Gulf spill reaches Italy

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Gulf spill reaches Italy

— by Greg

on August 12, 2010

By Greg.

The tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has found its way into fashion. In a highly controversial photo shoot, Italian Vogue is using the disaster as the backdrop to a dark feature that appears in the August issue.

Personally, I find the images disturbing. Especially the reference to affected wildlife with model Kristen McMenamy wearing feathers and posing like a stricken animal on an oily beach. But disturbing is the point. From Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief, Franca Sozzani:

“In the face of this dramatic, catastrophic stalling, the images of Steven Meisel make up a precious reportage that delivers an artistic impact. Unforgettable images, created purposely to unnerve the viewer, capture the reality of the situation.”

The shoot has generated an enormous amount of commentary, drawing attention to the spill and its impact. And drawing attention to Vogue of course.

Reaction is quite divided. Many people think the feature is inappropriate and exploitative, while others see it as an environmental statement that is bringing attention to the disaster. Sozzani and McMenamy have both defended the shoot by saying that it sends a message to take better care of nature.

What do you think, education or exploitation?

Global Style

50 comments · Add a comment

lynne

Veteran

Tasteless and exploitive

August 12, 2010 at 2:32 pm

san

They should have done this sooner. What’s taking us so long to realize the magnatutde of the oil spill, and having it trickle down to pop culture?

August 12, 2010 at 2:37 pm

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I think the spread is in extremely poor taste. It would be one thing if nobody were talking about the spill because then Vogue would be stepping in and bringing attention to the issue. But a lot of media outlets are carrying the story and a huge discussion is already taking place. Lots of people are angry with BP and with the company’s ridiculously callous response.

It’s much more heartbreaking to see the actual photos of the animals affected by the spill than some model lying on an oily beach. We can see the real damage that is being done. This photo shoot just seems like Vogue Italy trying to exploit something that is already getting a lot of media attention. There doesn’t seem to be anything sincere about it.

August 12, 2010 at 2:46 pm

approprio

(website)

Veteran

Is this some kind of micro-trend? This and the recent furore caused by Rodarte/MAC, when they named an orange nail polish after the impoverished city of Juarez.

Yes, I can understand the sentiments that make creative people want to take a stand on social issues. But mainstream fashion in the 21st century is not the platform for this. What do they think is fueling synthetic fibers and pleather It-bags? It isn’t solar power, that’s for sure.

August 12, 2010 at 2:51 pm

Beth

Veteran

Ick. Catastrophe isn’t artistic.

August 12, 2010 at 2:53 pm

FiestyWife

Active Member

Ana said it quite nicely! I don’t see the beauty in this disaster and by bringing in a model to be “beautiful” amoung the oil and muck is just wrong. This doesn’t bring attention to the oil spill (which is getting plenty of worldwide coverage) it brings attention to Italian Vogue.

August 12, 2010 at 2:59 pm

Meg

Definitely exploitation. Heck, they literally exploited and killed birds to have those feathers so they could pretend to be dead animals. Messed up!

August 12, 2010 at 3:07 pm

Calma

Unless Vogue is donating proceeds from the sale of this magazine to environmental organizations I judge it to be opportunistic – capitializing on a tragedy. I don’t get the concept of camoflauge as a fabric/pattern choice forcivilians during wartime either.

August 12, 2010 at 3:08 pm

Cynthia

(website)

Anyone who thinks it’s tasteless isn’t paying attention. It’s horrifying down there. Animals are dying in the thousands or millions. If people who are concerned with fashion can’t also be engaged with the real world and its tragedies, and make art about it, then we’ve reached a pretty sad state.

August 12, 2010 at 3:44 pm

Dawn

(website)

Active Member

I think that it is very tasteless and opportunistic. The spread doesn’t offer any advice on the best ways to prevent this from happening again, or suggest potential environmental clean-up groups which readers could donate to. As for whether it raises awareness of it, the horrific photos of the animals which are saturated in crude oil do that perfectly. Vogue Italia are simply profiting from the misery of others.

