no, I disagree. There was plenty of anger directed at Anna over the Lizzo cover, just like there was for the Kamala cover, the Simone Biles cover, and any other instance where a black cover subject was deemed as having been portrayed in a less attractive manner than they deserve. In those instances, people didn’t look beyond execution and focus merely on the subject because of Anna. The covers’ failures were often chalked up to Anna being inherently racist (in the cases where the photographer was also black) to the extent she didn’t respect the subject enough to produce a better cover or that white photographers couldn’t shoot black subjects because they can’t light black skin AND that Anna is inherently racist. No one is coming at Samira for disrespecting the Williams sisters. For the record, as unimaginative as Lizzo’s cover was, there was at least an attempt at glamor and Lizzo herself looked beautiful. I thought the golden glow on Simone’s skin on the cover shot by Annie was an intentional nod to her status as a Gold Medal Olympian. Kamala’s cover I can’t defend.


I’m not pretending Anna doesn’t play the social media game, she clearly plays it better than just about anyone else (except maybe Edward). What I’m insinuating is that there’s a widespread bias against Anna when she does or does not feature a WOC on the cover and she’s subjected to much harsher criticism then her counterparts. If she had produced this cover, there would be backlash. If she had produced the February UK Vogue cover, there would have been backlash. Half the discussion about Naomi’s UK Vogue cover was essentially “Anna would never!” as if Anna hadn’t given her a cover very recently and as if Edward didn’t have a white photographer shoot it (not an issue, but apparently an issue when Anna does it). All editors can and should be criticized, including Anna. What gets me is that her peers seem to escape that criticism among the general population and when I see this godawful cover, I can’t help but imagine the thousands of angry Instagram and Twitter reactions we might be seeing if another name was attached.

 

[Horizontina]

I don't want this in my house.

 

[marsnoop2]

It looks like a bad edition of Vogue Czechoslovakia

 

[Deleted member 141523]

Lizzo's cover for British Vogue was great

 

[[Piece Of Me]]

I think I... kind of like it? I don't really know why, as I can see why others wouldn't be a big fan but I like the facts it's quite an different kind of photograph compared to those we usually see on a cover. It's always lovely to see the two of them together on a big cover. Two icons

 

[crmsn]

The color scheme is right but the overall execution is so, so wrong.

Correct.

NGL, I love the color palette of these covers, but their magazine's overall aesthetic since their redesign is already tiring. Even their colorful cover with Tracee lacked enthusiasm.

 

[avonlea002]

This is sad as f*ck. Samara or whatever her name is must be depressed.