Kamala Harris' 'Vogue' cover sparks controversy

US Vogue's February star is none other than US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. While this may not be the first time Vogue has a political figure on its cover, this was the politician's debut on the prestigious magazine. However, more than often, such cover stories have ended in tears. For their latest editions, Vogue drew criticism after releasing the pictures of its February cover page featuring the Vice President-elect.

On the cover, Harris is seen wearing a dark brown blazer with black pants and sneakers with pink and green drapes in the background, reportedly in reference to Harris’ college sorority. Another picture featured her in a powder blue suit, her arms crossed, in front of a gold background.

Many expressed disapproval because they felt the magazine had made Harris’s skin look ‘lighter’.

Later, New York magazine contributor Yashar Ali tweeted that a source familiar with the photoshoot had said that what is on the magazine’s cover was original to have been used inside the magazine. It also wasn’t the picture she and her team expected to make the cover of the magazine’s print edition. 

According to The Guardian, Vogue told the New York Post that it hadn’t lightened Harris’s skin colour in the photo. However, that response did not pacify people online.

Entertainment Tonight cited a source close to Harris, saying her team had initially agreed to do a print interview with photos and the cover that has now been selected was supposed to be inside. The source also added that the team agreed that the shot of her in a blue suit with a gold background was supposed to be on the cover.

"In this moment where the country is so divided, where we need serious leaders, the blue and gold shot represents that,” said the insider. "That would never have been approved, and Harris’ team is extremely disappointed."

Now, Vogue has responded to the entire fiasco by revealing her shot in the blue suit and clarifying that this would also be on a digital cover of the issue.

The publication’s statement read, "The team at Vogue loved the images Tyler Mitchell shot and felt the more informal image captured Vice President-elect Harris's authentic, approachable nature - which we feel is one of the hallmarks of the Biden/Harris administration.”

"To respond to the seriousness of this moment in history, and the role she has to play leading our country forward, we're celebrating both images of her as covers digitally,” added the outlet. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Vogue has drawn criticism for what critics say is the wrongful representation of minorities.

According to the Associated Press, last year, Vogue’s editor in chief Anna Wintour, in an internal email apologised for ‘not doing enough’ to elevate black voices on her staff and publishing images after reports of discrimination directed at people of colour in the organisation came out.

Harris’s appearance on the Vogue comes even as outgoing US President Donald Trump complained last month that his wife Melania Trump had not featured on a single magazine cover in his four years in the White House.

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