Vogue Debuts in India
Vogue India has landed and is the fashion bible’s 17th edition world wide, joining ranks with Chinese, Russian, Swiss, Mexican and Korean versions of the magazine. Gracing the cover are Bollywood stars Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra and Preity Zinta along with models MoniKangana Dutta and Laxmi Menon. The one who, um, sticks out, is the Austalian model Gemma Ward.
The inclusion of Ward front and center has caused controversy with some believing the inclusion of the blond is a “slap in the face” to Indian beauty and others complaining that the cover looks too much like the inaugural issue of Vogue China:
Well, it’s not exactly the same, they are facing the other way! Vogue India says they wanted to include the “most adored faces in India and internationally.” Certainly, this new Vogue does promise to be more colorful than the other editions, and Alex Kurivilla, the managing editor of Conde Naste, says “I suspect our Vogue will be nosier and more colourful and more vibrant than the western models.”
The first ever Vogue India cover featured looks by Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Christian Dior and Gucci.
What do you think about the Vogue India cover?
Comments
Comment from MRN
I think Gemma is beautiful, and I don’t think it matters what color she is. I get why it seems weird to some people, but i think they just needed a famous non-Indian model to show that this is going be a global magazine that brings in beautiful fashions and people from around the world.
Comment from steph
is this really making people mad? it’s a fashion magazine, and it’s sole purpose is to make women feel bad about themselves anyway. who cares who they put on the cover. the models are just there to make us buy clothes and makeup.
Comment from michelle
I usually do not get up and arms about these types of controversies but I can see why it would seem “strange” even “alarming” that they (editors/photographers..what have you) must include at least ONE Caucasoid on the cover of Ethnic Version Vogues…
Bad enough the pressure on “cultured/colored” women in the US to live up to the ideal of Blond Aryan Beauty, but to export the ideaology abroad makes me very sad indeed!
Comment from Jack Yan
Had no idea about the Vogue China cover at the time. As to the inclusion of Gemma Ward, my belief is that the magazines simply want to be seen as internationally minded. The message to consumers: Vogue China (or India) is a local magazine with international trends. And racially, Miss Ward is in the minority in both cases.
Comment from shashi
I think Gemma is beautiful, and I don’t think it matters what color she is. I get why it seems weird to some people, but i think they just needed a famous non-Indian model to show that this is going be a global magazine that brings in beautiful fashions and people from around the world.
Comment from yeahright
wow vogue india, lets see what i get from this, a row of girls who all look caucasin in features and a caucasin girl., not one of these girls have real indian features, just maybe their eyes, this is an insult, gemma or not gemma.
Comment from Robert
I think there’s a lack of awarness on the part of those who argue that Vogue was simply going for an international image by including white models on the front covers of inaugural issues in predominately non-white countries. Diversity doesn’t just mean white+other. If Vogue were so concerned about promoting a “we are the world” image, why did they not instead, at least in one instance, include a person of a different nationality but a person of color?
Comment from Alexander
What bothers me the most about that cover is actually the indian models themselves, to be honest, they don’t look all that indian to me anway… and I know for a fact, at some point or another almost all of them have gone under the knife for rhinoplasty (looks like they all visited the same one too), I visit india many times in the year and very rarely do I see an indian girl (maybe 1 of 100) who looks remotely close to these caucasin wannabes
Comment from kd
As an Indian American I was thrilled when I first heard that Vogue was branching out to India, however the thrill soon turned into disappointment when I saw the inaugural first issue. It was bland and boring, the inaugural issue of Vogue India. Unfortunately, I don’t see much of anything distinctly “Indian” about it. I see them highlighting Australian model Gemma Ward, flanked by two Indian women, who may as well wear signs saying “sidekick” around their necks. To add to the affront, the Indian models both have blue eyes.
I know that most will say that it may not be too much to worry about because most Indians have bigger fish to fry like poverty but Vogue had a greater responsibility to do right by India and it failed.
Sad to say, this isn’t the first time. Vogue pulled the same stunt, with the same model on the cover of Vogue China’s inaugural issue
I’m sorry but when I look for a Vogue India, I want to see beautiful Indian models all over the magazine; I want accurate representation.
