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Vogue Magazine recently released the cover of its new issue with the US VP-elect, Kamala Harris and Twitter is not happy with the photographs.
Vogue magazine is one of the top publications in the world of fashion and lifestyle. Over the years, it has made a brand of itself in the line of Fashion and Lifestyle department but it has also received bad press for its mistakes. The recent one being their cover featuring the US Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris.
The magazine released two photos of Harris from its February edition issue. These photos have sparked outrage instantly as netizens think it is whitewashed or the skin color of America’s dent.
Vogue, in a tweet on 10 January, Sunday, made public the photo of 56-year-old Harris. She seems to be adorning her trademark Converse sneakers and standing in front of a pink and green drape (the colors of her university sorority). The other photo, a more formal one, shows her in a powder blue suit, with her arms crossed in front of a gold background.
Vice President-elect @KamalaHarris is our February cover star!
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) January 10, 2021
Making history was the first step. Now Harris has an even more monumental task: to help heal a fractured America—and lead it out of crisis. Read the full profile: https://t.co/W5BQPTH7AU pic.twitter.com/OCFvVqTlOk
As soon as the photos were released, many took to social media to slam the magazine for not only lightening Harris’ skin tone but also to point out that the quality did not match with the magazine’s usual standards which it upholds. It seems to people that the same weightage has not been given to Harris which Vogue usually gives to others.
Here's what people have to say:
First, this is a weak shot. A lot of people have complained about the backdrop, but it could absolutely work if used correctly. Here? Not so much. The pose is unflattering, Harris looks uncomfortable, the angle of the photograph is unsophisticated, and the lighting is poorly done
— Eliza (@ghosts_hmu) January 10, 2021
The editing is also not up to par. I can't speak to whether the skin lightening issue is from the shoot or post, but the HSL values were not properly adjusted for her skin tone during edits. Every photo editor at Vogue should know the basics of editing photos of people of color
— Eliza (@ghosts_hmu) January 10, 2021
wow Vogue really did Kamala Harris dirty pic.twitter.com/GEqWqU5RkT
— Dilan Cook (@dilanpcook) January 10, 2021
But it’s not even a real cover because it’s just not so why are we even fighting. Let’s all go get a drink
— ⚖️Imani Gandy ⚖️ (@AngryBlackLady) January 10, 2021
It’s not the shoes. It’s a bad photo. It is not flattering. She looks washed out. The lighting is wrong. What’s up with her hands. It looks out of focus. The background is trash. And the look on her face says why the fuck am I here. But for an eight year old it’s really good work
— ⚖️Imani Gandy ⚖️ (@AngryBlackLady) January 10, 2021
Kamala Harris is about as light skinned as women of color come and Vogue still fvcked up her lighting. WTF is this washed out mess of a cover? pic.twitter.com/5O2q0axA0G
— E. Vaughan (@HypeVaughan) January 10, 2021
Nice attempt to save your rep by posting the blue suit pic as well as the atrocious original but too late. We see you.
— Stumpy (@StumpyRabbitt) January 10, 2021
It speaks volumes when someone’s Wikipedia photo is better than the vogue cover photo. pic.twitter.com/QHnALT6Bzm
— laura ☃️ (@lauratellsjokes) January 10, 2021
When print magazine sales are down, you choose to tick off 81+ million with this petty move?
— Sassenach🗽🐝💙🇺🇸🌊🧢 (@t_sassenach) January 10, 2021
It's disrespectful to not honor the agreement between your publication and the Vice President-Elect.
— D.A. Osorio, MSW (@DA_Osorio) January 10, 2021
Like can we all choose to forget about the one on the left. Like seriously you thought that was deserving of our madam vice president pic.twitter.com/jLq4YUXid0
— Michael (@bashful_michael) January 10, 2021
One cover conveys power, professionalism & confidence
— #25A/#14thA-REMOVE TRUMP!⚖️ (@TheMominatrixx) January 10, 2021
The other is slightly out-of-focus, like a test shot
If Vogue wanted to highlight Kamala’s famous Chuck Taylor’s, they could’ve shot her exiting a jet, like a boss
That pile of drapes is cheesy ‘Glamour Shots’ at the mall pic.twitter.com/U5YtBYTJrB
How can you use the same photographer as AOC's wonderful Vanity Fair cover shoot and put out that left cover? Speaks volumes of the quality of your own editors/creatives. pic.twitter.com/5Jx6WaAguo
— 🤷🏼♀️ RelevantRachel 🤷🏼♀️ (@RelevantRachel) January 10, 2021
Interestingly, the photos were shot by Tyler Mitchell, the now 26-year-old photographer who created a sensation back in 2018. He became the first Black photographer to shoot the Vogue cover in the magazines. The September Vogue cover had none other than singer Beyoncé. It was said that she herself had picked the photographer.