US Vogue April 2008 Controversy

[electricladyland]

 

[candysweet21]

I can definitely see why some people may see it as racism but honestly I really do not think it was the editors' intention!!
If they knew do you guys really think they'd have risked putting this cover when all this bad press and criticism would come out??!?
If this is what they wanted then they're stupid

Yes its an ugly cover because their poses are so weird. I wish it would have been classier and more refined.

 

[SpaceOddity]

I don't know, I kind of feel like creating such a conundrum out of things like this propagates racism even more. Issues like this make it seem as if vastly different treatment and measures must be taken when putting a person of color on the cover. Isn't that insinuating that they should be treated differently? and in essence, isn't that what racism is?

 

[SHSH]

I understand your point completely about treating other people differently but black people have a different history to white people and obviously different sensitivities that should be taken into account. There are certain images that have been used in history to really really negatively portray black people and that image just buys into the stereotype, i think that yes black people should be treated a bit differently in the sense of getting more black models on the cover or more positive images of black people... The first black guy on the cover depicted like that war poster i doubt a white man in that pose would sell as much or buy into stereotypes people have.

And im not saying vogue is racist consciously i think were all subconsciously abit racist anyway, i just think we all need to be more aware really

 

[Urban Stylin]

the gawker cover is hillarious

 

[LUXXX]

Who is that little guy supposed to be? The Anna parody is hilarious though! LOL

 

[katherine]

Omg, that is brilliant. So mean though. I bet Anna is furious.

 

[I_Want_That_One]

Anyone who thinks this wasn't "intentional" or an "accident" is playing into their hands. Nothing is an accident, especially not when its a multi-million dollar magazine who pays people to screen stuff like this. My universities newspaper and magazines have people who carefully review this kind of stuff to make sure it isn't offensive. Also, most major companies have the public screen the product before it is released. Even Lebron's people must have known about this but I don't think they or Lebron were bothered by it (obviously, because he did the shoot). Also, the pose has nothing to do with fashion and Vogue is a fashion magazine! I was so confused when I saw the cover.

 

[lata]

The monkey imagery just jumped at me when I saw the cover. Perhaps this is because my five year old son was told by someone (a white child) at his nursery school that he's a monkey. My son seemed to have no problem with this, I guess he had no clue about its implications. But boy, did I feel like strangling the child who made this reference, or his parents. Instead, I sat my son down and preached to him about 'Black pride'!

 

[*Bianca*]

Nothing is an accident, especially not when its a multi-million dollar magazine who pays people to screen stuff like this.

Exactly.

 

[LUXXX]

Anyone who thinks this wasn't "intentional" or an "accident" is playing into their hands. Nothing is an accident, especially not when its a multi-million dollar magazine who pays people to screen stuff like this. My universities newspaper and magazines have people who carefully review this kind of stuff to make sure it isn't offensive. Also, most major companies have the public screen the product before it is released. Even Lebron's people must have known about this but I don't think they or Lebron were bothered by it (obviously, because he did the shoot). Also, the pose has nothing to do with fashion and Vogue is a fashion magazine! I was so confused when I saw the cover.

Yeah, you're right. I think it was a combo of Annie and the magazine looking to do something provocative but not in an obvious way. It sort of tricks the eye...like is this a big deal or am I reading too far into it? It is a bit daring for US Vogue to take this route but other people on here have said they have done subtle things like this before...hmmmmm

 

[*Bianca*]

I think it was a combo of Annie and the magazine looking to do something provocative but not in an obvious way. It sort of tricks the eye...like is this a big deal or am I reading too far into it?

But that's usually how this sort of stuff is done and works, you know? Things have to be alluded to, not explicit.

 

[rouge99]

let's consider annie leibovitz's position in this... i find it hard to believe that a brilliant artist who has also been discriminated against (she is gay with children) would make a cover with racist intentions.

the photo was clearly fashioned like the king kong poster, but sometimes people just read way too much into an image. it's as if we're all searching for the racist undertones. why not accept the image for what it is? two beautiful people looking ugly...

 

[SHSH]

king kong i think that says it all really

 

[LUXXX]

let's consider annie leibovitz's position in this... i find it hard to believe that a brilliant artist who has also been discriminated against (she is gay with children) would make a cover with racist intentions.

the photo was clearly fashioned like the king kong poster, but sometimes people just read way too much into an image. it's as if we're all searching for the racist undertones. why not accept the image for what it is? two beautiful people looking ugly...

Annie likes to push the limits and her brilliance would know what she's doing with this image. I think...

 

[I_Want_That_One]

let's consider annie leibovitz's position in this... i find it hard to believe that a brilliant artist who has also been discriminated against (she is gay with children) would make a cover with racist intentions.

I see where you're coming from, but I don't think that while she may be pro-gay rights, that doesn't translate into her feeling the same way about race. After all, she is not black and has not been discriminated for being so. And as a photographer, this will generate attention for her. Not that she doesn't have it already, but there's no such thing as too much in the fashion biz.

 

[Working Girl]

I don't think Vogue, with its (undeserved) status as a creative outlet, should feel bound to be reasonable or inoffensive. In a way it is good that this is the most talked about cover of Vogue since a long time because fashion, imo, is unjustly considered a subject that is beneath intellectual analysis and discussion.
I explained in my previous post that I now think the racial subtext has been blown out of proportion, but even if you want to see it that way, I think it is not the fact that Vogue may or may not using a racial stereotype that is the problem, but the complete lack of creative vision and intent and most importantly, wit that is problematic.
When Newton uses Nazi/Aryan imagery to portrait his towering, icy and menacing blond women, he transcends the simple stereotype and make a powerful and iconic statement.
Vogue just scrapes the barrel. Not wanting to be inflammatory but a lot of the insensitive stereotyping against Black people in the US are perpetrated by Black people themselves.

You said that you didn't want to be inflammatory, but yet didn't you think by being saying such a ridiculous comment that someone like me or anyone might get angry. Don't hide, claim your prejudice/ignorance

 

[Kawari]

Honestly, the first thing I thuoght when I saw the cover was that is was horrible. It is ugly, period.
I did think that it was an odd cover to have, especially considering the race issue. What I want to know is-how did thsi get past all the editors? Did no one, not anyone, question the cover at all? No one thought of the possible backlash that would come of the cover? Is everyone that scared of Anna?
It raises a lot of questions.
And to the person who said that negative black sterotypes are perpetuated by black people themselves-I'd love to hear you elaborate on that.
The cover is hideous and I'm way to tired to even begin to get all my thoughts out.
Has anyone at Vogue made an official statement yet?

 

[jules4u]

You said that you didn't want to be inflammatory, but yet didn't you think by being saying such a ridiculous comment that someone like me or anyone might get angry. Don't hide, claim your prejudice/ignorance

thata exactly what I thought....Thing about ignorance or prjudice is that you can never truly hide it....it always slips out !

 

[Zposen]

After reading this entire thread and seeing the cover in person, I can see why people see racial undertones concerning the cover. At first, I thought the media was over exaggerating to stir up controverses. As a Latina living in America, I can understand not wanting to perpetuate certain stereotypes about different groups....
However, I was 1000 times more outrage with the Jennifer Hudson cover last year. I also felt that Vogue did a poor job on the Liya Kebede as well as any other person of color that has grace the cover of US vogue.
I think this is what Anna Wintour legacy will be... to make black people look utterly ridiculous and ugly once a year on the cover of US vogue.
Based on the Jennifer Hudson cover alone, there can be a case for Anna having deep issues concerning people of color... I am not calling her a racist because I dont know her personally but the case can be made.