Do Vogue photos of Zelenskyy and his wife ‘glamorize’ war?
By posing for shots for a Vogue include story, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, have sparked an on the net discussion about no matter if stylized imagery of the couple in fashion’s most legendary journal is ideal for the leader of a place less than attack by invading Russian troops.
As Russian missiles go on to pummel pieces of Ukraine, and civilian and military casualties mount on the two sides, the country’s first couple has confronted accusations from some that they indulged in a vainness venture in the midst of a war zone. They have been photographed for the intercontinental manner bible by Annie Leibovitz, best regarded for her photographs of A-record celebs, some of which are idiosyncratic and controversial but are pretty much often remarkably stylized and glamorous.
First Woman Olena Zelenska and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyiv, Ukraine, July 2022 / For @voguemagazine To Be Featured In Vogue Magazine, Oct 2022 pic.twitter.com/i6hMGsJ1lY
— Annie Leibovitz (@annieleibovitz) July 27, 2022
The photos for Vogue’s distinctive electronic protect story, shared on Vogue’s Instagram, clearly show the president and very first lady in a selection of ever more grim settings. A person reveals the two keeping hands across a desk in what appears to be like like his presidential workplace, when a further reveals Zelenska in a stylish white shirt and trim black slacks, sitting down on a grand staircase. Nevertheless, in this image, a rear wall is lined with sandbags, presumably to assistance fortify the creating from missile strikes. The president stands guard powering her.
In but an additional, the first woman drapes herself in a sweeping blue coat as she stands in front of the wreckage of an Antonov An-225 Mriya — once the world’s heaviest aircraft — with two troopers greatly outfitted in fatigues and military gear.
From a driving-the scenes online video of the picture shoot shared by Vogue, it seems that Leibovitz took a great offer of difficulties to appropriately mild the photos, whilst a tag for a stylist signifies that Zelenska, and potentially her spouse, prepped with hair and makeup persons.
A caption for a single of the war-themed pictures, shared on Vogue’s Instagram account Tuesday, reads: “In Ukraine, tens of thousands of women have been on the entrance strains, such as in combat, and initially girl Olena Zelenska’s part has more and more turned towards frontline diplomacy.”
One more caption reads: “Being initial lady is not a role Olena Zelenska ever desired to enjoy. ‘I like getting backstage — it suited me,’” she explained to Vogue in a broad-ranging job interview done in-person in Kyiv.
But like so many of her fellow Ukrainians in this war, Zelenska has risen to the event with grace and grit. “I’m making an attempt to do my best, she claimed.
Definitely, Zelenskyy, a former Tv set personality in Ukraine, has never ever avoided the limelight, and he’s been credited with employing his media savvy to hold the struggling of his folks in the headlines ever since Russia launched its internationally condemned invasion in late February.
In her Twitter feed, Leibovitz received superior praise for her “beautiful, haunting and heartbreakingly powerful pictures.” A single individual wrote, “You captured the war in their eyes. The a person with him keeping her provides tears to my eyes. Great get the job done.”
A person else, replying to Leibovitz, agreed that the pictures are “amazing,” but questioned, “Is this essential? Demonstrating a glamorous view of war? There is hundreds of folks suffering because of this conflict but (Zelenska) should look beautiful for Vogue. What a environment we’re dwelling in individuals.”
Other individuals, commenting on Vogue’s Instagram account, also wondered if the couple had crossed a line in the way they enable Leibovitz pose them.
“Romanticizing war isn’t it, Vogue,” a person man or woman stated. A further extra: “Something about them posing in the war zone does not sit right with me.”
“In the center of a war in his country he has time to do the address on Vogue,” explained a 3rd, whilst a person else made a grim joke: “Tactical gear this season’s most popular craze!”
“I never believe it’s the correct shift when there is an genuine war?… fancy lunch at the White Residence, Annie Leibovitz shoot,” still a different included.
The White Household “lunch” refers to a modern excursion Zelenksa manufactured to Washington D.C. to satisfy with President Biden, initial woman Dr. Jill Biden, and Secretary of Condition Antony Blinken. Though in Washington, she also manufactured a plea to Congress to supply much more armed service help to “protect one’s property and the appropriate to wake up alive in that home.”
Numerous other folks commenting on Vogue’s Instagram praised Ukraine’s 1st pair for the photo shoot. They claimed the few are accomplishing all they can to direct Ukraine for the duration of a horrific time and to make the environment conscious of the country’s ongoing plight.
“Thank you for applying your platform to help Ukraine,” 1 particular person mentioned, adding a coronary heart emoji.
“Love to all Ukrainians during this immensely challenging time,” explained an additional human being, sharing multiple heart emojis in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag. “Thank you Vogue for bringing awareness about Ukraine from the voices of precise Ukrainians.”