If you're up to date on the latest social media trends, you're bound to have seen the 'Vogue Challenge', but do you know the motivation behind it? We caught up with photographer Angélique Culvin to discuss the origins of this viral craze.
So, what is the #VogueChallenge? The concept is simple: upload a high-end-looking photo of yourself to social media with the Vogue logo at the top so as to give the impression you are the latest cover star of one of the world's most illustrious fashion publications.
Nothing too revolutionary.
In fact, photoshopping yourself onto a magazine cover is far from new, this trend has come and gone in the past on various social media platforms. The concept behind this 2020 challenge, however, is something to take note of.
The latest version of this trend has come about in the time of the Black Lives Matter movement and is a commentary on the lack of diversity within the fashion industry and the underrepresentation of people of colour in major publications.
#VogueChallenge These pictures would look great on the cover of Vogue. The color is BLACK. pic.twitter.com/LuLufEYKUY
— Jordan Blake (@jordanblake587) June 9, 2020
Earlier this year, Anna Wintour, the veteran editor at US Vogue, acknowledged that the publication had not given enough space to black people, both in front of the lens and behind it.
To combat this, aspiring models and photographers took to social media to create faux covers the likes of which Vogue has never seen. And so, a viral challenge was born.
The #VogueChallenge is truly beautiful to see. It isn't enough to have JUST Black models on the cover of Vogue. There should be space for Black photographers to bring these stories to life. In Vogue's 125 year history there has been one Black photographer to photograph a cover. pic.twitter.com/fNLL19AzKe
— Joshua Kissi (@JoshuaKissi) June 9, 2020
The results were incredibly diverse and undeniably beautiful with people of colour, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people of various shapes, sizes and abilities creating incredible at-home photoshoots.
One such cover featured Salma Noor, an Oslo-based student who modeled for Angélique Culvin, a young black photographer who was "born in Tanzania, moulded in Ireland and based in Norway".
Click for a suprise, edit by me🖤 #BLM #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/aYxfis9uoo
— S Λ L M Λ 🪐 (@capricornbbyy1) June 2, 2020
We caught up with Angélique to discuss her work and the movement surrounding the #VogueChallenge.
Tell us a little about yourself and your career as a photographer.
I'm Angélique Culvin, and I’m a photographer and writer based in Oslo. I’ve been a professional photographer for about five years. I started shooting at the age of 16 when I was struggling with depression. It was my escape so, during my last year of high school, I decided to move to Dublin and pursue it. Later, when I moved to Oslo, I started photographing models and working as an assistant while taking my master's in Media Studies.
Tell us about the #VogueChallenge and the photoshoot with Salma.
We took these photos last summer as a personal collaboration between two people of colour wanting to break into the local scene. I had just written my thesis on the underrepresentation of models of colour in Norwegian fashion magazines so this collaboration was fitting.
The 'Vogue Challenge' was Salma’s idea. She took the initiative in light of the Black Lives Matter movement to challenge the perception of Blackness. She made a cover and posted it on her social media and then things just took off from there.
The spirit was in lifting black creatives and the voices of creatives of colour while challenging the narrative and usual standard of beauty we frequently see.
Why Vogue? What did you hope to portray with this picture?
I think it’s every photographer’s and model’s dream to be on Vogue. It's a standard of all things fashion but it also lacks representation for models and creators of colour.
In Norway, I personally feel that people of colour (POC) are underrepresented, especially Muslim POC. I was taken by how Salma represented herself as a Black Muslim woman. This was my way of showing the beauty I see in how she carries herself and her faith.
To me, representation is about inclusion, visibility, broadening horizons, and in the case of magazines, creating spaces of imagination for a multitude of people, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or religion.
I wanted to post more!! @voguemagazine @VogueArabia #VogueChallenge made by me pic.twitter.com/gifeMzYewp
— S Λ L M Λ 🪐 (@capricornbbyy1) June 9, 2020
Anna Wintour recently said that Vogue had not given enough space to black people. Do you think a change is coming in fashion magazines?
I think that seamless representation still has a way to go in magazines. Their perspective needs to broaden to really be a voice for all those interested in fashion and all its different dynamics and colours.
It’s about having more diversity in front of the camera (models), behind it (photographers/creators), in creative teams and in the editorial teams. If all these parts remain homogeneous or continue drawing from the same, set, a sphere of influence, this will persist.
Of course, I hope change is coming but I think it will take time for more diversity and new voices to really take hold in established places and platforms of influence.
Note: Since this interview, Vogue made champion gymnast Simone Biles their cover star for their latest issue which you can see above.
You have now been written about in Vogue. How did that make you feel?
It felt unreal. I almost have no words for it. It felt like a dream and it happened so fast. But it's been a monumental highlight for me. It’s been a nice pat on the back and I feel like I'm on the right track, so I just have to keep going.
What has the reaction been like? How have you processed it all?
It was a bit scary getting so much attention and unexpectedly. The reaction has mostly been positive and encouraging. Funnily enough, in Norway, it kinda went under the radar. It happened so fast so I’m not sure if I’ve fully processed it.
Do you think younger people are able to dictate their needs to big companies through these viral challenges?
I think this is a tough question to unpack. Social media almost acts as its own world while print magazines and such are another. I do hope that the tide is turning and that it fosters change in companies like Vogue and others. But oftentimes such things are momentarily acknowledged then forgotten about: a trend rather than a movement.
However, I do hope it encourages us to champion for more inclusive spaces and platforms because there is not only a market for it but also a need to represent the full spectrum of creativity. I do believe we can all be activists in our own way through supporting each other and collaborating to make lasting and new avenues for change.
What's next for you?
I’m enjoying my holiday at the moment. I’ve been active in continuing the conversation, presenting my research, and shooting. I’m just taking it one day at a time really and having fun along the way.
To check out more of Angélique's work, visit her website here.
