The September issue of British Vogue is devoted to Black Lives Matterm racial-justice conversations and activists doing work around race and racism. Editor-in-chief Edward Enninful was actually promoting the September issue in that interview where he said that sh-t about the Duchess of Sussex. Enninful said that Meghan wasn’t only going up against racism, she was going up against a lot of different elements in Britain, and that she came in without knowing “the rules.” What he said was pretty awful, although I maintain that his central point about Meghan was somewhat correct, he just said it in a terrible way which got him yelled at by the Sussex Squad.
Someone tipped me off about British Vogue just publishing their “Vogue 25: The Women Shaping 2020” list this morning. It’s just a listicle of British women who are being labeled “changemakers” or whatever. The list includes Michaela Coel, Emily Maitlis (the journalist who destroyed Prince Andrew) and Florence Pugh (sad clown noise). The list also includes… the Queen?? Here’s the write-up on the Queen:
On 5 April, as the country grappled with fear and grief, Queen Elizabeth II made a television address to the nation, the fifth in her 68-year reign. Her pitch-perfect message, ending with the promise “We will meet again”, echoing the words of Vera Lynn, was watched by some 24 million people. Even in 2020 – a precarious year for the royal family in other ways – the Queen is still a source of unique solace and support to the public.
There are already people spinning conspiracies about how Buckingham Palace “got” to Edward Enninful and that’s why he said that sh-t about Meghan and why he’s now on the Queen’s side or whatever. I think the simpler explanation is that Enninful is a British person and it seems like the overwhelming majority of people have an issue with calling out racism when they see it. It also seems like people in Britain are simply brainwashed into thinking that the Queen is some kind of symbolic figure of national strength, when really she’s just a very old and very petty woman who doesn’t give a sh-t about anyone other than a handful of white family members.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.
That cover is EVERYTHING tho!
To me Adwoa Aboah is THE most beautiful woman right now, everytime she comes on tv, I playback cause she’s just so pretty!
It is soooo good. I almost feel sorry for American vogue because they will NOT top this (yep, I’m putting it out there)…
Meghan’s effect is unbelievable. She really was the blueprint for this issue with her September vogue from 2019.
As for including the Queen. What a mess. No woman in a position of such perceived power has done less for women than QE2… she’s set us back yeaaaaarrrrsss, because NONE of her actions are her own choices and personal thoughts. Just does what a bunch of idiotic, racist, sexist men tell her is right.
So over Vogue now
Yes, Duchess Meghan association with them brought noteriety they haven’t seen in years. What is this trailing everything the Duchess does? I’m so through with Vogue.
Wow. Petty Betty and her courtiers were pissed about the Vogue Changemakers issue.
YUP. My thoughts exactly.
Very much so.
She said a few words and then went back to her lavish, completely unearned life of luxury. Not impressed.
The woman who is the literal symbol of an unchanging, outdated institution? The woman who ordered a media blackout for her paedophile, rapist son? lol okay. I thought Camila T was just talking shit when she cried about the Queen not being included in the forces for change issue, but obviously, the palace did feel a way. I don’t think they ever acknowledged it but I could be wrong.
Yeah, that was my first thought too – that Camilla T was speaking for Buckingham palace when she complained about the queen not being included last year.
Makes sense. The royal family twitter account never mentioned Meghan’s Vogue issue and even said she couldn’t put out a behind the scenes video (that Sussex Royal later posted in March) They were probably pissed.
That was my thought too. She does not deserve any credit at this point and it must have been the palace complaining that got her a spot on the list. All she does is cover up for her molester son and the racist palace staff. Gross.
This would be no different than putting Putin in the Russian edition of Vogue. Propaganda at its finest.
Another thing: he,as a black man in a position of power, might feel compelled to deliver great results. Including the Queen in the list is a way to appease and attract audiences who are “bored” with racism.
There’s Stormzy though and John Boyega & Lewis Hamilton all black british men who have positions of power but still spoke up, Edward is just trash
Umm clearly Buckingham palace bought her this accolade and write-up to combat ‘the queen has become irrelevant and out of touch’ sentiment going around after the Sussexexit debacle. Petty Betty is no face of hope. She can go kick rocks with her corgis.
100% this. The whole thing is so laughable. To have this insular, old, out of touch racist included with these people doing AMAZING work is just really ridiculous.
Palace clearly staying pressed by Duchess Meg. Petty Betty stays salty.
This is a joke, right?
QEII stands for the opposite of change. She hasn’t shaped anything this year – she did an address after people had been asking for weeks and then she’s been in isolation.