Gemma Ward pales in comparison to the lovely Aishwarya Rai, so why isn’t Miss Rai on the cover? What about Shilpa Shetty? Looking at the other models, they didn’t even need Ward on the cover. Their beauty speaks volumes.
Unfortunately, their beauty wasn’t allowed to grace the cover without Gemma in the middle. What does speak volumes is Vogue’s subliminal message that unless a Caucasian female is associated with it, it’s not beautiful. The use of models with blue eyes (or possibly color contacts?) further cements Vogue’s idea of what women of color should look like in order to be considered pretty enough to stand next to a white woman’s beauty.
If this the way Vogue is going to operate when launching magazines for perspective countries, I shudder to think what Vogue Kenya may be. I can just see it now.
This is why we should be extra vigilant to the messages that the media sends children of color and protect them from deception. I wouldn’t bring this magazine into my house to line a bird cage.
Vogue’s message is loud, clear and pathetic. If this is the best Vogue can do, they should be ashamed of themselves. Gemma isn’t the standard of beauty in this photo, in all reality, she barely makes the cut.
Comment from DN
They probably put the blonde girl on the cover because she’s prettier, duh. If not, it would barely look like a Vogue. The rest of the girls are pretty, in a slightly trashy, somewhat weird looking way. Ok, I get it they’re supposed to be exotic or something. But Gemma, with her fair skin and flaxen hair looks like an aristocrat, the rest look like someone’s harem. Sorry to say it, but there’s a reason they say gentlemen prefer blondes!
Comment from Mallika
I’m with kd on all accounts.
And to yeahright and Alexander:
do you actually KNOW how to define ‘Indian’ features? Your comments on Rhinoplasty etc were ignorant to say the least- educate yourself before you make such stupid, prejudiced comments- esp on the racial phenotypes that abound in a highly diverse nation, with a population of 1 billion people that has withstood and welcomed every bloody invading race for thousands of years. And yes- the ethnic origin of the Indian population IS caucasian-dravidian/ persian/Mongolian- to name a few- all mixed up.
Do you really think any fashion model, of ANY nationality or race, on a Vogue magazine cover, primed and made-up is ‘representative’ of the mainstream middle-class society? How foolish of you to think so. I am yet to see Naomi Campbell attired in African garb on a magazine cover.
Those ‘brown-skinned’ women look stunningly beautiful- and they look Indian as well-I’ll say it gain- those features are Indian- and typically so (brown skin-large eyes, dark hair, inherent grace in facial features). Simply that they are well-groomed and also attired in modern/western/global garb does not change that.That being said, I do think they would look more ‘Indian’- yes, in Indian attire. However, Naomi Campell’s African roots are not hidden simply because she wears Western clothes and lives in Britain. Beauty is not found in the majority of the population in all nations- you won’t find every ‘white’ caucasian to look like Gemma ward or Elizabeth Taylor either- you’ve only got to take a walk on the streets or go to your local fast food chain/grocery store to realize that.
Comment from valentina
@ DN,
I’m going to assume you’re being facetious since your statement is so incredibly racist. Not to mention fashion-backward.
Comment from michelle
To: DN
I truly hope you are kidding…if you are NOT and you want to talk about “harems” and the image of “blondes” generally is one of a Vacant, Ignorant, Shallow..Morally AND Intellectually Stunted, Promiscuous TROGLODYTE!!
I can only assume you are such a blonde! My sincerest sympathy and deepest apologies go out to those fair haired women who do have a brain and an enlightened world perspective.
Comment from lordy
haha besides the forth girl from the right, they look like white girls with a tan maybe thats why they put gemma in ‘er to show us that…O.o..maybe….scandal! LOL
Comment from college girl
Yeahright, Alexander and kd I so agree you. I’m glad I’m not the only one who was bothered by how unIndian the OTHER models looked.
