Vogue Italia March 2012 : Joan Smalls by Steven Meisel

[LabelWhore4]

You know what? I was going to buy this until I saw the full editorial. I have now lost a ton of respect for Franca & Meisel. Do they honestly expect that putting a black girl on the cover, then mocking black people, is going to make black people want to go out & buy this issue? I'm not one to EVER pull the race card, but I am using it right now. They really should be ashamed of themselves. That shot of Joan in the bathroom is appalling. Don't even get me started on the Ihop weave shot. I can't deal with this right now. UGH.

Exactly. I was waiting to see the editorial before jumping to this conclusion but its pretty obvious to people who have seen this in real life. Theres more than one way to be a hot mess but they focused on poking fun at a particular segment of the black community in America. I'm not expecting people from outside the US to fully grasp this (Franca gets a pass i guess), but Meisel knew damned well what he was doing with this particular story. I'm sure many African Americans, of all walks of life, will be deeply offended by this. Some already were when they saw the previews.

Black people with questionable taste are hardly ever called tacky, they are referred to as ghetto (which some people in this thread have already eluded to or blatantly said) and thats exactly what this ed is making fun of. Don't even get me started on the fact that they chose THIS ed/issue to finally put a black women on the cover again. That leaves a particularly bad taste in my mouth because it kind of takes away some of the the sparkle and reverence of Joan's major achievement imo. She deserved better...

 

[jmrmartinho]

wow...i dont get the critics.
I beleive this ed was not made to insult (at all) the black comunity. I think it actualy its about the "facebook" stupid girls that we see doing stupid things.
This editorial really speaks to me, the colors are great, the model direction is perfect, the styling is brilliant.
I also love the way "Haute Mess" is a logo on the full editorial.
This editorial talks about the young generation of wild girls trying to get noticed. The mess of the teens right now, but of cours (here) wearing couture.

 

[testinofan]

The editorial is terrible veru bad, very insulting to the black community, I think Meisel and Franca crossed the boundary that should never cross a penalty

 

[tentalicious]

FULL REVIEW, if anyone's still interested

MAIN ISSUE

Close-up - 15p
Kinga Rajzak by David Dunan
Editor: Sara Maino

Vogue Suggestions - 19p
Margareth Madè by Vincent Peters
Editor: Valentina Serra

Chromo Thriller - 8p
Alana Zimmer by Miles Aldridge
Editor: Beth Fenton

Beauty - 7p
Mackenzie Drazan & Kelly Mittendorf‎ by Emma Summerton

Lost In Details - 10p
Arizona Muse by Paolo Roversi
Editor: Jacob K

Forever Glamour - 12p
Guinevere Van Seenus by Sølve Sundsbø
Editor: Patti Wilson

Felicity Jones by Tom Munro - 10p
Editor: Arianne Phillips

Be Bold - 14p
Candice Swanepoel by Mario Sorrenti
Editor: Jane How

COUTURE

Valentino Haue Couture - 13p
Marie Piovesan by Deborah Turbeville

A Lady In Spring - 16p
Marie Piovesan & ? by Paolo Roversi
Editor: Panos Yiapanis

The Stylish - 10p
Harumi klossowska by Deborah Turbeville
Editor: Robert Rabensteiner

Cleaming Mermaid - 18p
Astrid Bergès-Frisbey by Ellen von Unwerth
Editor: Leith Clark

Royal Couture - 20p
Karolina Kurkova by Miles Aldridge
Editor: Fabienne Eisenstein

 

[Melancholybaby]

^Thanks a lot for the review ! How many pages does the main issue have?

 

[tentalicious]

^504 and 160 for the Couture's Supplement.

 

[valliaddict]

wow...i dont get the critics.
I beleive this ed was not made to insult (at all) the black comunity. I think it actualy its about the "facebook" stupid girls that we see doing stupid things.
This editorial really speaks to me, the colors are great, the model direction is perfect, the styling is brilliant.
I also love the way "Haute Mess" is a logo on the full editorial.
This editorial talks about the young generation of wild girls trying to get noticed. The mess of the teens right now, but of cours (here) wearing couture.

No offense, but since you aren't from America, I don't think you understand why some of us are offended. I don't know who's Facebook page you are looking at, but over here, this is reinforces all the stereotypes about African Americans. Meisel is from the United States, so he knew exactly what he was doing. He was clearly poking fun at "ghetto" culture. Trust me, being from South Carolina, I know quite a few people that actually look like this.

 

[jmrmartinho]

No offense, but since you aren't from America, I don't think you understand why some of us are offended. I don't know who's Facebook page you are looking at, but over here, this is reinforces all the stereotypes about African Americans. Meisel is from the United States, so he knew exactly what he was doing. He was clearly poking fun at "ghetto" culture. Trust me, being from South Carolina, I know quite a few people that actually look like this.

