On Saturday, January 9, it was reported Kamala Harris, the nation's first female, Black, and Indian Vice President, would be on the February cover of Vogue.
The cover image chosen was leaked at the same time.
Unfortunately, the leaked image of the upcoming cover was considered so bad many people online questioned whether it was even real.
The photo, which to many seemed slightly out of focus, featured the future Vice President in her trademark converse and a casual black suit smiling in front of an awkwardly-colored backdrop.
It was reported the image in question wasn't the cover photo Harris' staff agreed to after the shoot, leading many to wonder why Vogue leadership sent it to print.
The magazine revealed a second "digital" cover featuring Harris in a blue suit.
Sources claimed it was this other photo that was the cover Harris' team expected to see go to print.
Vogue's difficulty photographing Black women has been a running theme for many Twitter users.
The entire situation caused an intense online backlash.
People felt one of the world's premiere fashion magazines should be able to properly light and photograph Black women.
Many assumed details about the photographer.
Both photos were taken by Tyler Mitchell.
Mitchell became the first Black photographer to do an American Vogue cover when he shot Beyoncé in 2018. Mitchell shared only the photo of Harris in the blue suit to his Instagram.
In an official statement, Vogue said:
"[We] loved the images Tyler Mitchell shot and felt the more informal image captured Vice President-elect Harris's authentic, approachable nature—which we feel is one of the hallmarks of the Biden/Harris administration."
The Vogue cover is for February 2021, but the magazine reportedly was printed in December 2020 negating the possibility of changing the cover image now.