Eliza, they named one of their collections after Juarez. For those who haven’t heard about this, Juarez is one of the most dangerous cities to be a woman in as thousands of women have disappeared or been murdered in the past ten years. Pressure from the media and blogging community have now caused MAC to donate all their profits from this collection to an NGO to help raise awareness of the issue.

August 12, 2010 at 3:52 pm

Iris

I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, while you guys think it’s heartbreaking to see dead animals from oil spills, a lot of people are desensitized and can only feel the real impact from the ‘human’ perspective. Seeing humans dead for these people, is a much stronger image than seeing animals dead.

It’s shocking, but I spent quite a bit of time abroad in other countries – the oil spill isn’t even covered anymore in world news. Only in America it’s getting such huge coverage. Consider the fact that other country’s world disasters are not getting the same level of coverage either (Moscow’s fires, Pakistan’s floods, China’s floods). Just providing a bit of perspective.

August 12, 2010 at 3:52 pm

Iris

Woops, pressed submit too early:

When I say that I love it, it means that while it screams incredibly tasteless, it’s provocative and gets the point across, to allow people to keep thinking and criticizing the impact of the Gulf. Oftentimes, people are desensitized to newscasters going “and thousands of animals died in oil spills” or something like that.

With death and murder on in daily news everyday, it just supports the fact that there are needs for other form of media to wake the rest of the population up. And really, international news coverage isn’t all that in America either – I barely know anything about the human cost of Moscow/China/Pakistan’s weather, even though they keep reporting that so-so number of people have died and injured. This is an illustrative example, in my opinion.

August 12, 2010 at 3:55 pm

Julia

Interesting post, Greg. I think the pictures are of a bone chilling beauty and poetry, but the frame (a fashion magazine) renders them grotesque and superficial. I don’t believe for a second Vogue Italy (the source, owner, and meaning-giver of the pictures) is anywhere near environmentally concerned, about oil spills or any other man or nature provoked tragedy. This cover is so out of the magazine format that it just doesn’t make any sense to me.

IF Vogue were going to donate and help with the Gulf cleaning and IF they tried with their policies to raise concern on the tragedies brought by oil drilling, they might have sounded sincere. But in my view, these pictures are opportunistic and of bad taste.

Just my opinion, of course.

August 12, 2010 at 4:07 pm

Lannie

I agree with Calma- unless Vogue had decided to donate the proceeds from the sale of this issue, it’s exploitive in my mind. The photo spread is still advertising the clothing worn by the model, and the magazine is still trying to draw attention to itself to encourage consumers to purchase. I hate to sound so cynical, but the magazine is really just attempting to profit off an environmental disaster. Obviously it would be a different story if we were talking about a journalistic piece with actual photos of the spill.

August 12, 2010 at 4:34 pm

shell

Active Member

I do think it’s rather tasteless, for reasons that others have mentioned, but I guess I’m not really surprised by it. Vogue wants to be talked about and ultimately make money, and causing controversy is a pretty good way to do that.

I’m curious, though, about the thought process behind the photo shoot. Who thought this was a good idea? Did anyone object to it or was everyone on board eventually? It reminds me of an analogy used by Tim Gunn on Project Runway:

“I have this refrain about the monkey house at the zoo. When you first enter into the monkey house at the zoo, you think, ‘Oh my god this place stinks!’ And then after you’re there for 20 minutes you think, ‘it’s not so bad’ and after you’re there for an hour it doesn’t smell at all. And anyone entering the monkey house freshly thinks, ‘this stinks!’ You’ve been living in the monkey house.”

Have the Vogue editors been living in a monkey house?

August 12, 2010 at 4:45 pm

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I don’t think it’s either. The magazine’s goal is to sell more magazines. This is a current event and hot topic (although I am with San on being surprised it’s taken this long for it to come to this) I doubt the article contains any ground breaking information, but I don’t think that it’s selfish or unethical .

