On its August issue covers, Vogue features the amazing gymnast Simone Biles, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. While people are thrilled to see her on the cover, the photos themselves have caused quite an outrage. People have called out Leibovitz over “poor lighting” and “washed out” skin tones, adding that Vogue should have hired a black photographer who better understands dark skin tones.
Simone Biles shared her story with Vogue in a truly fantastic interview. She spoke up about her life, training, personal struggles, and abuse. The interview is followed by a series of photos, two of which have been selected for the paper and the digital edition of the magazine.
A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine)
A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine)
A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine) The photos have caused quite a backlash on both Instagram and Twitter. People are calling out on Annie Leibovitz for “not knowing how to light black skin tones.” In addition, they also point out that Simone looks “sad or annoyed” in the third photo, and that the photographer “could have done so much more.” Additionally, the community is calling out on Vogue for not hiring a black photographer for the task, but also for not hiring more black talents in general.
https://twitter.com/allisonhopstad/status/1281616493851971585
On the other hand, there are some people defending Annie Leibovitz, claiming that this style of photos was intentional. The interview covers some pretty difficult topics, so the gloomy, flat tones were likely the whole point.
Seeing that most people hate these photos, I’m afraid to even say this, but I will: I actually like them. My impression is that the choice of tones, colors, and lack of contrast were intentional, considering the story that follows these portraits. They also remind me of paintings, and I think they fit well with the topics discussed. This doesn’t mean that Vogue shouldn’t hire more black talents, don’t get me wrong. But I simply like this style of photos in this context, that’s all. What do you think? Do you like the photos and think they fit the context, or you’d totally choose someone else to shoot them in a different style? [via Huff Post; image credits: Agência Brasil Fotografias / Wikimedia Commons]