To Mallika
You’re the one that’s wrong. Alexander and Yeahright are spot on. There are MANY instances of Bollywood actors/actresses getting plastic surgery. Most of the Indian models except the one lordy picked out “the forth girl from the right” do have Caucasian features (or at least closer to European bone structure in comparison to most Indians) not to mention that most Indians are darker than them. To clarify, I don’t deny that there are full-blooded Indians that look like them or have those features but when you compare them to typical citizens of India, despite diversity in the race, it’s obvious their look (and most Bollywood actors for that matter) is meant to approximate white features, just with an Indian twist. As to your account of Indians’ origin, it’s filled with lies and British Raj colonial ones at that. The Aryan invasion is a myth the Germans/British made up. Indians’ origin is NOT Caucasian. And while other nations invaded India, I think it’s bit of a stretch to say the Indian race is a mix of persian/Mongolian etc. Click on the links below to see my point.
Aryan Invasion Myth
http://www.gosai.com/chaitanya/saranagati/html/vedic-upanisads/aryan-invasion.html
http://archaeology.about.com/od/indusrivercivilizations/a/aryans.htm
Images of Indian Women
http://www.stalvik.com/images/LandIndien_rajasthan/rajasthan_35.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38180000/jpg/_38180936_rajasthan.jpg
http://www.mbadiversity.com/magazine/archives/Taj%20Mahal%20Women.jpg
http://www.stephenvoss.com/travel/travel28.jpg
Comment from amir
they look meditteranean, the indian models. i live in nj and seen plenty of pak/afgh/armenians/greeks lookin like them. i guess some indians look like dem 2. i have seen them in parties.
Comment from Asif
Nobody can compete with the indian heroines with thier beauty
Comment from meera
regardless of weather theres “indian heroins” or whatever, they dont look that ethnic, and to amir who sees pak/afgh/armenian and greek models at parties, thats why they’re models they dont look ethnic, they look almost exactly like white girls, and i dont care if they look kinda like indians, its an indian magazine, one would assume youd need INDIAN models who look like INDIAN Models for it, like really why would i buy this bloody magazine if it has nothing “indian” about it, why don’t they just call it Vogue: the vaguely indian, designed to make the average indian woman want desperately to conform to western ideas of beauty not only in our home, but yours too!!
Comment from tera
what the hell is european bone structure firstly…all of the indian models…do actualli look very indian..sm people commenting bout skin colour n wat not…there r varying skin colours in india..i dunt understand how they look european realli…just look at the eyes
n gemma ward has always n always will look lik a freaking alien…srsly look at her
i think the cover personalli looks too crowded n if they wanted to put a caucasian person in…they shudve put in more than one
Comment from college girl
Tera,
You don’t get it. Of course they look Indian, but only superficially. Modeling agencies, whether Western or Indian always pick Indian women whose facial features best approximate European facial features, meaning narrow facial features. The point is that Most Indian women (and people) have broader bone structure than the cliché Indian look that the West prefers — such as the cover –in reality Indian bone structure looks more ‘ethnic’ as Meera put it, or dynamic, or unique, however you want to say it. Admit it Tera, most gorgeous and attractive women in India look far from those models. Not because they aren’t tall, or models per se, or aren’t as beautiful but because of their face. And it seems that there’s a lot of Indians, including you, who just want to accept this Euro status quo, play coy and NOT want to acknowledge that there IS A DISCREPANCY between the Europeanized Indian look and the AUTHENTIC Indian variety. Even though there is an array of colors, most Indians are still dark, don’t be in denial. Light-skinned Indians are in the minority. And that’s the point, the lack of models that represent the NORM. Anything BUT the norm is being shown. To illustrate, compare these pictures with the cover above:
http://incredible-india.geohealthweb.com/gifs/rajasthan-woman.jpg
http://www.rajasthan-tour-package.com/gif/rajasthan-dances.jpg
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44263000/jpg/_44263679_guard_ap203.jpg
http://myhero.com/images/Earthkeeper/Vaidyanathan/g1_u25032_samiapalli-malla-and-pato.jpg
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/IMG/jpg/23-1.jpg
http://www.mbadiversity.com/magazine/archives/Taj%20Mahal%20Women.jpg
Comment from amir
you got me wrong. i meant to say indian ppl in general tend to want to look meditteranean like their west asian counterparts: afghans/pakis/armenians/greeks/central asians/etc…..muh bad. but some indians do look like them, like i guess the ones from the north….well thats what they tell me.
