Not only did Kim become famous from a sex
tape, having a televised relationship with Reggie Bush, the shortest and most
expensive marriage to Kris Humphreys, having a reality show about her family, a
baby out of wedlock with Kanye West, but now she can say she assumed the cover
of Vogue magazine.
The March 2014 issue of Vogue magazine
contains the most controversial cover in the magazine’s history. The cover
featured Kimye, the infamous couple of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. The
world's most influential fashion magazine turned heads by allowing such a
controversial woman to be on the cover. The majority of Vogue covers are
occupied by elite fashion models, with an occasional female political figure
making an appearance. This is the first woman to assume the coveted cover who
has a well-known sex tape and is arguably one of the most dramatic public
figures in the 21st century. This stunt may have cost Vogue their iconic
position within the fashion industry and have turned it into a trashy magazine comparable
to less prestigious Cosmo.
As an avid reader and collector of this
iconic magazine, I am offended that Vogue would print this cover, knowing that
their readers aren't into the trashy life of Kim Kardashian, but rather into a
more polished idea of poise and etiquette. Reading this magazine gives me a
life to aspire towards, and I would never aspire to be Kim Kardashian. Ever.
The criticism that the magazine got in
response for putting such a trashy woman on the cover may have affected the
future of Vogue. The mere fact that Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of the
magazine, had to publically defend the cover shows how much backlash the cover
created. Historically, the magazine created an alternative world where people
have diamonds and elegant gowns paired with unarguably perfect figures and
flawless beauty.
What once was aspirational and undeniably
classy has now become a nesting ground for parvenus reality TV stars. Perhaps Vogue is
trying to change the type of readers they attract by bringing in Kim
Kardashian, but in the process, they are losing the readers that loved the
magazine for the impossibly beautiful fashion it contained.
The cover of Vogue has broader
implications than simply a pretty face in a pretty dress. It creates societal
expectations and trends. Part of the long tradition of Vogue magazine is the
ability to feature those who define culture at any given moment. The
trend of a floozy being important enough to assume to cover presents a shift in
society. The vociferous approach that Vogue took by placing such a cultural
provocateur on the cover captured the modern media. Kim Kardashian is
indisputably trending and with the help of her hubby, they are defining a new
idea of society. Kanye, with his impeccable fashion, and Kim with her flawless
beauty have become a visionary couple, despite Kim's terrible reputation. There
is indisputably no doubt that Kimye are defining a new social norm, from
outlandish clothes and ostentatious cars to reality TV shows. Today, it seems
as though society has become more open and accepting, which may mean America is
becoming more pompous in the process.
As a magazine that has always set the
trends, Vogue is setting the trend for a more acceptably distasteful society.
Allowing a trashy figure to take the spotlight and be the trendsetter not only
gives Kim an even bigger ego boost, but also negates everything Vogue had
created over the past 100 years. Perhaps Vogue foresaw society evolving in this
matter with or without their presence, and thus had to be proactive in
redefining what society should aspire to become. Even though acknowledging that
Kim is able to capture modern media much greater than any of the past featured
cover models, Vogue changed their readers view of the magazine.
While the risk that Vogue took isn't
necessarily being rewarded at the outset, it may be evidence of a shift in
target audience and the evolution of society. Vogue did a bold thing by putting
Kim on the cover, and in doing so they are fulfilling their unique role as a
cultural barometer for a global audience. Though society enjoys the juicy
details of Kim K’s life, Vogue is not the place for such drama. Vogue is no
longer viewed as an exemplary classic, but rather a place for tasteless décolletage
of past trash turned class.