August 12, 2010 at 5:22 pm

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Yea! I love guest posts from Greg! And what a subject to write about!
I realize my perspective is limited since I can’t evaluate the pictures, but from what you describe, I’m extremely unimpressed with this approach. The oil spill has garnered attention from around the world. It’s hardly some grass-roots cause in need of exposure, and attention from a fashion magazine, no matter how well-known, will do nothing to improve the situation. To claim the shoot is drawing attention to the issue is to insult the magazine’s readers by implying they live under bolders and have been oblivious to something that has been making headlines for months. To mimic the plight of animals dying a painful death caused exclusively through human error is to make light of one of the most pressing issues this generation will ever face. And to try and draw a parallel between environmental disasters and high-fashion is, in my estimation, an epic stretch that falls far short of the mark.
There are perks to being blind. Being able to avoid exploitative fair like this is definitely one of them.

August 12, 2010 at 5:31 pm

Tara

(website)

Veteran

I am in two minds. While the artistic side of me says, why can’t beauty be found in tragedy, my social conscience says it is exploitative and my marketing experience tells me this is just another ruse to sell more magazines, sickeningly disguised as “raising public awareness for the greater good”.

Very divided. Interesting to hear other views though.

August 12, 2010 at 6:27 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Very interesting heartfelt comments.

I’m finding it hard to come up with a definitive answer to your question Greg, so I’ll just tell you how I’m feeling.

On the one hand if I don’t put the photo shoot into context, I think the photographs are very creative and beautifully executed. Seeing a model covered in oily muck and posing for dead is very unique. But really, she’s alive and that does not pull at my heart strings at all. However, the fact that the model is symbolizing the dead animals who suffered greatly as a result of the oil spill, makes me sick to my stomach. When I look at the model, I don’t see her. I see the suffering animals instead. That emotion inside of me is so strong that I want to vomit over and over again. Perhaps that was the point of the fashion shoot?

August 12, 2010 at 6:40 pm

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

I think fashion does what fashion wants; I do think it’s telling that fashion chose this subject. It’s a testament to how this tragic case of neglectfulness has impacted the developed world’s psyche.

August 12, 2010 at 6:51 pm

Therese

Active Member

Two of the places where I grew up — south LA as a China, and Dalian as a uni student — have both been hit by the recent spills, and they weren’t in such a great shape environmentally before. The photos may be lovely, but so were the earlier blackface photos; these, as with those, are tasteless and seeming to gain notice opportunistically through notoriety alone.

August 12, 2010 at 7:08 pm

Therese

Active Member

Two of the places where I grew up — south LA as a child, and Dalian as a uni student — have both been hit by the recent spills, and they weren’t in such a great shape environmentally before. The photos may be lovely, but so were the earlier blackface photos; these, as with those, are tasteless and seeming to gain notice opportunistically through notoriety alone.

August 12, 2010 at 7:08 pm

Lisa

Veteran

I almost don’t know what to say for this article. On the one hand, the photos are incredible and the time, coordination and thought to put together a shoot like this is quite impressive. But when you take away the “in art” context, this comes across as a way to try shocking the public and use a situation that already pulls on people’s heart strings for their own benefit. I can appreciate the artistry but am also appalled by the timing.

August 12, 2010 at 7:37 pm

taylor

Veteran

Hi Greg…nice to hear your voice:)

I cannot fully respond to this without possibly shutting YLF down due to controversy, so I will just say this:

Steven Meisel wanted to send an unnerving visual impact to the viewer of these images, He has certainly accomplished that!!

August 12, 2010 at 7:37 pm

Tiffany

I find this one challenging – I can see that fashion as an ‘art’ form may wish to have its ‘take’ on the disaster, but at the same time I think it’s ironic and sickening that fashion – with its emphasis on consumption and throw-away culture – thinks it has anything valid to say. Are they going to do a spread on the floods in Pakistan with children dead from disease? I doubt it.

August 12, 2010 at 7:49 pm

Greg

Administrator

Great comments. Clearly if nothing else the shoot is emotive.

Like shell I would love to have been a fly on the wall at the meeting when they finalized this decision. I also wonder where the idea originated. Was it a creative type, or was it the marketing department? I bet the former, so I’m inclined to think that this is more of an artistic statement than PR buzz.

Of course, the question of selfish versus altruistic intentions applies either way.

Perhaps the PR department should have thought of accompanying the article with some tangible show of support for the people and animals affected by the spill.

