A 16-page spread in the August edition of Vogue India—which includes a photo of a toothless woman carrying a baby wearing a Fendi bib—has garnered criticism for its portrayal of the poor wearing designer items, the New York Times reported Aug. 31.
Vogue India Editor Priya Tanna defended the spread, saying it was meant to show “anyone can carry [fashion] off.” Tanna’s defense is naïve at best. The spread heightens the contrast between the rich and poor of India, a country that has historically struggled with severe class-consciousness.
According to World Bank figures, half of India’s population lives on less than $1.25 a day; the Fendi bib retails for about $100.
Using the poor—most of whom will never be able to afford designer goods—as models is disrespectful of their circumstances and serves to highlight Western narcissism.
It’s disturbing that Vogue shows a tendency to push the boundaries of moral decency simply to sell more magazines, and even more disturbing that a spread like this will almost certainly do the trick.
This isn’t the first time one of their spreads has been controversial for playing on themes of class and race.
In April, NBA star Lebron James was pictured on the cover of Vogue with his teeth bared and his arm around supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Many felt the photo perpetuated the racist stereotype of black men as animalistic and aggressive.
The Vogue India spread distorts poverty, making it appear exotic and therefore something to be coveted; it removes Western readers and the upper-class minority in India at whom the magazine is targeted from the reality of these situations, in effect enabling them to turn a blind eye to ways they might help.
The spread could have been used satirically to highlight the dehumanizing effects of hyper-consumerism.
Instead, it becomes a shocking reminder of fashion’s dark side, where complex issues are denigrated to pretty pictures and designer items take precedence over the people who carry them.
Unsurprisingly, the models remain unnamed while the products are clearly identified.
Although it’s unclear whether the models were paid for their work, it’s certain they didn’t command the same million-dollar salaries as the world’s top models.
It’s time someone held up a mirror to show the beauty-obsessed fashion world how ugly it can be.
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