Written by Oscar Holland, CNN
Contributors Jasmine Wright, CNN
Kamala Harris’ upcoming appearance in American Vogue has drawn criticism for her relaxed appearance and “
wash», The team of the elected vice-president being blinded by the choice of the cover of the magazine.
The highly controversial image, which shows Harris in a black jacket and Converse sneakers, was not what she expected to appear on the front of the print edition. A source close to the talks said Harris’s team believed the cover would feature her in a light blue suit on a gold background.
A seemingly leaked copy of the cover of the publication’s February issue, shot in front of a pink and green background, began circulating online on Sunday. The photo immediately drew anger on social media for appearing dimly lit and poorly styled, while others suggested it was “
disrespectfulTo the elected vice-president.
Some Twitter users even wondering if the image had been tampered with, Vogue
confirmed it as genuine – but added to the confusion by revealing a “digital” second cover showing Harris in a powder blue Michael Kors suit against a gold background. The CNN source said the Harris team expected this outfit to be used as the main cover photo, with the more casual outfit appearing inside the magazine. The same source said the Harris team had requested a new cover, although the print version of the magazine went to press in mid-December.
Vogue has revealed a second “digital” cover featuring Harris in a blue suit. Credit: Tyler Mitchell / Vogue
A spokesperson for Vogue did not comment on discussions between the magazine and the vice president-elect’s team, but said in a statement that Vogue “liked the images Tyler Mitchell took and felt the more informal image captured. by Vice President-elect Authentic Harris, accessible nature – which we believe is a hallmark of the Biden / Harris administration.
“To respond to the gravity of this moment in history and the role it must play in moving our country forward, we are celebrating the two images of her as digital covers.”
Both images were taken by Tyler Mitchell, who became the first black photographer to shoot a cover of American Vogue when he captured Beyoncé for the magazine’s September 2018 issue. Mitchell posted only one of the covers on Instagram – that of Harris in a blue suit. Mitchell did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
A “ washed out mess ”
Explaining the influences behind the filming of the cover, Vogue said the apple green and salmon pink background was inspired by the colors of Howard University’s Alpha Kappa Alpha, the “historically African-American first sorority.” An accompanying article stated that Mitchell had intended to “honor the days of Harris College and the powerful women who make up the ranks of sororities like Alpha Kappa Alpha.”
The article also said that the Vice President-elect’s style choices “were her own” and that the image “reflects Harris at her best.
The cover of the February 2021 issue of Vogue. Credit: Tyler Mitchell / Vogue
But critics said the photos made it look “washed out” and didn’t match Vogue’s glamorous aesthetic. Playwright and lawyer Wajahat Ali
described it’s a “mess,” adding that Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour “really mustn’t have black friends and colleagues.”
Not everyone was so dismissive of the casual style photo. “People are arguing over the photo chosen for the cover of VP Harris’ Vogue, but here’s what’s important: She looks great, she’s honored, and the cover drives Trump and Melania crazy,”
tweeted novelist Paul Rudnick, an apparent reference to the outgoing president’s complaint that his wife has yet to appear on the cover of a major fashion magazine as first lady.
Meanwhile, Washington Post’s senior general critic Robin Givhan wrote that while “there is nothing inherently wrong with this image,” choosing the more informal as the cover, “Vogue stole Harris’s roses”.
“A little respect would have served the magazine well in its cover decisions. Nothing on the cover said ‘Wow’. And sometimes that’s all black women want, an admiring and festive ‘wow’ for what. ‘they accomplished. “
The debate comes just over a week before Harris was inaugurated as the first woman and first vice president of black and South Asia. In an accompanying detailed profile, posted online by Vogue on Sunday, Harris recalls when the election was called and his subsequent victory speech. She also talks about climate change and the protest for racial justice.
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“I always say this: I might be the first to do a lot of things – make sure you’re not the last,” Harris told reporter Alexis Okeowo. “I was thinking of my baby nieces, who will know only one world where a woman is the vice president of the United States, a woman of color, a black woman, a woman whose parents were born outside the United States. ”
Elsewhere in the interview, she reiterated that Covid-19 will be the top priority for the Biden-Harris administration in its first 100 days.
“The first line of approach must be to bring this pandemic under control,” she said.