Comment from amir
also, the current trend in modelingindustry right now is not thin face sweetheart, but rather square jaw. trust me. now these days beauty is mix of feminitiy with masculinitiy,
Comment from meera
I AM from the north, and noone up there looks like that, and masculine jaw…yeah i see that, but wtf does looking more masculine or feminine have to do with looking western or indian, if a wide face, meaning a wide nose, jaw, cheek bones etc are so prominent in the fashion industry now why dont i see any of these features, ok except the bloody jaw, but really stop feeding me bullshit and calling it honey
Comment from amir
whoa. okay but dont b mad at me
i jus said indians in most part wanna look like their west asian counterparts, which is true
i am not indian and am not defending this thread. im persian and only sayin this cause i know how bollywood ppl usualy resemble greeks/afghans/pakis/iranis/turks/etc.
Comment from amir
and to the girl who said blondes represent aristocracy?
wtf u tlkin bout?
unless you are in western europe, in eastern europe and non oriental asian parts, like c. asia and middle east, blondes were considered honestly to be prostitutes and gold diggers. thats why most nobles toyed with them but ended up marryin someone of other looks. so dont humiliate non blondes o pale skin ppl
Comment from tera
college girl,
dude u seem so caught up in the theory that theres a propaganda by westerners etc…n ur quite set on your version of how an indian woman looks lik….i doubt that u expected vogue to put up rajasthany women in their traditional costumes…as per ur links
The women on the cover look absolutely indian…just more polished..ie primmed n all.
n for ur info..gemma ward does not hav regular “western features” as u describe them…either…she has a very different look…wide set eyes n rounder face…
so i dunno wat your pt on bone structure is…n id check the meaning of the word ethnic before using it.
The point is they look more polished than your average woman on the street, which is to be expected..but doesn’t make them look any less indian.
Comment from Hana
The fashion industry standard is a wide face and cheekbones. I always wonder why there aren’t more Indian models!!
When I saw this cover of the debut India vogue I was… unimpressed. My first thought was that they had pasted some indian girls heads onto the China cover lol. It’s the same set up, but this arrangement falls flat. The China cover was dynamic, their styling was sultry and they even made Gemma ward somehow look a bit Chinese. To me then it made sense having Gemma Ward of the China vogue, she’s already a huge style icon in China!! I think it doesn’t set a good example for beauty and international diversity for her to be on Indian Vogue too.
If they HAD to go with a blonde or european model why Gemma Ward again?? It’s like vogue is telling the world that Gemma is the poster girl for beauty!! I’ve never seen anyone look like Gemma Ward she’s totally unrealistic standard of beauty, not just because of her blonde hair blue eyes but that she somehow always looks like either a baby alien or a baby doll, never a person! Her pixie looks works in certain fashion spreads, but not here at all!!
To go for an international diverse looks there should be more than one caucasian model, and what about maybe black models an asian model like Hye Park? I really don’t think the modelling world is all that diverse unfortunately. This cover could have been more exotic with a model like Doutzen Kroes, or Hana Soukopva (my fave blonde model).
Also their styling is ughh - just like the China vogue all the models were styled a like, but on this cover their styling looks so boring! And the photograph - what’s with the lighting? I think one of the reasons their features fall so flat is poor lighting!!
Comment from college girl
Tera,
You obviously can’t read or take things in context. If you had, you would’ve noticed that I already addressed everything you mentioned in my previous post. You need to think. Of course, I don’t expect Vogue to put Rajasthani women in saris, I meant to show various examples of typical Indian features and since most pictures of usual Indians are in saris those are the only ones I could find (especially since the only ‘polished’ Indian celebrities are all Euro featured and light skinned who look nothing like the norm). You’re in denial just as I predicted. The point that many have already made is that the models chosen for magazines have this cookie cutter look to them that is anything but authentic. If you think they look ‘absolutely Indian,’ or are a good representation of Indian beauty, why do they all have to be light/medium skinned? Why are all their noses in the same ball park? Real Indian splendor would have included a rainbow of complexions, most of which should be dark since most Indians have skin of color.
