When the world’s most famous supermodel turns her nose up at the current Vogue issue, I think we have a problem. Naomi Campbell smirked and said, “I do not want to comment,” on Australia’s The Morning Show when asked about it – and a lot of people are on her side when it comes to discussing the issues surrounding the current cover.
You may be aware that Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and their daughter North (I still laugh. North West. Good one Kimye) have graced the cover and pages of Vogue’s April 2014 issue. Does this woman deserve to be on the cover of the world’s most renowned fashion magazine? With “#WORLDSMOSTTALKEDABOUTCOUPLE” as a caption? (No apostrophe? A hashtag? Is this Cosmopolitan? Is Anna Wintour okay?) Or… is this just a nice shoot with sexy people who the world is just a teeny bit jealous of?
Firstly it was Anna Wintour, Vogue’s Editor in Chief, who led the transition from supermodels to celebrities featured on the magazine’s cover. However, we’re not talking about just anybody. This was to demonstrate that achievement is what got these women there. Defending her choice, Wintour has said Kim is an inspiration since she has “created a place for herself in the glare of the world’s spotlight, and it takes real guts to do that”. Now that’s just poor. Replace guts with gold-digging and let’s be truthful, please.
Kim Kardashian gained fame through her daddy’s money- and then marrying a man with even more. What has she achieved again? A viral sex tape and a show about her life as a consequence of fame she acquired from, well, nothing. What an inspiring message about female achievement Vogue is sending out to its readers.
However, the shoot is undeniably sexy. Damn. And that’s what Vogue is, no? It’s visual; it’s fashion, and that’s what fashion always has been and always will be. When we open up any other copy, we see models- nameless and unidentifiable; a pretty face with nothing more to it. To be devil’s advocate, we don’t know how they got there. Maybe their stories are the same; maybe someone paid for them to have that opportunity somewhere along the line. We hear no complaints about that.
Nevertheless, this woman’s fame has got her a cover. That’s a big deal. It’s Vogue saying we are proud of this individual and think that they have something to offer the industry and inspire our readers– hmmm. Kanye, I would argue, is a talented artist and has much more of a claim to that place than she does. But so many more worthy people do so too, and it’s caused serious backlash. Sarah Michelle Gellar tweeted “Well … I guess I’m cancelling my Vogue subscription. Who’s with me?” (a diss from Buffy? Ouch), and over 5,500 followers retweeted the sentiment. And after their hilarious spoof of Kanye’s ‘Bound 2’ video, James Franco and Seth Rogen continued to entertain with this beaut of a mockery.
The anger isn’t uncalled for. Vogue’s made a mistake. Yes, it looks nice (plus baby North is an absolute cutie), and yes, a lot of us are guilty of tuning into Keeping Up With The Kardashians more often than we’d like to admit. But, as seen by reader’s responses, it ought to be clear to all that these people’s lives, Kardashian’s in particular, are entertainment. It’s essentially morbid curiosity. They’re not high fashion. They lead lives so indulgent it’s laughable, and their “achievements” belong nowhere but E! News. Take note, Anna Wintour.
Edited by Luisa Parnell