Trailblazing American politician Kamala Harris has made her debut on the cover of U.S. Vogue.
The 56-year-old, who made history in November when she became the first Black woman to be elected vice president, wore a casual black trouser suit and a white top as she fronted the February issue of the fashion bible, along with her signature Converse sneakers.
In a touching tribute to the sorority she joined during her time at Howard University, Harris is standing in front of a green and pink background; the colours of the institute’s Alpha Kappa Alpha.
A second digital cover sees Harris wearing a powder blue Michael Kors suit, and both pictures were taken by Tyler Mitchell, who became the first Black photographer to shoot the cover of U.S. Vogue in 2018.
In the cover story, Harris explained what it meant to become the first woman to be elected to the highest office in America, but also the first Black and the first Asian American vice president, and reflected on the empowering victory speech she gave in November.
“I always say this: I may be the first to do many things – make sure I’m not the last,” Harris, the daughter of Indian and Jamaican parents, stated. “I was thinking of my baby nieces, who will only know one world where a woman is vice president of the United States, a woman of colour, a Black woman, a woman with parents who were born outside of the United States.”
The simple cover was heavily criticised on social media, and journalist Yashar Ali claimed that the image of her wearing the Michael Kors suit had been the cover picked by the politician and her team, alongside U.S. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, but was changed at the last minute.
However, many praised Harris's subdued cover image, with one writing: “Kamala Harris on the cover of Vogue sends the message that you can be smart, powerful, and beautiful all while being a black woman in America."
