There I was minding my own business this afternoon when my friend Tyler, posted a tweet with a link, “well I’ll be damned Kim and Kanye got a Vogue cover and its good!” Curious, I clicked on the link and there it was in all its glory; Kim and her fiancé, Kanye West on the cover of “the fashion bible” complete with hashtag, which is just so off brand for Vogue, its dumb and there’s “selfie” in there too. Not only do I detest that this word is now recognised by Oxford dictionary but the fact that its there, right on the front cover of what is supposed to be the authority in all of fashion makes me believe that Vogue has not only lost its juice but its trying so damn hard to be cool its almost pathetic. Back to Kim and Kanye, they are dressed in wedding attire- he in what I presume is a morning suit and she in a princessy wedding gown from Lanvin. Its a beautiful cover, if a little prom night pose, but beautiful all the same. Inside the pages are pictures of the family with their cute as ever daughter North, who, I feel, should have been on the cover with the couple. At first I thought it was one of the lesser known Vogues, Español or Brazil but it was quickly confirmed that this was indeed the flagship Vogue US, and it was not just for online or in a supplement, this is the actual cover of the April Issue and on authority of Anna Wintour. This same Anna who, it has often been alleged, is not a fan of the Kardashian posse.
Its common knowledge that Kim Kardashian’s life mission is to be on the cover of Vogue, this would solidify her stance as a fashion “it-girl”, or whatever the hell it is being on the cover of Vogue signifies these days. Feel free to deduce from that level of aspiration what you will…But no doubt, this deserves mad props; she went from sex tape star to reality TV starlet, to dating one of the most famous rappers on the planet, to landing the cover of the most celebrated magazine in the world… that takes a machination of gargantuan proportions. Even Paris Hilton, the Grand Doyenne of this movement, Kim’s entree into this world and her former BFF, did not achieve this at the height of her infamy. You know, if this is what we are calling achievement now.
I’m not surprised that Anna Wintour finally gave the okay for Kim to grace the much coveted cover, it was only a matter of time; she, Wintour, created this culture of celebrity adulation we find ourselves in today and Kim Kardashian embodies that to a T. I am hard pressed to believe, like some have expressed, that Kim and Kanye being an interracial couple had anything to do with this cover. In my opinion, this is a cover based purely on hype and the need to sell copies. Its just that simple.
However, judging by the reaction on Social Media following the reveal, and various comment section on the web, one has to wonder if Vogue has lost sight of its core readers and is disconnected with this audience.
Who is the Vogue woman, really?