NEW DELHI // The Indian edition of Vogue has defended its decision to feature American supermodel Kendall Jenner as the magazine celebrates its 10th anniversary, following a social media outrage over its latest cover.
In the magazine’s May issue, Jenner was photographed by Mario Testino against the luxurious Samode Palace in the Pink City of Jaipur.
Although Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput and other Indian models were also featured on the inside pages, it was Jenner whose face was on the cover.
Vogue was lambasted by many Indians for choosing a white model rather than a famous Indian model or a Bollywood actress to celebrate its 10-year anniversary.
For some, the decision seemed to showcase yet again the Indian obsession with fair skin, as demonstrated by soaring sales of skin whitening creams.
Some blamed a “colonised” mentality which seems to think that no Indian celebrity, no matter how famous, can match a western celebrity in status.
Vogue India editor Priya Tanna did not take calls, but the magazine issued a note explaining that the indignation was misplaced because, while it was celebrating 2017 as its 10th year in India, the actual 10th anniversary edition would be out in October.
It also pointed out that covers featuring non-Indian faces were rare.
"In the last 10 years, Vogue India has had only 12 international covers, including Kendall Jenner, in 2017. Therefore, statistically, 90 per cent of our covers are Indian! And we are proud of that," said the magazine on its website.
It said that Vogue, as an international brand, would inevitably feature some international celebrities on its cover but only "occasionally".
But by the time the clarification was out, social media was already awash with criticism.
Comments on Twitter included "Vogue India, you are aware that Kendall Jenner is 100 per cent white woman and does not embody or represent a real Indian woman?" and "Disappointed in India to pick a Caucasian girl who doesn't even relate to India in anyway".
Another critic said: “Kendall is 100% a white woman, she does not embody or represent a real Indian woman. How dare you whitewash your own women and your own culture”.
Criticism of the preference for fair skin has been mounting in India in recent years. The latest expression of this distaste was film star Abhay Deol tearing into his fellow actors last month for endorsing skin lightening creams.
On social media, he shared pictures of ads starring Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, John Abraham, Sidharth Malhotra, Shahid Kapoor, and Deepika Padukone promoting fairness creams.
This is the second time in recent months that 21-year-old Jenner – the half-sister of Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian – has found herself at the centre of a controversy. Her appearance in a Pepsi commercial in April drew flak for trivialising social protest and social justice to sell a fizzy drink.
Vogue India was also criticised for insensitivity in 2008 when it carried a photo shoot showing impoverished Indian villagers modelling luxury handbags and umbrellas.
One photograph showed an elderly couple standing outside a mud hut, with the husband donning a turban and holding a Burberry umbrella, and his smiling wife sporting an Etro handbag. At the time, the magazine was accused of “spitting in the face” of the poor.
Commentators scorned the magazine for using the poor as “props” with some wondering if the magazine would have dared use the homeless in London or Paris for a similar shoot.
But not everyone feels that Vogue India has erred this time.
Some Indians pointed out that whenever Indian stars went abroad and were feted, such as actresses Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai, Indians were proud of it, and asked why it was different when a foreign celebrity like Jenner was selected by Vogue India.
Shefalee Vasudev, the former fashion editor of India's daily financial Mint newspaper and author of The Powder room: The Untold Story of Indian Fashion, said an Indian face was crucial for the cover when a magazine was celebrating a special anniversary but saw no reasons why, for a normal issue, a non-Indian model could not be used.
“The basic argument is diversity,” she said.
"If you want diversity then that means all colours, including white models. For Vogue to exclude white models would be to put India on the right (political right-wing), rather than in a globalist position.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Small%20Things%20Like%20These
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Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
Founder: Ayman Badawi
Date started: Test product September 2016, paid launch January 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software
Size: Seven employees
Funding: $170,000 in angel investment
Funders: friends
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Results:
2.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: AZ Dhabyan, Adam McLean (jockey), Saleha Al Ghurair (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
3.15pm: Conditions (PA) Dh60,000 2,000m.
Winner: Hareer Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,700m.
Winner: Kenz Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh 200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
4.45pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m.
Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
57%20Seconds
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- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight Championship AJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
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Singles match John Cena v Triple H
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
