The Controversy Over The Kamala Harris Vogue Magazine Cover Explained

May 2024 · 1 minute read

Vogue has faced criticism in the past for its images of Black celebrities. The August 2020 edition featured Olympic gymnast Simone Biles on the cover, and that shoot by photographer Annie Leibowitz also caused an uproar, according to Insider. Critics such as writer Britni Danielle pointed out that the cover photo's dim lighting didn't flatter the gold medalist's dark skin tone.

"I adore Simone Biles and am thrilled she's on this cover... but I hate these photos," The New York Times national picture editor Morrigan McCarthy tweeted, specifically calling out "the toning," how "predictable" she found the images, and the fact that Vogue supposedly "couldn't be bothered to hire a Black photographer." Vogue's controversial editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, also admitted that she had failed to elevate black creators in a company-wide memo during the summer of 2020.

Tyler Mitchell, who took the controversial images of Kamala Harris, was the first Black photographer to ever be featured on the cover of Vogue when he shot Beyoncé in 2018, according to NPR. At the time of this writing, Mitchell has only posted the powder blue suit photograph on his Twitter and Instagram, without acknowledging the original cover photo. Harris has not publicly commented on the cover to date.

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