Vanity Fair: The Pretty White Girl Issue

[ckashie]

Anyone surprised with the cover choices has never picked up an issue of VF before this one. Young, attractive, WASPs are the bread and butter of Vanity Fair. I'm not seeing where this is some new development. Is it boring? Yes. Hell yes. But if you wanted exciting then what in the world were you doing with an issue of VF in the first place...

Yeah, exactly! If black, Asian or Hispanic people want to see models/actors of their own race, they should just stop whining and pick up another magazine, like... um...?

No-one is saying it's a new development. No-one is saying it's not boring. And if you read the article, nowhere does the writer express surprise. But trying to justify it by saying that VF is 'always like this, why bother?' seems like a very lazy attitude to have towards the problem. Racism is not something people should just get used to. VF is part of the problem when it comes to people (especially women) of colour having a hard time getting recognition in Hollywood so why should they be put on a pedestal because they have always been that way instead of being called out for this?

 

[Harumi]

This whole controversy is a classic case of shooting the messenger.

As long as Hollywood keeps on underusing ethnic minority talents, the pages of Vanity Fair and Vogue will remain melanin-deficient (it's telling that the latest Black women on Vogue came from music and politics respectively). A great example of this is Taraji P. Henson, a great actress who outshone Brad and the Great Cate in Benjamin Button. And where is she now? Why did it even took so long for her to be 'discovered'?

I honestly can't think of any minority actress that could among this group with any legitimacy: Gabourey has done one movie and is most likely another Jennifer Hudson. It's still unclear whether Freida Pinto can act so of course she had no place on this cover. Zoe is not young Hollywood (but then neither is Rebecca Hall, what is she doing here?)
The point is: VF editorial team isn't made of casting directors. Be angry at Hollywood, not at them.

As for the actresses featured, the trashing is pathetic. Just because you are upset about the lack of diversity it doesn't warrant dismissing the qualities of the women featured, the majority of whom are accomplished and critically acclaimed.

 

[Aoedele]

The problem is the entire entertainment industry who is obsessed with looks and weight.

IA with the discussion of Gabby being on there - she's probably going to end up being a Jennifer Hudson, 1 Oscar (or nom) & she can't find many roles after that.

You obviously don't knowe anything about Jennifer Hudson. She did three movies after her Oscar win. She was excellent in The Secret Lives Of Bees and Fragments.

I don't read VF so frankly I don't care who they put on their covers. They'll never get my money. But what surprises me is putting Kristin Stewart with a group of really talented young actresses. Girl can't act her way out of a paper bag.

 

[SusanSuperstar]

how boring

 

[Psst!It's...Evie]

Young, Pretty???!!! and white? Simply young and white is more like it. None of those women are that gorgeous to me. but hey whatever. Anyway this is Hollywood, which a mainly white industry, so it is really hard to make it as a minority female. I think minority males have it easier in Hollywood. But for most minorities, you will just have to settle for playing the friend of the white main star. So I am not surprised not to see any woman of color on there as there are not too much if any women of color under 30 that are extremely successful like the stars on the cover of this magazine. I think this represents how Hollywood really is. White. I had to go through the thread before I posted because honestly some posters on this board seem to harbor feelings toward certain people as soon as a race thread pops up, they get to vent and complain.

 

[silk skin paws]

I'm not really familiar with most of the actresses. This is Vanity Fair what does one expects?

 

[mellowdrama]

Vanity Fair is a tremendous mind-f*ck, always has been, always will be. The whole thrust of the magazine is "These people aren't like you and me," for either better or worse, and it's a thrilling, creepy read. Their writers are much, much smarter than any celebrity could ever be, and they manage to take the highbrow piss out anyone who thinks the topic of their Selves is a worthy one. The ads are creepy, the copy is creepy, it's all creepy, creepy, creepy...so it's like Gothic horror fiction morality tales and impossible to put down. You feel better about being a poor schlub after reading it. It averts Class War, and it sells expensive watches; it's useful.

Better for the minority actresses to not be featured there, actually.

 

[wrngco]

Gaby is above and beyond not upcoming BAFTA, Academy Award, Golden Globe. Zoe does not need to be up and coming either she is in the highest grossing films of the past 2 years, I think

 

[LabelWhore4]

Dakota Fanning should have her OWN f**king cover!

 

[abbietchsays]

Dakota Fanning should have her OWN f**king cover!

amen, I personally adore her, I'm looking forward to see how her career will turn out in the next few years

 

[honeyisle]

They all, with the exception of Dakota, look like the human equivalent of tofu.

Kristen Stewart is on there again for the Twilight fans. It's a business and having her dry expression on a cover brings in the cash.

ugh.

 

[Drusilla_]

For that matter, I think Carey Mulligan should have her own cover too- I saw Pride and Prejudice (the horrible Keira Knightley version) four years ago, and remember thinking what a tragedy it was that there's this implicit 'one-Brit-girl-at-a-time' rule for each generation, and that Knightley, whose speciality is pouting, was it for my generation. Glad to see that's changing a little. Some of the actresses on that cover really are talented (aforesaid Mulligan and Cornish, for starters).

