The Latest British Vogue Cover Has Been Accused of 'Black-Washing' it's African Cover Stars

The cover photograph from UK Vogue February 2022

The February 2022 issue of British Vogue has caused quite a storm. 

The cover features nine models Adut Akech, Amar Akway, Majesty Amare, Akon Changkou, Maty Fall, Janet Jumbo, Abény Nhial, Nyagua Ruea, and Anok Yai—who range from various African countries including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Sudan. 

The cover was considered a pioneering moment as it focuses on African beauty on a large scale. However, the choice to edit the models’ skin tones to look darker, among other artistic liberties that were taken have caused some controversy.

It is one of two cover photos that were released this month (a second cover image features one of the group, supermodel Adut Akech, posing alone) and, according to British Vogue's British Ghanaian Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful, the images aim to spotlight the rise of the African models shaping the industry. 

Adut Akech, on alternative cover. She is currently the most successful black model working today

However, what was intended as a pivotal moment in the fashion industry and a championing of Black talent in the fashion industry, the cover seems to have caused upset across the board. Stephanie Busari a journalist for CNN from Lagos, Nigeria, wrote that although she desperately wanted to love the images for their pioneering efforts, she couldn't help but feel let down. She writes, "my heart sank when I saw the picture of the models. I wanted to love it, but the image left me confused and raised questions about the execution of this important cover.

Why are the models depicted in a dark and ominous tableau, the lighting so obscure to the point they are almost indistinguishable on a cover meant to celebrate their individuality? Why were they dressed all in black, giving a funereal air, and an almost ghoulish, otherworldly appearance? 

A picture from the editorial

Why were they sporting strangely-coiffed wigs? Many of these women wear their natural hair normally and it would have been great to see that reflected on a cover celebrating African beauty. Additionally, on the cover, the models' skin color appeared to be several shades darker than their normal skin tone." 

Some Twitter users critiqued the models’ appearances.  “This cover is weird. The lighting is off. The backdrop is off. The various skin tones and highlights are missing. And the African models are all in European styled wigs. Huh? @BritishVogue definitely needs to hire Black women photographers,”  user @NyxGreenfyre wrote.

Lesego Tihabi responds to Nichelle: "I just would like black women to be represented as they are. Those women are stunning. Sometimes the European (or fashion) gaze exoticizes black women by darkening them to “make art” and it’s giving a bit of fetish. Even very dark skin has tones and highlights and isn’t just 1-D."

Another picture from the shoot

Twitter user Mr Adeyemi  @ActiveYouthUK wrote of the cover "A lot to deconstruct here; The framing, the deliberate darkening in post production, the dead expressions & the absence of joy saying so much about how white fashion institutions view Black women, the artistic choice to put them all in Black despite vivid colours probably working best for this particular group of skin tones etc. But all I really want to say is we're in 2022 and Vogue still can't properly light Black women. This lighting is a travesty."

Stephanie Busari goes on, "the lighting, styling, and makeup, which purposefully exaggerated the models' already dark skin tones, reduced their distinguishing features and presented a homogenized look. Was this the best way to celebrate Black beauty? Would it not have been better to let their natural, unique beauty shine through?"

Amy (@amyjv) wrote, on Twitter: "I would be surprised if a black person was involved in anyway in the production of this. This is why representation is important just not in front of the camera but also behind it." (In fact the entire production team in front of and behind the camera was black.)

Others suggested this was 'black-washing' and no different to 'white-washing' black women's skin, as was done in the case of Kamala Harris on a previous Vogue cover. 'Fetishising black women's skin' and 'catering to the white gaze' are the main criticisms thrown at the team who created the image.

A behind-the-scenes video of the photo shoot that Vogue posted on social media shows the models having their hair and makeup done, and some of their skin tones are undoubtedly lighter in the video.

Adut Akech photographed in similar fashion by same photographer Rafael Pavarotti

The photographs were taken by Afro-Brazilian photographer Rafael Pavarotti, and the images are consistent with his visual style (he has used the effect of darkening black women's skin in various other editorials he has been involved with over the years) of presenting Black skin in an ultra-dark manner. 

