Vogue Apologizes for 'Missing the Mark' on Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik's Joint Cover
Earlier this week Gigi Hadid and boyfriend Zayn Malik were both ecstatic to grace the cover of Vogue‘s August issue — it marked Malik’s first cover for the magazine and Hadid’s second. But their news was quickly mired with controversy.
The couple posed in a series of matching coordinating tracksuits and funky formalwear throughout the editorial, which was meant to showcase the trend of gender fluid fashion that designers and young millennials are embracing. But the magazine quickly saw backlash in its misuse of the term “gender fluidity” and misunderstanding and misrepresenting transgender and gender nonconforming identities in the accompanying article.
A Vogue spokeswoman provided a statement to Fashionista that reads: “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.”
In the piece, the couple explained that they believe in wearing whatever feels right for them.
Hadid, 22, admitted she regularly shops out of Mailk’s closet, and Malik recalled the Anna Sui T-shirt he recently plucked from Hadid’s closet. “I like that shirt. And if it’s tight on me, so what? It doesn’t matter if it was made for a girl,” the 24-year-old singer told the magazine.
Hadid agreed: “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.”
She said she’d consider wearing anything Malik wears as long as she feels comfortable: “It’s just about, Do the clothes feel right on you?”
Hadid’s little brother, 18-year-old Anwar Hadid, also made a cameo in the spread, wearing lace-trimmed blouses and pajama dressing suits throughout. He also doesn’t see restriction in clothing based on traditional gender norms saying, “People our age, we’re just chill. You can be whoever you want as long as you’re being yourself.”
As with many Vogue cover stars, Hadid also got her first 73 Questions video experience, where she revealed that her fashion icons switch between Rihanna and the Olsen twins. (She admitted she’s obsessed with Rihanna.)
Her most memorable magazine cover is her first for Vogue, while the biggest moment of her career so far is getting all four Vogue covers — French, British, Italian and American.
She also spilled some dirt on her relationship with Malik saying that she can’t pick one tattoo of his that’s her favorite, but she can name her favorite pie that he bakes: “Chicken and sweet corn; it’s like a hug.”
The August issue of Vogue hits newsstands July 25th.
What do you think of their joint Vogue cover?
