Kamala Harris' skin tone lightened on magazine cover, social media erupts in fury

US Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris will be on Vogue's February cover. However even before the edition is released, it ran into a controversy. The  magazine which released two photos of Harris from its February edition has sparked instant outrage for 'whitewashing' or lightening the skin colour of America's future Vice-President.

Vogue, in a tweet on Sunday, 10 January, made public a photo of 56-year-old Harris wearing her trademark Converse sneakers, standing in front of a pink and green drape. The other, a more formal one, shows her in a powder blue suit, with her arms crossed in front of a gold background.

However, this did not go down well with the twitterati. Soon after Vogue shared the magazine's cover photo on Twitter, many took to social media to slam Vogue for not only lightening Harris’ skin tone, but also to point out that the quality did not match with the magazine’s usual standards.

"Every photo editor at Vogue should know the basics of editing photos of people of color," Eliza, who is a professional photographer, tweeted.

"What a poor representation of woman of color in power! Travesty," another user wrote on Twitter.

Others pointed that little effort was put in the photos. "They didn't put thought into it. Like homework finished the morning it's due."

Who clicked the photo?

Ironically, the photos of Kamala Harris were shot by the 26-year-old photographer, Tyler Mitchell. Mitchell came into limelight in 2018, when he became the first Black photographer to shoot the Vogue cover in the magazine's more than century-old existence. The September cover had none other than singer Beyoncé who is said to have picked the photographer herself.

Kamala Harris created history not just for being the first woman to become vice president of the United States, but also by being the first Black woman and the first woman of Indian origin to occupy the position.

American Vogue's Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, celebrated as a fashion icon, was called out for Harris' representation on the cover and said that her team lacked ability to "properly style a black woman".

Someone wrote, 'Anna Wintour Needs to Go'

Controversy around Anna Wintour

This is not the first time Wintour is under fire. In July 2020, she apologised to staff members in a letter for 'mistakes' in publishing photographs seen insensitive to people of colour.

"Vogue has not found enough ways to elevate or give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers, and other creators. We have made mistakes too, publishing images or stories that have been hurtful or intolerant. I want to take full responsibility for those mistakes," she wrote.

Harris's Team comment

Kamala Harris' team has not released an official statement as of yet. 

However, New York magazine contributor Yashar Ali further tweeted that a source familiar with publication plans told him the photo, a full-length image of Harris standing against pink and green backdrop isn't the one her team expected to make to the front of the magazine's print edition.

"Aides to Harris and Vogue had the understanding that the blue suit/gold background would be the cover photo. Without telling Harris’ team, Vogue changed it to the pink/green photo which the Vice President-elect’s team did not agree to," another source told CBS News.