According to 1854, the publisher of the British Photography Journal, his work uses a mix of both analogue and digital photography and often involves deep colours, studio shots and darkroom techniques.

'The celebration of Black and indigenous experience specifically will always be a part of my work, because it's also a part of me', he told the digital media company.

'As an Afro-Indigenous Brazilian photographer, my existence and work are already political. With just one photo you can open up a whole history, or tell a whole story through different colours, styling and mediums.'

Of the Vogue shoot he says: "This is a celebration of women, of matriarchy, and of the beauty of Black women," Pavarotti said of his first British Vogue cover shoot in an article accompanying the pictures online.

"They are the past, the present, and the future," he added.

Makeup was by Ammy Drammeh and styling by Edward Enninful, whoreplaced Alexandra Shulman at the magazine. Enniful's appointment was met with praise and seen as the ushering in of a new era for the magazine. 

Following the announcement, Naomi Campbell said she was 'looking forward to inclusive and diverse staff' under Mr Enninful.

One of his first tasks was to assemble a 15-strong squad of women, dubbed 'Edward's Angels', charged with bringing a 'diverse perspective' into Vogue editions across Europe. 

He was given control following a restructuring which pushed him to the upper echelons of the Conde Nast empire, answering only to US-based editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. 

The highest-profile Angels included Edward's right-hand women Vanessa Kingori and Sarah Harris, as well as four new European editors – Italy's Francesca Ragazzi, France's Eugenie Trochu, Spain's Ines Lorenzo and Kerstin Weng of Germany. 

A source at British Vogue said at the time: 'Edward is the original champion of diversity at Vogue and has hand-picked these girls to be the most glamorous woke squad in Europe. 

'He has tasked them with transforming the European Vogue titles. They are preparing to roll out their new front covers in the next few weeks and the change will be clear for all to see at last.' 

Edward Enniful and Adut Akech in 2018

Of the February cover shoot he said of his inspiration in the accompanying article to the shoot: “I saw all these incredible models from across Africa who were just so vivacious and smart.”

He adds, “Fashion tends to follow waves. We’ve had the Brazilian wave. We had the Dutch wave, the Russian wave, the Eastern European wave… And while, in the last decade, the Black model has come to prominence, I love that we are finally giving more space to African beauty.”

'These girls are redefining what it is to be a fashion model.' 

'We need to ensure these girls last. We have to invest in them, nurture them and support them with editorial, with advertising, with shows.'      

'It's sad and heart-breaking for me to see girls who are on the rise suddenly taper off. 

'We need to ensure these girls last. We have to invest in them, nurture them and support them with editorial, with advertising, with shows. It has to be 360. Alek Wek didn't suddenly become Alek Wek. 

'There was a group of us behind girls like her, propelling them forward. This is what we have to do in all our different roles. Getting these girls and then throwing them away after one season? That has to stop.'

Vogue's Instagram advertorial for the magazine introduced the issue with the following: 

So what has happened here? Clearly the intention from a team was not to create an image that caused offence - it was after all a team comprised of people with black backgrounds. Did they miss the mark? Was the controversy intended? Or has their message simply been misunderstood?

Amongst all the disappointment, there have been messages of support.

Nyagua Ruea struts the A/W2020 Paris runway for Mugler

One of the models in the shoot, 20 year old South Sudanese Australian, Nyagua Ruea has said of the shoot: 'For the first time in the history of my modelling career, we had an all-Black team, from the photographer and stylist to the make-up artist, hair stylist, set designer and of course the models. Getting to experience this first hand was such a moving moment. I hope we can get more of these moments in the future.'

Others liked what they saw and praised the magazine for publishing a cover celebrating diversity.

“Beautiful @BritishVogue, kudos to you for featuring these mesmerising women on the cover,” music artist Henry Fricker tweeted.

“I really like this, why do dark skin girls need high beam lighting all the time, sometimes be creative,” another person wrote on Twitter.

“Black Girl Magic. This is the Vogue cover we never knew we needed,” someone else tweeted.