I am utterly disappointed in this Vogue India anniversary cover. There are so many deserving Indian models that should’ve got it. pic.twitter.com/GvVp0jxazq
— M. (@MEENAVOGUEE) May 3, 2017
One would think that Vogue INDIA, upon the occasion of celebrating its 10th Anniversary year, would feature an INDIAN model on its cover. You know, to celebrate all that is awesome about INDIA and its fashion scene. If one thought that, one would be mistaken.
As reported by The Daily Dot, it looks like frequent oblivious controversy-stirrer Kendall Jenner will be the cover model for the 10th Anniversary issue for reasons I couldn’t begin to understand. In light of this and the Pepsi commercial debacle, I really wish someone would pull Jenner aside and introduce her to the idea that there’s a big wide world out there and that there are things she should be thinking about, especially working in the media as models do, that go beyond her simple desire to take a job.
When you have a global platform, “Oh, this’ll be fun!” isn’t enough of a reason to do something. Not if the thing that you’re doing is being imposed on a sizeable population.
But really, and as always, the true blame lies with Vogue, who somehow decided that Jenner would sell more covers than, say, any of these other possibilities:
Potential Indian models who should’ve gotten the cover VS the white chick who got it. pic.twitter.com/L6rJyw87Hg
— M. (@MEENAVOGUEE) May 3, 2017
To have a white American on the cover of Vogue India is extremely harmful. I mean, you could say that about the entire fashion industry, but that’s a conversaton for another time. In this case, focusing on the fact that it is encouraging and positive to see people who look like you in media, having Jenner on the cover of an anniversary issue, which is supposedly celebrating what is beautiful and fashionable about India, is an insult.
Not only that, but it plays into deeper issues of colorism in the country, a place where skin-lightening creams remain an over $10 billion industry and outsell Coca-Cola.
This is all also following Vogue’s decision to run a “Japanese-themed” photo shoot with Karlie Kloss. Someone should probably have the same convo with Vogue that we need to have with Jenner. Just because you want to do something, doesn’t mean you should. Stop and think first.
(image: FashionStock.com/Shutterstock)
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