#VogueChallenge Shows A Real Lack of Diversity: Black Creators Are Taking Over
Vogue Cover: Rihanna
Written by Rinoa Wong in partnership with Kulture Hub
Vogue is one of the most well known American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine covering many topics including fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway based in New York City.
Fashionistas and model all over hope to one day find themselves onto the Vogue Cover, an incredible accomplishment.
Tired of waiting, many models have taken it upon themselves to photoshop themselves into a faux Vogue cover and the results are stunning, to say the least.
The Vogue Challenge
While the trend of putting a photo onto a faux magazine cover is nothing new, this #VogueChallenge is a little different from the rest. The #VogueChallenge was created by Oslo-based student, Salma Noor in an attempt to bring attention to the #BLM movement.
The challenge began with a simple black and white photograph of Salma Noor herself with the headline ‘Being Black is Not a Crime.’
This challenge went on as a way for Black models and photographers to challenge Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988, artistic director for Condé Nast, and Vogue's publisher, since 2013. She claimed there was simply ‘not enough space’ for Black Creatives despite being in charge of Vogue's Editing Team for almost three decades.
In fact, the only Black photographer that had been chosen to shoot a Vogue Cover was Tyler Mitchell. Tyler Mitchell was chosen not by a staff member but rather the model herself, Beyonce.
Anyone who has picked up any magazine of Vogue knows that they very rarely showed people of color and the #VogueChallenge is a way for Black creatives to amplify their voices.
The #VogueChallenge is a great example of Black creatives no longer waiting for the chance to come to them, but rather seizing the moment themselves.
While it is fun to imagine people of color onto such a well-known magazine cover, it is even better to believe that many magazine covers will take these criticisms into consideration and be inclusive of all people to tell their own narrative.
By showing people of color onto such an infamous magazine, not only does it promote a voice of activism but it also reminds people that their dreams can one day become a reality with hard work and perseverance.
Inclusion should not just be one black character on the TV show you happen to be watching, but rather it should be the ability to give an authentic voice and chance to showcase their own talent without fear of letting their body/race/gender/sexual orientation hinder them.
With that being said, here are a few of our favorite contributions of the #VogueChallenge where it makes it a little easier to believe that one day Black and other people of color creatives can have a place to tell their own story.
The Essence Challenge
Here is photographer Lucky Peters interpretation of the whole idea.
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