Vice President Kamala Harris was apparently no fan of her February 2021 Vogue cover and “felt belittled” after seeing a leaked image of the magazine, a new book claims.
In an excerpt of “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future” recently published by Politico, the authors wrote Harris asked aides, “Would Vogue depict another world leader this way?”
Related Story: Vogue Editor Anna Wintour Defends Controversial Kamala Harris Cover
“This Will Not Pass” is written by New York Times journalists Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.
According to the authors, Harris was unhappy with her styling in the photo, which showed her wearing Converse sneakers along with a black jacket, matching pants and a white T-shirt, while standing in front of pink and green curtains — in a nod to the colors of her sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.
The book also claims then-Harris aide, Symone Sanders, spoke with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and relayed that the vice president disapproved of the photo.
The cover sparked controversy when it was leaked ahead of the presidential inauguration. Critics on social media said the image was “inappropriate” for a woman of Harris’ political stature. Some also accused Vogue of having a questionable history when it comes to featuring Black women on the cover.
Related Story: Vogue Magazine Criticized for Cover Making Black Models Look ‘Tragic’
Wintour defended the cover and described it as “welcoming.” She also noted in an interview with the New York Times’ “Sway” podcast that the photo was shot by Tyler Mitchell, who is Black and previously photographed Beyoncé and pop star Harry Styles.
As previously reported, Vogue took notice of the backlash and decided to use a different photo of Harris in a blue power suit for a limited edition print cover.
“In recognition of the enormous interest in the digital cover, and in celebration of this historic moment, we will be publishing a limited number of special edition inaugural issues,” Vogue said at the time.
Vice President-elect @KamalaHarris is our February cover star!
Making history was the first step. Now Harris has an even more monumental task: to help heal a fractured America—and lead it out of crisis. Read the full profile: https://t.co/W5BQPTH7AU pic.twitter.com/OCFvVqTlOk
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) January 10, 2021
