Oh, Vogue.
Fancy going to the lengths of dedicating an entire issue to diversity, only to foolishly commit one of the greatest crimes to diversity and cultural appropriation of all?
Like any good ‘progressive’ fashion mag that is trying to sell their industry as one that isn’t all about the size zero, white, blonde women, Vogue decided it’s time to catch up. Diversity! It’s totally… in vogue… isn’t it?
Alas, it all would’ve been well and good if someone at Team Vogue thought it clever to clear up the definition of diversity before using it as a theme for an entire month’s issue.
First, readers spotted that cover model Gigi Hadid’s arm seemed to be a little bit – how do you say – very much digitally altered?
Like so:
Promptly, fans recovered (it's certainly not the first time they've seen photoshop on the pages of Vogue) and turned the page.
And there, front and centre, is a confirmed non-Japanese geisha, Karlie Kloss, posing as just that: a very much Japanese geisha.
Shot by Mikael Jansson and styled by Phyllis Posnick in Japan's Ise-Shima National Park, "Spirited Away" features Kloss, a white American, doing a variety of cultural (yay!) things. Kloss is seen posing with a sumo wrestler and carrying a bunch of cherry blossoms among a whole host of confusing things that I can't quite be bothered unpacking.
Because nothing says diversity like having zero Japanese people credited in the creative direction of the shoot. Or, you know, not using an actual Japanese model in it, either.
It is a tone-deaf fashion editorial of the highest order, not least in an edition that actually sought to encourage diversity of bodies and models.
Because employing someone of that culture to fill the editorial pages would be just a little bit too diverse, wouldn't it?
I have, maybe, three questions:
Who signed off on this?
How...?
Oh, and who signed off on this?
How about we talk about actual diversity? The Binge interviewed Miranda Tapsell about the need for diversity on Australian television and her struggle to get work as an indigenous actress.
Top Comments
I don't think the issue is culture appropriation, it's representation. There is not enough diversity in the modelling world to represent the beauty from all countries/cultures. Vogue went for a Japanese themed shoot but chose to use a white model. Are there no high profile, beautiful Japanese women that could have been booked for the gig? I can't think of any... but I could name dozens of Caucasian models.
Genuine question: Why are there not many models of Asian descent in the western world? Its difficult for people to grow up without seeing others that look like them in the media. You feel like an "other" and that you don't have the right look. It's sad.
So for Vogue to use a white model for an Asian shoot, it is a bit of a slap in the face.
But then (and I'm not trying to shit stir here, genuine question), if they'd used a Japanese model, could they be accused of stereotyping? But yeah, more diversity would be nice!
you could also argue that they're already stereotyping by choosing to represent Japan by using geishas, sumo wrestlers and cherry blossoms. if they're going to go down this path, they might as well use a Japanese model or have a Japanese person on the creative team to guide the shoot towards something that is more representative of Japan.
I've read a couple of articles on the general Japanese approach to such things and they've all said that they usually see such things as a compliment. Culturally, the Japanese generally welcome others to dress up and partake in their culture. Most do not find it offensive or see it as cultural appropriation. It's probably a large part of why Japanese culture was chosen for this.