Anna Wintour Revealed Why She Put Kim Kardashian And Kanye West On The Cover Of Vogue In 2014
Wintour’s decision to put Kimye on the cover of Vogue resulted in hundreds of negative comments, including one that said: “Disgusting! These two are the epitome of VULGARITY. You will never recover from this low.”
Anna Wintour has opened up about her decision to put Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on the cover of US Vogue in 2014, a move that caused controversy and widespread criticism from readers.
At the time, Kardashian and West were counting down to their wedding day, landing the March issue of Vogue before tying the knot in May.
But, although Kimye were the most talked about couple (and undoubtedly still are), the decision to laud them on the cover of Vogue was met with frowns at best. As Sarah Michelle Gellar put it on Twitter: “Well……I guess I’m canceling my Vogue subscription. Who is with me???”
According to articles written after its reveal, Kimye’s Vogue cover racked up over 700 comments in a matter of days, the majority of which weren’t exactly positive.
But, in a recent MasterClass trailer, Wintour defended her decision to put Kardashian and West on the cover, saying it would have been a “misstep” to ignore the couple’s influence.
“There is always a time when you know you have to break the rules,” Wintour said. Acknowledging that it was a “deeply controversial” decision, she continued: “Kim and Kanye were a part of the conversation of the day, and for Vogue not to recognise that would’ve been a big misstep.”
Going on to use the situation as a key to success in her master class, Wintour added: “You are leading, you are not following, and that’s a very important lesson to always keep in your mind.”
At the time of the controversy, Wintour doubled down on her decision about the cover stars. However, she was also accused of throwing a little shade when she said: “If we just remain deeply tasteful and just put deeply tasteful people on the cover, it would be a rather boring magazine!”
Proving that she’s got a knack for anticipating the future, Wintour added that the first celebrity she ever put on the cover of Vogue was Madonna. “She was a very controversial figure,” Wintour said of the May 1989 issue. “Now she’s part of the establishment.”
Considering Kardashian is now sought after by countless top designers and has landed multiple solo Vogue covers, it’s fair to say she’s also “part of the establishment”, too.
You can watch the trailer for Anna Wintour’s MasterClass on creativity and leadership here.
