Vice President Kamala Harris to Get New ‘Vogue’ Cover Following Social Media Backlash

After Vogue faced backlash for the cover that they chose for Vice President Kamala Harris‘ feature in the magazine, they have since changed course as far as the issue is concerned. According to Page Six, the magazine has decided to publish a new cover featuring Harris. Vogue originally released a cover with the vice president wearing casual clothing and Converse sneakers for their February issue. But, the cover soon received a bevy of criticism, with individuals saying that the photo was not appropriate considering that Vogue is featuring the first female vice president of the United States.

Sources close to Harris’ camp said that the vice president’s team was “blindsided” by the cover. They were under the impression that the magazine would use a photo of Harris in a Michael Kors powder blue suit in front of a gold background. Instead, that image was set to be used for the digital cover only. The day before the inauguration, Vogue confirmed to Page Six that they would be using the photo of Harris in her Michael Kors suit as a fresh cover in honor of Inauguration Day. They stated, “In recognition of the enormous interest in the digital cover, and in celebration of this historic moment, we will be publishing a limited number of special edition inaugural issues.” A source added that this move was a “gesture of goodwill combined with excitement about being able to publish this cover in time for this special day.”

Even though Vogue announced that they were changing up the cover, some readers were still incensed over the whole ordeal. On Instagram, one user wrote, “Don’t you mean ‘we are publishing the cover that should have been.’” Another commented, “This is the edition I want to buy. Ms Kamala Harris looking like the powerful and dignified woman she is.” Anna Wintour, Vogue‘s editor-in-chief previously defended the original cover, which was photographed by Tyler Mitchell, and noted that her team has “heard and understood the reaction” to it. She added that it was “absolutely not our intention to, in any way, diminish the importance of the Vice President-elect’s incredible victory.”

“When the two images arrived at Vogue, all of us felt very, very strongly that the less formal portrait of the Vice President-elect really reflected the moment that we were living in which we are all in the midst — as we still are — of the most appalling pandemic that is taking lives by the minute,” Wintour told the New York Times. “And we felt to reflect this tragic moment in global history, a much less formal picture, something that was very, very accessible and approachable and real, really reflected the hallmark of the Biden-Harris campaign and everything that they are trying to, and I’m sure will, achieve.”