{"id":962,"date":"2021-02-01T10:50:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T09:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.encanto.biz\/blog\/?p=962"},"modified":"2021-02-01T10:50:55","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T09:50:55","slug":"two-public-relations-specialists-views-on-kamala-harris-vogue-cover-uproar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.encanto.biz\/blog\/en\/two-public-relations-specialists-views-on-kamala-harris-vogue-cover-uproar\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Public Relations Specialists\u2019 Views on Kamala Harris Vogue Cover Uproar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We reproduce the article from the PR Boutiques International blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been an uproar over Vogue magazine\u2019s February issue, which featured an article on Vice President Kamala Harris, with her photo on the cover. The magazine hired photographer Tyler Mitchell for the photoshoot. Mitchell was the first Black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover (which ran in 2018). Vice President Harris selected and wore her own clothes for the photoshoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vogue staff identified what they thought were the two most compelling shots of Harris. One showed the vice president standing casually in front of a green wallpaper background and a pink curtain. (Green and pink are Harris\u2019s Howard University sorority\u2019s colors.) She paired a black jacket\u00a0with ankle-length pants and wore trendy sneakers. The photo could be considered somewhat playful and funky. The other photo was much more formal, serious, and business-like, with the vice president wearing a light blue Michael Kors \u201cpower suit,\u201d standing, arms folded, in front of a yellow curtain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vogue\u2019s original decision was to use the more formal pose on the cover and the casual pose on the inside, accompanying the article. The vice president\u2019s team was happy with that choice. However, in early January, the cover photo was leaked, and all hell broke loose. The cover featured the casual shot with the pink and green background, not the formal picture with the blue power suit. This was an unhappy surprise for the vice president\u2019s team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the cover drew vehement social and news media ire.  Many people commented that the cover photo was disrespectful and insulting because it didn\u2019t reflect the importance of Harris\u2019s new and historic position as the first Black, Asian-American, and female vice president. Some didn\u2019t like the style of the photo. Others said the photographer\u2019s lighting of Harris was unflattering, making her look washed out. Vogue didn\u2019t seem to know how to find photographers who could competently capture Black women\u2019s skin tones, the critics said. The proper lighting of Black skin in both photos and movies has been an issue of concern, controversy, and discussion for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The social media storm, which went on for days, also focused on a lack of diversity in Vogue\u2019s hiring. If more people of color worked for the magazine, there would be more sensitivity about and competency in lighting Black women for photoshoots, some argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harris\u2019s staff had not made a contractual agreement with Vogue for approval of the cover photo. The Vogue staff said they didn\u2019t feel it necessary to go back to the Harris team to let them know about the cover photo switch without a cover approval agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other news events in January make the Vogue cover photo kerfuffle look like a tempest in a teapot. However, to those involved, it was a meaningful crisis that required critical public relations decision-making. And to public relations specialists, the incident provides a great chance to dissect the communications steps taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the actions Vogue took:<\/p>\n\n\n\n