Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour publicly declared the magazine will only profile women who conform with their social agenda, dismissing the idea that Melania Trump will ever be featured on the cover.
Speaking with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour this week, Wintour commented on why Vogue frequently features Democratic and progressive women on the cover, leaving little room for Republican women. According to Wintour, Vogue has taken a “point of view,” as in left-wing.
“You are political. You were a major fundraiser for Barack Obama. Your magazine, the most important fashion bible in the world, does profile some very important women who are in politcs,” Amanpour began. “Tell me about that, you are overtly political in your profiles and what you stand for, what is it you are trying to say by profiling a Michelle Obama or a Kamala Harris or even a Stormy Daniels?”
Wintour said that Vogue profiles such women because they support an agenda that aligns with Vogue. “If you’re talking about the first lady or Senator Harris, obviously these are women that we feel are icons and inspiring to women from a global perspective,” she said.
The Condé Nast artistic director added that the political climate is so dire that Vogue must “take a stand.”
“I think you can’t be everything to everybody … I believe, as those of us who work at Condé Nast believe, you have to stand up for what you believe in and you have to take a point of view,” Wintour told Amanpour.
The CNN host then pointed out to Wintour that Vogue overwhelmingly features Democratic women on their magazine covers. “I wonder if there is a reason for that. Is there?” Amanpour asked.
“We profile women in the magazine that we believe in the stand that they’re taking on issues we support them, we feel that they are leaders,” Wintour replied. “Particularly after the defeat of Secratary Clinton in the 2016 election, we believe that women should have a leadership position. We intend to support them.”
Amanpour did not in any way press Wintour on how that “point a view” will only affirm Trump voter stances that coastal elites have conspired against them.
According to Fox News, First Lady Melania Trump’s spokesperson Stephanie Grisham responded to Wintour’s comments on Friday, saying Mrs. Trump has more important issues to attend to than something as “superficial” as a magazine cover.
“To be on the cover of Vogue doesn’t define Mrs. Trump, she’s been there, done that long before she was First Lady,” Grisham told Fox News. “Her role as First Lady of the United States and all that she does is much more important than some superficial photo shoot and cover. This just further demonstrates how biased the fashion magazine industry is, and shows how insecure and small-minded Anna Wintour really is. Unfortunately, Mrs. Trump is used to this kind of divisive behavior.”
According to Independent, Hillary Clinton graced the Vogue cover in 1998, becoming the first U.S. First Lady to be featured there. Michelle Obama was profiled on as many as three occasions.
“I felt that the first lady at that time had behaved in a very brave way,” Wintour told Amanpour. “So we felt it was a time to support her and to stand up for women.”