But talent clearly isn't the sole factor they considered when choosing people for the cover- I don't question the lack of Gabby Sidibe on it, or even Freida Pinto or whoever, it's just surprising that as per Vanity Fair, there are NO actresses who will be the future of Young Hollywood who are anything but white (no Hispanic actresses, no African-Americans, no Asians at all).
It isn't as if young actresses of some of those heritages haven't made an impact in some capacity (Vanessa Hudgens in HSM- ok, Disney pap, but still. Or Selena Gomez- ok, more Disney pap- but if Miley Cyrus gets to be in VF features, why can't they?).

 

[drappedup]

ok guys I am going to be the devil's advocate. What if these girls actually are the 10 best young stars of this year? shall we throw in a black actress who is sub-par just because she is black and VF need it simply to be PC. Of course I am not saying black actresses are sub par or shouldn't be on the cover or aren't any good etc.

Might just be the fact that I don't live in the US but I have no clue who Gabby Sidibe is? actually I just looked her up and you could perhaps kills two "minority" groups with one stone (I like McDonalds too). No one can deny that the showbiz industry is overwhelmingly dominated by white and Jewish actors and actresses so of course a higher number of the best young ones are going to be pretty white girls. Not that they are the best there is just a higher concerntration.

What I am essentially saying is don't just throw in a black/asian/fat/ugly/eskimo/whatever actress in just so she can represent a certain social group, do it because she is genuinly a fabulous actress. If she gets in just to be PC society is just going around in circles (*cough* Chanel Imans vogue supermodels cover)

........uh, but there ARE actresses of other races/ethnicities who are talented and could have just as easily been included, so basically your point is null and void.

 

[drappedup]

Yeah, exactly! If black, Asian or Hispanic people want to see models/actors of their own race, they should just stop whining and pick up another magazine, like... um...?

No-one is saying it's a new development. No-one is saying it's not boring. And if you read the article, nowhere does the writer express surprise. But trying to justify it by saying that VF is 'always like this, why bother?' seems like a very lazy attitude to have towards the problem. Racism is not something people should just get used to. VF is part of the problem when it comes to people (especially women) of colour having a hard time getting recognition in Hollywood so why should they be put on a pedestal because they have always been that way instead of being called out for this?

Since when is Vanity Fair a "white" magazine? Oops, it's not!

 

[dajrekshn]

They all, with the exception of Dakota, look like the human equivalent of tofu.

Kristen Stewart is on there again for the Twilight fans. It's a business and having her dry expression on a cover brings in the cash.

ugh.

this is the first time kristen's in young hollywood issue.

 

[honeyisle]

this is the first time kristen's in young hollywood issue.

vanityfair.com

She was on the cover before. It was this issue. Yes the title is different(Hollywood's New Wave!!) but the hype is the same.

 

[icelynn]

I don't understand why Kristen was on any cover. She's been acting for quite some time, the earliest movie I remember seeing her in was Panic Room and that was released in 2002 or maybe 2003. What's so new about her?

 

[dajrekshn]

vanityfair.com

She was on the cover before. It was this issue. Yes the title is different(Hollywood's New Wave!!) but the hype is the same.

...yeah, but she wasn't in the young hollywood issue, that's what i meant.
it would be the same thing if there wasn't a young hollywood issue traditionally coming out every year around oscars.

as for her being there, well, she mostly did small movies up until twilight came out and then the whole thing went retrospectively for her and was starting to get noticed (not to mention adventureland which was made in 2009 got in most of the best movies of the year lists, or that she has 4 movies coming out this year).

i agree this cover is flanked on multiple levels, but i don't think it's wrong kristen's up there. dunno...

 

[oh me]

I don't understand why Kristen was on any cover. She's been acting for quite some time, the earliest movie I remember seeing her in was Panic Room and that was released in 2002 or maybe 2003. What's so new about her?

You think she doesn't deserve to be on any cover?
In my opinion she is pretty good actress, I don't understand why so many people dislike her... I hope she'll get so many covers as possible. And movies of course.

 

[eliaino]

I don't like the idea of diversity for the sake of diversity. Whoever merits the cover merits the cover...Vanity Fair has had non-Caucasian women on their Hollywood Issue covers before.

I agree with this. Imagine if there was some requirement that, by law, Vanity Fair has to have a certain number of minority actresses/actors on their covers every year. Then people would start saying that Zoe Saldana, Don Cheadle, Lucy Liu or whomever just got to be on the cover because of their skin color. That might not be true but the accusation would still stick.

I also have to wonder if Vanity Fair does a lot of market research. Sometimes people say they want more diversity (in terms of ethnicity body type, age, and so on) but then they don't buy the products with the more diverse models on the packaging and ad copy.