Has The 'Tiny Tots Editorial' In Vogue Gone Too Far?
In the December issue of French Vogue, the amazing Carine Roitfeld, Editor-in-chief and famed image-maker, has gone where she said she would not go.
In the winter issue of Ten Magazine
(released in October 2010), Carine stated, “I have a lot of freedom,
but know how far I can go.”
Where would she draw the line?
“Kids
[are] something very touchy now,” she said. But the iconic editor,
along with iconic pal Tom Ford, have published a shoot more shocking
than any work past. The spread, photographed by Sharif Hamza and styled
by Melanie Huynh, features dolled-up children wearing couture in
suggestive, compromising, and (dare I say) creepy poses.
The
first thing I think of when looking at the spread is Jon Benet Ramsey
and America’s obsession with beauty pageants. The uber made-up children
remind me of the little girls on TLC’s trashy show, Toddlers in Tiaras. They
also remind me of the Fashion industry’s scary obsession with youth.
We’ve become accustomed to seeing teenagers dressed in clothing
marketed at middle-aged women. But, today, we are looking at actual
children - not tweens - selling silk slit gowns, stilettos, fur and
lace.
This is not a quirky-cute editorial, nor is it a riff on children playing dress-up in their mother’s clothes. Their facial expressions and poses are more serious than silly. And that’s what’s most offputting. That’s where I start to think that the children are being sexualized to sell women’s clothes.
Roitfeld is always extraordinary, and she’s keen on keeping things fresh and exciting, but this spread seems to have pushed the envelope just a bit too far. It also happens to sit mere pages away from a shoot by Terry Richardson, who is no stranger to sex, minors, and controversy. Luckily, he wasn’t involved in the Hamza spread -- although we wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he was...
I must say that I do appreciate newness in an industry that often
recycles, but there are other ways to entice and engage your audience.
There has to be a more creative way of stirring things up and sending a
message – whatever their message might be.
I love you, Carine, but I can’t say I’m with you on this one. What do you think?
 Hayley Brehl | |
| About the author: | |
Hayley Brehl obtained her BA in English and Creative Writing at Concordia University in Montreal. Living there she met designer, Andy The-Anh and assisted him on her days off from poetry class. That’s when everything changed. She moved back to Toronto and began pursuing a career in fashion. Her favorite things are wedge heels, Indian take-out and her Persian kitten, Moe. | |
| Read More >> | |
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