Kendall Jenner in hot water over Vogue shoot
Model Kendall Jenner has been slammed for cultural appropriation after Vogue photographed the 22-year-old wearing an Afro for a November story to mark the 15th anniversary of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.
In the first of the photos shared from the recent shoot, Jenner is pictured modelling the hairstyle wearing a floral Brock Collection dress as well as a purple, velvet Altuzarra frock while posing alongside fellow model Imaan Hammam. In the second photo, Hammam’s natural Afro has been swapped for a straight hair-do while Jenner’s naturally limp locks have been teased up into an Afro.
After posting the photos to Instagram this week, Vogue copped backlash from angry followers who slammed the publication and Jenner for supporting “A double standard towards Afro hair and black culture”, asking why the publication didn’t simply hire a black model for the job.
“Why didn’t you get someone with an actual afro and freckles to model for you instead?” one Instagram user wrote. “If y’all wanted a model that didn’t look white y’all could’ve booked a girl of colour,” another wrote.
“The creative director can do as they please, but why not just leave Imaan hair out natural instead of straightening it? So then there's no need to give Kendall the Afro?” one commenter pointed out.
Other users were clearly hurt by the tone-deaf photos.
“As a black teen growing up in America, this was absolutely hurtful to look at, people keep bringing up that black women wear weaves that are straight. Yeah we wear them because America poisoned black culture with the idea that we need relaxers and to be accepted our hair had to be straight,” one woman wrote.
“I grew up not seeing one Disney kid with natural hair until KC undercover @zendaya. This is not something that can be shrugged off because the message is hurtful,” another added.
Responding to the backlash, Vogue issued a statement apologising for the offence caused.
“The image is meant to be an update of the romantic Edwardian/Gibson Girl hair which suits the period feel of the Brock Collection, and also the big hair of the '60s and the early '70s, that puffed-out, teased-out look of those eras," the statement provided to E! News read. "We apologize if it came across differently than intended, and we certainly did not mean to offend anyone by it."
This isn’t the first time Kendall Jenner has caused controversy in a campaign.
Back in 2017, the 22-year-old partnered with Pepsi in an advertising campaign that sparked mass outrage for its tone-deaf approach and trivialisation of the Black Lives Matter protests.