I truly get your point but I see no bad of doing this, what is te problem about the ghetto. I actualy think it is a great theme to work with, we get to see the clothes from the runway totally transformed.
This thead right now quite reminds me Vogue Italia August 2010, I dont think we should take fashion so serious...

 

[Breathless]

It's not that serious to me. I see this kind of "ghetto fab" all over the country and not just by black people. If anything, Meisel is touching on a sub-culture like he normally would do with previous issues of the magazine. I'm actually impress on how Daphne, Abbey & Coco all pull the looks off. I still want this issue as a collectors item.

 

[tentalicious]

I don’t think these girls or Meisel him self are mocking black people or black culture… rather, they’re imitating and you know what they say about imitation. It’s the best form of flattery.

Also, there are some really disturbing comments on this thread. I simply can't stand things like this...

The editorial is terrible veru bad, very insulting to the black community, I think Meisel and Franca crossed the boundary that should never cross a penalty

 

[valliaddict]

I don’t think these girls or Meisel him self are mocking black people or black culture… rather, they’re imitating and you know what they say about imitation. It’s the best form of flattery.

Also, there are some really disturbing comments on this thread. I simply can't stand things like this...

Are you serious right now? So are you saying that if VI did an editorial about hispanic women working as maids at a hotel, chinese women studying for final exams, or indian women selling oranges at a world market, that all those races & cultures should consider it as a form of flattery? And what is so bad about the comment that testinofan wrote? I think that people who don't deal with harsh prejudices don't understand why this editorial would be offensive to others. It's OK to respectfully disagree with the offended members, but don't call anyone out and say that their personal opinions are "disturbing". I think you are a little biased, considering that you are from Italy. This type of ghetto culture isn't as common over there. If anything is offensive to Italian people, I'm not going to be the one to say GET OVER IT. Just sayin'.

 

[testinofan]

Exactly what bothers one, do not disturb others but I think VogueItalia thus became ghettos ridiculed show, I do not have to make, the black issue, the fat issuie, the oriental issue because we are all equal and fashion should not try to bother anyone if having ideas and concepts but NEVER disrespect to consumers is 1 or millions, is the same.

 

[tentalicious]

^Perhaps you should calm down. Take a breath and calm down
my comment was that there's no limit to Art. that's the beauty of it. it doesn't matter whether the Art is viewed as "good" or "bad" or "immoral" by others, because that's not what it's about. Art is about expressing yourself, and who's to say there's a limit on your thoughts?
.... and I'm not Italian.

 

[testinofan]

hhahah im very calm This does not affect me at all, my last coment is eassy, this editorial no is Art.

 

[LabelWhore4]

Art isn't above reproach or moral judgement. This is hardly art, or even a legitimate fashion editorial.

 

[windlagoon]

the couture supplement looks very bland...i don't really mind that miles aldridge and paolo roversi are always in it, but i'm not really fond of the idea of putting deborah turbeville in every supplement. and don't get me started on ellen von unwerth...
i really miss steven klein and steven meisel shooting for the supplement. blah.

 

[jmrmartinho]

Art isn't above reproach or moral judgement. This is hardly art, or even a legitimate fashion editorial.

I dont agree with you on this one, i think art is above anything. its a way to express what you see or feel. i think he did that on this editorial...
But I respect the opinions of everybody of cours.

 

[tentalicious]

Art isn't above reproach or moral judgement. This is hardly art, or even a legitimate fashion editorial.

Oscar Wilde said that there's no such thing as a moral or immoral book. 'Books are well written or badly written. That is all!' As usual he was right. Books, or Art (fashion story in this case if you want to use this), can deal with evil, even repugnant subjects, but the work itself is not equivalent to the acts depicted. The work is merely a truthful depiction or it's not. That is all.

 

[Deleted member 116957]

^ A book (or art) itself cannot be immoral or moral, but the ideas presented within and the agenda of the creator can of course be "immoral" or "moral."

I don't think that the editorial is racist so much as it is classist.

 

[LabelWhore4]

^ A book (or art) itself cannot be immoral or moral, but the ideas presented within and the agenda of the creator can of course be "immoral" or "moral."

I don't think that the editorial is racist so much as it is classist.

Its both. This is basically a lazy ed, poking fun at poor black people, that is trying to masquerade as satire, parody, and worst of all art. Reinforcing harsh stereotypes that have long plagued a disinfranchised group of society is morally reprehensible at best. Art can be repugnant if the artists intent was to push a racist and classist agenda. Fashion is historically and thoroughly both of those things. And Vogue Italia had the nerve to put Joan on a cover that represents this editorial? That was hardly a mistake and is not above reproach.