August 12, 2010 at 7:53 pm

Kate

Veteran

I think the pictures can be helpful for all of the reasons Iris stated so eloquently. I don’t think disturbing or somber art is making light of the situation.

It’s honestly quite hard to criticize vogue of exploiting the disaster without criticizing the entire media for exploiting the disaster. The media industry, including the news media, uses shocking images and stories to sell their product and to sell their ad space/time. This phenomena isn’t new and isn’t unique to the oil leak.

August 12, 2010 at 8:08 pm

Alison

My main worry about these pictures is not that they exploit the tragedy of the oil spill. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I think some of the images in this series look like crime scene shots–and more specifically crime scene shots of sexual assault victims. This is not uncommon in fashion photography, but this seems to be a peculiarly marked case. Also, in one of the shots, the model is lying back on a rock, clasping her throat, and coughing up sea water. To me, this just looks like someone’s bizarre torture fantasy. Now, perhaps this is what Meisel thinks helps him make a larger point about the oil spill. If we are desensitized to the pictures of animals that have undergone their own kind of torture, maybe we’ll be woken up by seeing an uncommonly beautiful human in these conditions.

I should add that I had similar problems with Meisel’s 2006 State of Emergency series for Vogue Italia (http://tinyurl.com/mwl9y5). It incorporated scenes from the post-9/11 security environment, but managed to do in a way that walked (or crossed) a line between art/commentary and obvious misogyny. I found the obvious references to sexual violence in these photographs almost completely undermined the political point they were trying to make. I’m worried that, for me at least, the oil spill shots have the same effect.

August 12, 2010 at 8:29 pm

Sihaya

Veteran

I have been sitting on this all day as I’m not exactly sure how to respond. The oil spill is ugly. The repurcussions are disastrous and unconscionable and BP has been trying to cover up much of the really graphic and ugly photos. I think symbolizing it this way is evocative, beautiful in a dark way, and gut wrenchingly (literally) haunting. I am usually shocked at how little the public does seem to know of some things so I think things like these making their way into pop culture is helpful. I am in mixed minds on the exploitation part – I too would have liked to have seen some financial support for the disaster that accompanied this issue.

August 12, 2010 at 8:34 pm

Isabel

I think that it is a little of both…..I find it similar to charity ” consumer parties. For example, you buy jewelry ( or something ) and a part of the proceeds go to a charity. But the “hostess” makes out, the company makes out and the charity gets some money.

Isn’t it Kenneth Cole that has been doing this type of thing for years with his ads ? In the end, you hope it brings enlightenment somehow. But who can ever know for sure ?

August 12, 2010 at 8:54 pm

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

These photos may very well be exploitive and are no doubt designed to be controversial for the sake of publicity.

Living on the other side of the world, I can say that whilst I have heard of the (ongoing) catastrophe and have seen some footage of the devastation on the news, my country has had nowhere the same level of detailed media coverage as what has taken place in the US.

I can tell you that in the (highly educated and professional) community in which I live, this issue has not been a topic of any ongoing discussion (or even discussion at all) at the school-gate or in the office. Whilst we talk of being a global community now, let’s be honest here and ponder whether citizens of other countries are really *that* concerned about what happens elsewhere as long as it doesn’t have the potential to somehow personally impact on them?

On these grounds, I actually believe the photos DO serve a useful purpose. I consider their controversy provides a stepping stone for members the broader, *international* community to have a conversation about what has happened in the US. Maybe now, at the school-gate and in the office, people in my little community and indeed all across the world will start to question more consciously “what if it were to happen here?”.

August 12, 2010 at 9:18 pm

Lynne

Veteran

hmm..disturbing, yes, but effective in bringing the disaster to front of mind via a different channel….so I would have to say I’m for it, but agree with comments above that donating proceeds would have made it a more sincere deal. Good topic, Greg!

August 12, 2010 at 10:43 pm

rute

Veteran

I think both: it calls the attention to the disaster but at the same time to the magazine. It doesn’t shock me!

