Anna Wintour defends Kamala Harris’s controversial Vogue cover

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Written by Jacqui Palumbo, CNN

Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, broke her silence on the February cover of the magazine featuring Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, which sparked controversy when it was prematurely leaked over the weekend.

In the photo, taken by photographer Tyler Mitchell, Harris represents pink and green curtains – a nod to the colors of her sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha – with her signature low-top Converse sneakers, a black trouser suit and a white T-shirt. Critics focused on the lighting and styling, calling the image “faded,” and arguing that the casual outfit was not suitable for a historic magazine cover of the first woman and woman of color to be elected vice president of the United States. A source familiar with discussions said Harris’s team believed the cover would feature a different image, on which she posed in a light blue suit against a gold background (that image was released as a digital cover and it was notably the only one image that Mitchell promoted on social media).
In a statement to The New York Times, Wintour said there was “no formal agreement” on the cover choice, but stressed that “it was absolutely not our intention to emphasize the importance of the elected vice president’s incredible victory in any way. way. “

According to Wintour, the magazine’s creative team felt that the casual look was the better choice for the present moment, as it was linked to the country’s pandemic and tumultuous state. She did not comment on the exposure of the image.

“When the two statues arrived at Vogue, we all felt very, very strongly that the less formal portrait of the vice president-elect really reflected the moment we were living in,” she said in the statement. “We are in the midst … of the most dire pandemic that is killing lives every minute, and we felt to reflect this tragic moment in global history, a much less formal picture, something that was very, very accessible and approachable, and really reflected the hallmark of the Biden-Harris campaign … “

“We want nothing more than to celebrate the astonishing victory of Vice President-elect Harris and the momentous moment that this is in the history of America, and in particular for women of color, around the world,” Wintour said in a statement. the New York Times. Credit: Edward Berthelot / Getty Images

Wintour is not alone in defending the choice of cover. André Leon Talley, the former editor of American Vogue, gave his opinion in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

“(Harris’) work uniform with its ubiquitous Converse sneakers is ambitious. I predict it will set a trend for all young women around the world who will dress like Kamala Harris,” he wrote. “The controversy over knitting is downright ridiculous.”

Wintour’s statement was read by Kara Swisher, host of podcast “Sway,” as a prelude to an interview she’d done about the cover days before it was leaked. In the subsequent interview, Wintour said Harris chose her own outfit for the cover image, explaining that she has “a very certain sense of style.” She was cheerful about the upcoming cover, describing it as “cheerful and optimistic.”

“I can’t imagine anyone out there who will find this cover really anything other than that, and positive,” she said. “(It’s) a picture of a woman who is in control of her life and who is going to bring us … the leadership we so need. And to me it’s just a really important, but positive statement about women and women in power. “

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