Vogue's September cover reveal is a highly anticipated event in the fashion industry. And when you add Beyoncé, someone who rarely sits for magazine shoots or interviews, to the mix, as had been rumored for weeks? Well, you know it'll be a moment. On Monday, Vogue (which, full disclosure, is also owned by Glamour publisher Condé Nast) revealed that, yes, the performer is this month's star—and more importantly, that this issue would be a historic one for the 126-year-old magazine: Beyoncé's Vogue September cover would mark the first one by an African-American photographer.
Tyler Mitchell, a 23-year-old artist based in New York, photographed Beyonc´e's two covers, as well as the accompanying editorial. In the first, she wears a white dress and flower crown, similar to the headpiece worn by Rihanna on the September cover of British Vogue.; in the other, she wears a strapless, belted gown.
"When I first started, 21 years ago, I was told that it was hard for me to get onto covers of magazines because black people did not sell. Clearly that has been proven a myth," Beyoncé continued. "Not only is an African American on the cover of the most important month for Vogue, this is the first-ever Vogue cover shot by an African American photographer."
Beyoncé went on to address the power structures that prevent true representation and explained why advocating for diversity in her creative projects matters. "If people in powerful positions continue to hire and cast only people who look like them, sound like them, come from the same neighborhoods they grew up in, they will never have a greater understanding of experiences different from their own," she explained. "They will hire the same models, curate the same art, cast the same actors over and over again, and we will all lose. The beauty of social media is it’s completely democratic. Everyone has a say. Everyone’s voice counts, and everyone has a chance to paint the world from their own perspective."The significance of Beyoncé's Vogue September cover is not lost on its photographer. Speaking to Vogue, Mitchell said he recognizes the role his images will have in increasing representation for artists belonging to minority groups. "There was a ladder for the people who came before me, and there’s a ladder now—it’s just a new ladder," he explained. "I want to open the eyes of the kids younger than me, show them that they can do this too.” When sharing the project on his Instagram, Mitchell wrote, "This is as much about forming firsts as it is about leaving legacies. Here’s @beyonce by me for the September 2018 issue of American Vogue. Honored to have worked with such an icon."
Given her global reach as a performer, Beyoncé acknowledged the power she has as an established artist and gatekeeper in the entertainment industry, like ensuring that an African American photographer and journalist would oversee her cover story. "It’s important to me that I help open doors for younger artists. There are so many cultural and societal barriers to entry that I like to do what I can to level the playing field, to present a different point of view for people who may feel like their voices don’t matter," she said. "Imagine if someone hadn’t given a chance to the brilliant women who came before me: Josephine Baker, Nina Simone, Eartha Kitt, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, and the list goes on. They opened the doors for me, and I pray that I’m doing all I can to open doors for the next generation of talents."
The September issue of Vogue is typically the most talked about of the year, and this time it featured not one but two icons on the cover: Beyoncé, for American Vogue, and Rihanna for British Vogue. On Beyoncé's U.S.-based cover, the singer stuns in a white Victorian-esque prairie dress in front of a white sheet, her smize in full effect. Meanwhile, Rihanna sports dainty brows and orange gloves on her cover as she casually stares into every British Vogue reader's soul. Rihanna and Bey are each brilliant and talented, but wait: What's that? They're both wearing flower crowns on their Vogue covers! The horror!
Obviously, I kid: Bey and Rih are both more than allowed to wear flower crowns at the same time and serve lewks. It appears, however, as if certain segments of their fandoms aren't too happy the singers are rocking similar vibes. As first reported by BuzzFeed, a few Beyoncé and Rihanna fans are currently at war over which star was the first to wear a flower crown. "Thanks for the Rihanna concept," one fan replied to Vogue's tweet of Beyoncé's cover, while another wrote, "Hmmm seems a bit like @BritishVogue cover with Rihanna to me?" More fans soon came out of the woodwork with receipts, comebacks, and ad hominem attacks.
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