August 13, 2010 at 12:43 am

RoseandJoan

Veteran

These images differ from the wider coverage of the disaster in that they are not driven by the desire for knowledge but the desire for consumerism. Italian Vogue is promoting clothing derived from the rearing and culling of birds and mammals whilst feigning concern for the same animals affected by the disaster. The feature lacks sincerity which is why I consider it to be exploitative and in the worst possible taste. These darkly gothic images will remain in my consciousness for all of the wrong reasons.

August 13, 2010 at 1:54 am

April

Veteran

Vogue’s goal is naturally to sell magazines, but perhaps they could achieve that by creating edgy, provocative (in the sense of provoking controversy) photo shoots that don’t capitalize on national tragedies.

Shell, great Tim Gunn quote. It seems like this is the kind of thing that created the fashion industry’s “monkey house” in the first place.

August 13, 2010 at 3:41 am

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

Wait a minute, there was an oil spill? Thank heavens for Vogue Italia – I get all of my current news from them! Yeah, exploitative to the nth degree.

August 13, 2010 at 4:34 am

Frances

Active Member

I find this deeply troubling. At the very least Vogue could have coupled this spread with a significant contribution to an environmental clean-up/relief program. The plight of the affected animals and the Gulf Coast residents whose livelihoods have been ruined is not a matter to be treated lightly.

August 13, 2010 at 6:00 am

angie2

education or exploitation? BOTH.

Of course the company is trying to get some $$ from the controversial. OTOH, controversial brings the topic at hand into the spotlight. How many europeans were talking about the gulf spills before?

August 13, 2010 at 7:08 am

Stephani

Exploitative and somewhat hypocritical? yes. But not tasteless. Not pointless.
As a few other posters have pointed out, it’s only in America that the Gulf oil spill is still getting so much media attention. And as soon as the next disaster or political scandal or economic crisis comes up, in America or elsewhere, it will be forgotten by the vast majority of the world’s population. Human attention spans are very short and we’re very forgetful, much as we like to think otherwise.
So Italian Vogue deciding to draw more attention to the horrible environmental impact of the oil spill–and not just this oil spill, but any oil spill–is both timely and socially relevant. Fashion and art have always been used to provoke strong reactions through the images they use, sometimes focusing on political issues, sometimes on human rights issue. The point is to provoke a response from the viewer–good or bad. Will it sell copies of Italian Vogue? Yes, of course. It’s a magazine. That’s what it’s publishers do. But the more copies of this issue that it sells, even to people who are just curious what all the hullabaloo is about, will help raise awareness of the issue. Fashion, art and publishing have symbiotic relationships with each other–each using the strengths of the others to achieve a certain goal.
It’s naive and overly simplistic to apply a good/bad standard to something like this. Very few things in this world come down to a matter of black or white, good or bad. Everything is shades of grey.

August 13, 2010 at 7:16 am

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Of course this bothers me. A lot. Because I *have* seen images of wildlife like this. I think it would be something entirely different if Vogue wasn’t going to profit from this photo campaign.
I won’t lie, the photo is striking, but because there is a catastrophic backstory, I can’t even appreciate the image for what it is.

August 13, 2010 at 7:18 am

Mac

Veteran

I think they’re trying hard to be edgy, push some buttons, get people talking. And here we all are, “talking” (typing).

But… I don’t like it. I think it’s in poor taste for several reasons. One that hasn’t been mentioned is: Italian Vogue wants to make a statement about a horrible disaster that is occurring across the world from them, a UK Company with oil leaking to American shores. Finger pointing is oh-so-easy when it’s at other people’s disasters.

There are PLENTY of dreadful things happening in Italy that – had they wished to make a social commentary on the ills of our modern society – they could have featured. The Mafia is still a huge problem in Italy, and countless people die in mafia-related violence each year. How about the sex trafficking of Eastern European women: one huge ring of Romanians was just discovered in Italy in June. Government corruption is amongst the worst in the world in Italy. How would they feel if American or British Vogue featured any of THESE issues on their covers?