It’s not about the cover models being “more polished” because one could easily find plenty of stunning women in India who fit the requirement to be models, i.e. tall, beautiful, professional etc., BUT would still look drastically different from the Vogue models, because I’ll say it again, the vogue models/actresses are meant to be the closest Indian equivalents to the European/Western standard of the fashion industry. Whereas most women in India, beautiful or average, have more ethnic features and ARE darker. And don’t be fresh; we both know what ethnic means so don’t be flippant by telling me to look it up. Did you get on Meera’s case on that? No. And as far as a conspiracy is concerned, I’d say that the conspiracy appears to be with Desis such as yourself who seem to be bent on refusing to admit the facts about Indian phenotypes. When you do that, you prevent a solution because you’re denying that there’s even a problem, in this instance that everything but real Indian beauty is portrayed in the media or magazines. If people like you keep on denying there’s a problem then when are things ever going to change? Do you prefer the Europeanized Indian look? Is it a respectful message to Indian women that only those that are light skinned can be glamorized in publications? What kind of racial/national pride is that, to reject the ethnic woman?
We could go on and on about this but the heart of the matter is that Vogue could have gotten polished, professional, beautiful women with an assortment of complexions and bone structure that are more representative of the Indian race. Period.
Comment from amir
and they are not that light.
lol i mean they, the indian models, are light but they arent exactly pale o fair, but rather honey color.
i dont consider honey color to be light but medium skin tone. its like a very healthy brown.
BUT IM NOT INSISTING THAT THIS COVER IS PERFECT.
BOLLYWOOD GOES FURTHER THAN THIS, WHICH ABOU 50 PERCENT OF INDIANS CAN RELATE TO, BY PUTTING ON WHITE/PALE PPL IN MOVIES, AKA PREITY ZINTA, KARISHMA KAPOOR, ETC, WHICH HARDLY ANY INDIAN CAN RELATE TO.
Comment from college girl
Amir,
What is a ‘healthy brown’? I hope you consider darker skin a ‘healthy brown.’
Comment from tera
jee amir thanx for totally disregarding all of north n east india… n id say indians mostly go from olive to chocolate brown…wats a “healthy brown”??
very random
Comment from amir
lol im not sayin its better but like in india alot of people are obessed with their dark brown skin color so they opt for a brighter, lighter look “healthy brown”. they necessarily dont want to be realli fair or lose their identity and become white but want to have a skin tone they consider better looking, which is the skin tone these indians model have. even if u look at old indian tales or indian gods, you are gonna c this golde/brownish tone (healthy brown) playing a bigger role. In india now, alot of girls consider this skin tone healthy and even achieve it be sun protection, brightening lotions, and yoga.
I HONESTLY DONT EVEN CONSIDER THEIR COLOR FAIR OR LIGHT SKINNED. to indians, they are lighter, but to me– im persian– i consider it jus a brighter, a bit lighter brownish skin color
this is no different than a white person wanting to have a bit brown or olive skin color added to their white tone to erase that ridicoulous looking pink patches in their skin. its no different than an asian wanting to not have yellow patches, which look unhealthy. and no different than a literally black person from nigeria wanting a dark brown skin color to make themselves look more healthy.IN NONE OF THESE CASES, THESE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO CHANGE THEIR RACE, BUT TRYING TO HAVE A LOOK THEY CONSIDER HEALTHY.
AND BTW, DID YOU NOTICE HOW VERY LIGHT BROWN SKIN COLOR IS WORSHIPPED NOW, LIKE THE MEDITTERANEAN LOOK? LIKE WHITES TAN TO HAVE THAT, AND BROWN PEOPLE WISH TO HAVE IT?
Comment from Ella
I don’t think they look like white women (expect for the australian model). If you look at other pictures of Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, and Preity Zinta you can tell that they definitely are not white looking!
http://philip9876.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/bipasha.jpeg
http://o.aolcdn.com/www.aol.in/gallery/i/t/the_most_beautiful/bollywood_beauties10_430xx_180108.jpg
http://www.nilacharal.com/enter/celeb/images/preity_zinta.jp
Those girls do not have thin lips, light hair, and light eyes like this bimbo: http://images.hollywoodgrind.com:9000/images/2008/2/paris-hilton-as-martha.jpg
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