Stephanie Busari is CNN’s Supervising Editor for Africa based in Lagos, Nigeria. All opinions expressed in the article below are those of the author.
A friend wrote to me in an Instagram message, “Sister, have you seen this amazing cover… it’s amazing.” This was the February 2022 cover of British Vogue, which features an all-star team of African supermodels.
However, my heart broke when I saw the pictures of the models. I wanted to love it, but the image left me confused and questions about the execution of this important cover.
Why are the models depicted in a dark and ominous tableau, the light so obscured that they are almost indistinguishable from celebrating their individuality? Why were they all dressed in black, giving a funeral air, and giving an almost eerie, uncanny look?
Why were they sporting strangely pointy wigs? Many of these women wear their natural hair as normal and it’s great to see that reflected on covers celebrating African beauty. Additionally, on the cover, the model’s skin tone appeared several shades darker than their normal skin.
The photos were taken by Afro-Brazilian photographer Rafael Pavarotti, and the images – published in several glossy magazines over the years – are in line with his visual style of presenting black skin in an ultra-dark way.
“It’s a celebration of women, of matriarchy, and of the beauty of black women,” Pavarotti said of her first British Vogue cover shoot in an article accompanying the pictures online.
“They are past, present and future,” he said.
But lighting, styling, and makeup, which emphasized the models’ already dark skin tones, diminished their distinctive features and created a homogenous look. Was this the best way to celebrate Black Beauty? Wouldn’t it be better to let their natural, unique beauty shine through?
In an article published on the Vogue website, Enninful described the models (Adut Ekwe, Anok Yai, Majesty Amare, Amar Ekwe, Janet Jumbo, Matty Fall, Nyagua Rue, Ebeni Nihyal and Akon Changkou) as “a powerful group to rule”. as described. “Described in
She continued: “No longer will only one or two darker girls be found backstage, but many top models have achieved a meaningful, substantial and equal position among the most successful women working in fashion today. I see it as I see it means a lot to me.”
Adut Akech on the cover of British Vogue Credit: From Raphael Pavarotti/British Vogue
‘We want to be like ourselves’
The cover is the highest honor given to a subject by a magazine, and historically, this honor has rarely been given to black women.
So, when black women appear on the covers of global high-profile magazines like Vogue, these images are widely circulated; We feel seen, seen and accepted. Which is why for many black women, especially darker women like me, this Vogue cover feels personal.
I found that many of us want to love these images, but can’t overcome the sense of discomfort that lies in the deeper issues surrounding beauty standards that have held us back for so long.
British Vogue came under fire for its February cover
Many online critics felt that the images were fetishised and distracted by a white gaze, ironically given that the editorial team behind them consisted almost entirely of people of African descent.
Ghanaian writer Natasha Akua wrote in a private message on Instagram: “I was immediately shocked when I saw this… I feel like I know what statement he was trying to make, but these black People turned the model straight into this weird tableau. Horror movie just instinctively gone wrong.”
“Why darken their skin beyond recognition?” He asked. “To make some statement about being unapologetically black? Unofficially black means who you are and that kind of exaggeration is not needed.”
While South Sudanese stand-up comic and social commentator Eko Jumbo wrote: “This is not art, this is black skinned porn. black fetish. reverse bleaching.”
“This image is pure manipulation,” he told me during a phone conversation. “That’s what they do with South Sudanese models to tell a story about Africa and people are saying we don’t understand the artist’s point of view but you can tell a story and present a false narrative.” Huh.”
“We don’t want you to make us the Black you want us to be. We want us to be like ourselves.”
It cannot be denied that Enninful and his team have made excellent strides in diversity since replacing Shulman as editor-in-chief of British Vogue. Her first cover was mixed-race model Adwo Aboa and she also featured Dame Judi Dench, the magazine’s oldest cover star, at age 85.
He dedicated the September 2020 issue cover to 20 activists, including Manchester United footballer and free school meal advocate Marcus Rashford, photographed by Misson Harriman – the first black man to shoot a British Vogue cover.
Many of the people who contacted me didn’t want to criticize the February cover as Enninful did in Vogue, but we shouldn’t be afraid to hold our African brothers and sisters accountable when needed.
Change does not happen overnight and open dialogue and debate is essential as we strive to achieve the representation we all want to see.