August 13, 2010 at 7:50 am

Phoebe

Veteran

First of all I´d like to say that the oil spill is not “other people´s disaster”. It´s definitely not an American problem but an ecological catastrophe that is in its effects not limited to one people but affects and concerns all the people in the world. Here in Europe it´s been heavily discussed as something that happened to mankind, not to the US. Europeans also drive cars and need oil, that´s why we feel responsible for this disaster, too.

Secondly: Greg, do you remember the Benetton campaign in the 90´s? I don´t know if it was in the US, too, but they didn´t show their pullovers in their ads any more, but pictures of horrible things like a dying AIDS patient or a dead mafia victim in the street and also a duck covered in oil. They just showed the pictures with the label “United colors of Benetton” on it and didn´t relate it to fashion. It was the same discussion then.

August 13, 2010 at 8:25 am

Mac

Veteran

Actually, I respectfully disagree, Phoebe. The rest of the world might be upset by this oil spill, but it is US beaches that are awash with oil, it is US waters that have become toxic and it is in the US that dead animals and birds are being found. (And no, I’m not American) True – the whole developed world helped create this crisis; the more oil we all use, the more accidents like this will happen all over the globe. However, Italy has not been directly impacted by this tragedy and so I maintain that it is particularly offensive that they are exploiting it.

August 13, 2010 at 8:35 am

Phoebe

Veteran

Yes, it´s been US borders – and US dolphins, US alligators, US plants…? We should get over nationalist thinking and be concerned about a planet that we all share.
I´m quite sure that pointing at the US wasn´t what Vogue intended at all. I don´t want to defend this tasteless and obviously just greedy thing, but putting shame on a single country would be too narrow-minded even for Vogue.

August 13, 2010 at 9:01 am

Patience

Veteran

I grew up in Louisiana where my whole childhood, our state bird, the pelican was an endangered species and I think images of these birds covered in oil is threaded through my memories. I agree with Greg that someone was probably trying to make an artistic statement and I think that’s their prerogative. But I also consider it out of touch with the reality that is the Gulf. The images are disturbing but they don’t really coincide with the images I have of my home.

There are no rocks in the Gulf coastal area– it’s wetlands.

August 13, 2010 at 10:32 am

Melody

Active Member

The images that most disturbs me is the smiling family photos of the fishing boat captain who took his own life after his source of livelihood was ruined … the hopelessness he must have been feeling and his family’s loss tears at my heart. I live in Alabama, and am deeply saddened by the state of our previously blinding white sugar-like beaches and sparkling blue green water. Along with the oil, all sorts of chemical dispersants have been dumped into the ocean to break up the slicks and you have to wonder what further damage that does to the ecosystem. Not to mention the impact on the economy of the areas most affected by the oil and the ugly political chaos that has ensued. It is such a sad, sad state that is in no way depicted in the magazine photos.

August 13, 2010 at 11:13 am

Maya

Veteran

These images would not offend if they were not on the front cover of Vogue, a commercial, for-profit media outlet. If it was hanging in some gallery in Soho you’d have a gaggle of pretentious busybodies crowding around it and interpreting its edgy-avant-gardey-ness and no one else the world over would know about it.

Meh, I’m neither offended nor unoffended by the ad. I’m more offended by how much attention it is getting. If as many people discussed and educated themselves about the actual oil spill than discussed and educated themselves about the pop culture interpretation of the oil spill, we’d probably never face this kind of disaster again.

August 13, 2010 at 1:30 pm

SuziQ

I guess I’d be more impressed with Vogue’s “cause” if they didn’t consume that wicked oil, flying models and photo crews all over the world, and used less paper printing the magazine.

I vote they start a Feed the Model Campaign!

August 15, 2010 at 1:26 pm

shana

Veteran

I do think it’s exploitive & opportunistic for Italian Vogue to be taking artistic license with this tragedy but at the same time, I feel like the more people who talk about it and are reminded of it, the better.

August 16, 2010 at 11:46 am

The Gulf Oil Spill, Italian Vogue and Strong Opinions | KD Ironside

(website)

[…] 2 was the one I struggled with when I read this post on Angie’s blog. This piece is about an editiorial spread in Italian Vogue, titled “Oil and […]

August 18, 2010 at 11:29 am

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