American Vogue has apologised after being heavily criticised on social media for claiming to promote ‘gender fluidity’ through the cover story in their August issue.
The issue featured model Gigi Hadid and singer Zayn Malik wearing several similar outfits - from Prada brown corduroy suits and floral Gucci suits, to Marc Jacobs tracksuits - as Vogue hailed them as being “part of a new generation embracing gender fluidity”.
The fashion title has since admitted it “missed the mark” after facing a backlash online for their use of the term “gender fluid” to describe fashion rather than a person who does not identify as having a fixed gender.
In an accompanying interview for the magazine, the celebrity couple discusses swapping clothing and experimenting with fashion.
“Totally. It’s not about gender. It’s about, like, shapes. And what feels good on you that day. And anyway, it’s fun to experiment,” says Hadid.
“If Zayn’s wearing a tight shirt and tight jeans and a big, drapey coat, I mean—I’d wear that, too. It’s just about, do the clothes feel right on you?”
Social media users took to Twitter to point out that swapping clothes does not represent gender fluidity:
In a statement issued to Fashionista, a Vogue spokesperson said:
“The story was intended to highlight the impact the gender-fluid, non-binary communities have had on fashion and culture.”
“We are very sorry the story did not correctly reflect that spirit - we missed the mark.
“We do look forward to continuing the conversation with greater sensitivity.”