Vogue Czechoslovakia September 2020 by Cameron Postforoosh & Michal Pudelka

[Scotty]

Not again. Can the fashion industry go back to selling sex?

 

[BlueRuin]

No thank you!

 

[dodencebt]

I have zero idea what's happening with Cynthia's cover, and for that, I love it.

 

[Phuel]

The White Saviour vs The Karens. I know they're serious but this has to be the best joke-- and for that, the best September covers.

 

[RedSmokeRise]

The first cover is straight up out of that Suspiria remake lol!!

 

[JPineapple]

The second cover is being dragged on social media because of the lack of diversity.

 

[avonlea002]

The second cover is being dragged on social media because of the lack of diversity.

vomit.jpg

 

[mikel]

The second cover is being dragged on social media because of the lack of diversity.

Rightly so!

 

[aracic]

Rightly so!

It's Czech Republic and Slovakia. There's practically little to no black people living in this part of Europe.
Also, I hate this idea that every cover suddenly has to include every race, shape, size, nationality and what not just to satisfy the stupidity of social media. Diversity is important, but not everything has to be about it. What that cover needed was an eniterly different lineup cause each one of those girls looks dreadful and that's what they should be dragged for.

 

[Mody]

Those countries literally have little racial diversity in its residence...

 

[YohjiAddict]

The first cover is inches away from looking like the poster for a horror film about evil nuns that drown children in their sleep.

The second one is actually quite funny.

 

[mikel]

It's Czech Republic and Slovakia. There's practically little to no black people living in this part of Europe.
Also, I hate this idea that every cover suddenly has to include every race, shape, size, nationality and what not just to satisfy the st*pidity of social media. Diversity is important, but not everything has to be about it. What that cover needed was an eniterly different lineup cause each one of those girls looks dreadful and that's what they should be dragged for.

When basically all Vogue editions are trying to make an effort for their September cover to be more inclusive, when you have an actual cover with the theme of ‘activism’, then yeah your cover should have a more diverse group of models on it. It’s a simple as that.

Diversity is good, but...
Racism is bad, but...

There’s always a but. It’s almost getting ridiculous.

Yeah, there may hardly be any Black people in Eastern Europe. Does that justify the fact that they are hardly represented in their media? I don’t think so, but if you want to hide behind some vague statistics (more assumptions) as an easy excuse for a lack of diversity, be my guest.

And you and other people may be sick and tired of the message of inclusivity and diversity being pushed nowadays, but I’m sick of reading countless posts dismissing it as just pandering to social media and I’m tired of reading that it shouldn’t always be about diversity and inclusiveness all the time. Get out of your bubble! I have a tip: go and read ‘Me and White Supremacy’ by Layla F. Saad. It will be an eye opener.

 

[crmsn]

It's easy for them to write "We Should All Be Activists" while
three activists here in our country were killed by our government
in just a span of two weeks.

Political issues aside, the first cover looks like a poster of American Horror Story:
Asylum while the second cover looks like the end scene of Us but with white people.

 

[Urban Stylin]

The second cover is really weird, its obvious that the fashion industry doesnt excel in matters of social change. The view from the car and their positioning is the most weird thing I've ever seen. As for all the cover subjects being white I honestly dont see the issue after all its Vogue CZ which is mostly targeted to a country with hardly any black people yet still has some major home grown social issues.

 

[Srdjan]

Yeah, there may hardly be any Black people in Eastern Europe. Does that justify the fact that they are hardly represented in their media? I don’t think so, but if you want to hide behind some vague statistics (more assumptions) as an easy excuse for a lack of diversity, be my guest.

While you are endorsing diversity and celebrating differences, it may be perceived as if you are simply trying to fit everyone in the US/Western world's cognition of the whole world and misunderstanding the Eastern European society. I personally find this a bit unknowledgeable and offensive.
Although recognition of black and non-white people in, for example, USA is perfectly reasonable and very necessary, this type of diversity strategy does not function in this part of Europe (I also come from a Slavic country, and it's generally speaking the same). Race is simply not a key element (yet) here, given the fact the vast majority of people belong to one race. The ''distinction'' focus might somewhat be on the notorious competitiveness between sister nations (like Czechia vs. Slovakia, Russia vs. Ukraine, Serbia vs. Croatia), so it's more attentive and recognizable when Vogue CS puts the Slovak president on the cover instead of a black model.

 

[mikel]

While you are endorsing diversity and celebrating differences, it may be perceived as if you are simply trying to fit everyone in the US/Western world's cognition of the whole world and misunderstanding the Eastern European society. I personally find this a bit unknowledgeable and offensive.
Although recognition of black and non-white people in, for example, USA is perfectly reasonable and very necessary, this type of diversity strategy does not function in this part of Europe (I also come from a Slavic country, and it's generally speaking the same). Race is simply not a key element (yet) here, given the fact the vast majority of people belong to one race. The ''distinction'' focus might somewhat be on the notorious competitiveness between sister nations (like Czechia vs. Slovakia, Russia vs. Ukraine, Serbia vs. Croatia), so it's more attentive and recognizable when Vogue CS puts the Slovak president on the cover instead of a black model.

Sure, hide behind the fact that is ‘just different’ in Eastern Europe and that there aren’t many BIPOC there. Go ahead, choose to stay in your own bubble and not look beyond, I personally find THAT a bit unknowledgeable and offensive.

I’m a person of colour, so if for example I move to an Eastern European country and don’t see myself represented in the media, or I’m treated unfairly because of the colour of my skin, I just have to except it because it’s just different and the concept of ‘western diversity and inclusiveness’ don’t apply over there?

 

[Srdjan]

@mikel I honestly hope you will not be treated unfairly neither here nor anywhere, although this is not part of the discussion.
But yes, you will probably infrequently see people of your own skin colour in local magazines, the same way I see rarely see people of for example my nationality in mainstream Western magazines, for understandable reasons.

 

[mikel]

@mikel I honestly hope you will not be treated unfairly neither here nor anywhere, although this is not part of the discussion.
But yes, you will probably infrequently see people of your own skin colour in local magazines, the same way I see rarely see people of for example my nationality in mainstream Western magazines, for understandable reasons.

Thanks Srdjan, I appreciate that

I get that it’s not part of the discussion, but I used it as an example to show that the argument of ‘the rules don’t apply because Eastern Europa is different and there aren’t many people of colour over there’ is flawed in my opinion.

 

[Srdjan]

@mikel, apart from the heated discussion and differences in our opinions, I don't wish that you find my sentences crypto-racist or subtly hateful in any way.

I understand your "there's always a but" remark, and but-arguments in matters like racism and social injustice can be quite ignorant, but in this case, there really is an actual "but" - the social, demographical, cultural difference between Western and Eastern Europe. Maybe the Eastern Europe has yet to reach the current (social) state the Western Europe is in, but at this moment, it's the way it is.

I was just expressing that an all-white casting in a Slavic country magazine is nothing unusual, not because of local racism, but because of the lack of non-white residents and thus established non-white models.

I hope the humankind will overcome racism soon and black and non-white people reach their justice, being stolen from them from the colonial times to the present day.

 

[Hafyiez wafa]

Editor-in-Chief Andrea Běhounková about Vogue CS September issue cover.