What are the first thoughts that come to mind when looking at these pictures?? Probably NOT Vogue Italia “high fashion” editorial. Well then you would be mistaken because that’s EXACTLY what this is. This spread, shot by photog Steven Meisel (for Vogue Italia) and titled “Haute Mess” is being labeled by many as, well racist. There are clear parallels from these pictures to so called “hood fashions”. These depictions are clearly caricatures. In case there is any doubt let’s break this down. Caricatures, by definition, are crude exaggerations that distort and mock. One need not be a connoisseur of high fashion nor “hood fashion” to know that this spread is some bull&#*+! This editorial juxtaposed with the fact that Vogue Italia launched the Vogue Black website as well as “the Black issue” (where every model from cover to cover is of African descent) leaves me quite befuddled. It’s simply not adding up. Who in the hell let this tomfoolery slip through? Thoughts?!
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I’m sorry but we have Ebony magazine among others here in the States and it’s all black models and geared for us black people, so why can’t there be a Vogue Black? You can’t have it both ways. Either you have no all black magazines or you allow all black magazines. Also, Ebony practices in reverse racism. They have no problem calling Obama nothing but black, but he is half white, his mother was white, and in the black community if you were born of a white woman, you are white, funny though that no one mentions that now because we black people need our “black” President.
@ Whatever: I’m not entirely sure what your point is, but it is clear that the article’s message was lost in translation. Aminata is not saying that Vogue cannot have Vogue Black or a black following. In fact, she makes reference to Vogue Black and Vogue’s black issue. With that being said, the pictures themselves are demeaning and exaggerate stereotypes about certain groups of people.
@ Aminata: I agree with you to a certain extent. These pictures demoralize more than just black people. Take the woman standing next to Miss Candy curls. She is a caricature of “trailer trash”. The young woman drinking a soda is supposed to be hispanic. I believe they were mocking the likes of peopleofwalmart.com or hotghettomess.com. It was not the brightest idea, and there are a lot of people who will not get it and take it at face value. Either way, it is offensive to multiple groups, and Vogue exercised poor taste on this one.