Beyoncé’s mom Tina Knowles has called out Vogue magazine for not hiring enough Black photographers for cover shoots.
The 66-year-old businesswoman took to Instagram on Monday to applaud Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, for his latest issue, which stars Black activists on the cover, in an image shot by Black photographer Misan Harriman.
But she also took the opportunity to call out American Vogue, accusing the magazine of not doing enough to spotlight Black talent.
Speaking out: Beyoncé’s mom Tina Knowles has called out Vogue magazine for not hiring enough Black photographers for cover shoots
New: British Vogue’s latest issue stars Black activists on the cover, in an image shot by Black photographer Misan Harriman
The 66-year-old took to Instagram on Monday to applaud editor-in-chief Edward Enninful (left), but she seemed to criticize American Vogue boss Anna Wintour
‘Kudos to this wonderful Man Mr. Edward Enningful!! [sic] Editor of “British Vogue“ for boldly putting our beautiful Activists on the cover!!!’ she wrote, captioning a photo of Enninful.
‘When will American Vogue step up and hire more Black Photographers for cover shoots? We’re waiting…….’
Tina shared two other Instagram posts about the new issue, including the cover with soccer player Marcus Rashard and model Adwoa Aboah and another version with American activist Tamika Mallory.
‘Yesssss!!!!! Congratulations Tamika and congratulations British Vogue!!!!! … for Putting this beautiful bold modern day freedom fighter on the cover of your magazine,’ she wrote.
‘And all of the other beautiful sisters !!!! out here fighting for our rights and our justice!!! Tamika is a gift to us, as she fights fearlessly every day in the trenches Getting arrested, Giving those who don’t have a voice a big voice! Let’s support her in anyway we can.’
The images were shot by Misan Harriman, the first Black male photographer to shoot a cover of British Vogue since the magazine launched 104 years ago. The rest of the team involved in the shoot was also mostly Black.
‘When will American Vogue step up and hire more Black Photographers for cover shoots? We’re waiting…….’ she wrote
Talented family: Tina is mom to Beyoncé and Solange
Photog: The images were shot by Misan Harriman, the first Black male photographer to shoot a cover of British Vogue since the magazine launched 104 years ago
American Vogue’s most recent cover star, for its August issue, is Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.
But Simone, 23, was shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz — a decision that has been slammed on social media.
Most of the criticism has come from people who take issue with Leibovitz’ lighting technique, accusing the photographer of not knowing how to light dark skin tones.
‘Simone Biles deserved better than Annie Leibovitz bad lighting,’ writier Britni Danielle complained.
“This @Simone_Biles shoot was great but again, I’m disappointed at how many professional photographers don’t know how to treat dark skin,’ Twitter user Nowlen Webb added. ‘These edits took less than 10 mins to color correct.’
‘I think what’s important to keep in mind is that although currently we’re talking about Vogue, this is historical. Photographers over time have neglected accurately capturing dark skin tones; this even goes even back to the creation of color film itself,’ he added.
Many other Twitter users chimed in to call on Vogue to hire more Black photographers — both on principle and to eliminate problems like this one.
Star: American Vogue’s most recent cover star, for its August issue, is Olympic gymnast Simone Biles
Called out: She was shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, a decision that has been slammed on social media with those who take issue with Leibovitz’ lighting technique, accusing the photographer of not knowing how to light dark skin tones
It took until 2018 for Vogue to hire a Black photographer to shoot its cover, after Beyoncé hand-picked him to shoot her for the September issue.
Tyler Mitchell was the first Black photographer to shoot a cover in 125 years of the magazine.
‘You know, we should be shooting covers of Vogue month to month, not just as a first,’ he told NPR at the time.
‘[Photography] was known as a rich man’s art, so it was mostly for white men who were able to afford all of the chemicals, the films, the cameras that went into it in the very early stages,’ he went on.
‘It’s a historical thing that goes into why there just haven’t comparatively been as many black fashion photographers as white fashion photographers. But the part that I can’t answer is why they haven’t been recognized … the amazing Black photographers and black fashion photographers that have been shooting.
‘The iPhone is the thing that opened up everything. The beautiful thing about now is that it’s no longer somebody that can afford the best camera, but it’s about what your eye says.’
Flashback: It took until 2018 for Vogue to hire a Black photographer to shoot its cover, after Beyonce hand-picked him to shoot her for the September issue
Honor: Tyler Mitchell was the first Black photographer to shoot a cover in 125 years of the magazine
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour typically control all the content of the magazine, but in this case, the reigns were handed over to Beyoncé herself.
‘The reason a 23-year-old black photographer photographed Beyoncé for the cover of Vogue is because Beyoncé used her power and influence to get him that assignment,’ a source at Vogue said.
Mitchell — who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and now lives in New York City — graduated from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 2017, and by the time he was hired by Vogue, his work had appeared in Office Magazine and The Fader.
Earlier in 2018, he was also chosen by Teen Vogue to photograph gun violence survivors for its March for Our Lives feature back in March.
Mitchell has also filmed advertisements for several prominent clients, including American Eagle, Givenchy, and Marc Jacobs. He’s also done advertisement work for companies such as Nike, Converse, Mercedes-Benz, and Ray-Ban.