RIGHT!! 68 years of “rule” and only her FIFTH (5) public address ever!! That speaks volumes to her elitist institutional role. She does not give a s&%^ about the citizens of the UK, let alone the Common Wealth!
And correct me if I am wrong but one of those addresses was forced on her after Princess Diana’s death.
She has always had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern age – she is always FORCED to change. It is not even that she shapes something in a negative way – because she is the very epitome of inaction. She only ever acts when she’s forced to, when her accustomed inaction could cost her her position.
She does inspire some people, like the article said, but I wouldn’t put her name next to BLM activists. And like someone said above, her role is to represent an unchanging institution filled with protocol, hierarchy and rules. She’s literally not supposed to “shape” anything. Adapt? Yes but she’s not supposed to be some “game changer”.
She inspires the right wing, pro-Brexit BRITISH types.
I am so disappointed.
Yes Sarah, exactly
How is inspiring Hatie Hokins of the world a positive thing?
How on earth is she a changemaker? She’s the head of a very outdated institution that no one is willing to change because “tradition.” (and I’m not even talking about abolishing the monarchy!)
Had she championed the Sussexes and given approval to their PT royal work, then maybe I could see it, because it would say she understands the current climate and knows the monarchy and the royal family needs to adapt. But…..that did not happen.
Even if people do see her as a source of strength and continuity and whatever, she’s still the opposite of a changemaker.
This exactly.
Exactly! She’s basically a living time capsule. Not at all representative of modernity and adaptation. Influential? Yes. Changemaker? Absolutely not.
WORD.
Summed it up perfectly. The Queen has never been an innovator and has only instigated the few changes she has made due to pressure from others. She and the monarchy are increasingly irrelevant except to the diehard royalists. The recent pandemic has reinforced this view for me.
If the UK wants to be defined as a nation that protects rapists of trafficked children and punishers of black people who dare step out of their “place,” then this queen is the shaper of 2020 that they deserve. Good for them. I’ll be over here in America making sure I’m not defined by the tangerine catastrophy inhabiting my government. I certainly won’t celebrate him or her.
👋👋👋
I mean…if you can separate yourself from the orange catastrophe and not be defined by him, why are the people of the UK defined by the rapists and traffickers of children? You think there are no activists in the UK, no anti-monarchists, no black lives matter movement? You think we’re defined by the royal family, by Vogue?
Luckily we have elections. I have every hope that Cheeto Twitler will be evicted and we can work to redefine ourselves as a country. Right now, USA is associated with Trump and all he stands for. The UK *as a whole* doesn’t seem to mind the association with the monarchy, the queen and all it/she stands for, which includes a lack of reflection on a racist colonial past, current position on events/movements and sentiment.
@heatherc, well looks like you’ve made up your mind about us, so I don’t see the point of continuing the conversation.
Last thing I’ll say is, I’m not that into the “whose racism is worse, UK or the US?” conversation that pops up here frequently. I find it insulting to POC (of which I’m one), we suffer from racism wherever we are.
Wow. If Enniful was experiencing pressure from Buckingham Palace to include he should have grown a damn spine and said no.
Having Petty Betty on this list totally negates the point of it
Exactly!!
He won’t. He recently got an honorary title by the queen, an OBE, so he is paying back the honour. By giving him that title, they knew he would trade his loyalty to Meghan for a higher ranked royal (you know that when you watch how certain people react when being praised for their work/achievements). That’s what the queen and her first woman, Kelly, wanted and they succeeded. Perhaps they gave him the OBE as a trade off.
Wow. Wtf is she doing there…her sole purpose is to maintain the establishment.
he’s a sellout. I heard some tea that he and Naomi fell out months ago. I bet she checked him on some issue and that’s why. I’m turned off a bit.
I have a sliver of sympathy for him cause he’s still a black man navigating a long-standing white institution but this sucks and is black mark on an otherwise good issue.
true. I hear you.
LOL
Things that make you go hmm.
You know, I would go further to argue that Lizzie and the Royals are the British version of “Make America Great Again.” I don’t know how much you know about colonial history, but the things England did around the world at the peak of Empire (causing mass famine in Bengal, wilfully selling opium to millions of Chinese, stealing land in Kenya etc. etc.) are no cause for celebration. So much of the Royal Family’s wealth–the tiaras etc. that all the fashion blogs salivate over–was illegally obtained. There is nothing that is admirable about this family or institution. So to me, as someone from the Commonwealth, I am baffled that Americans–even the liberal ones–continue to be fascinated by the European royals while at the same time hating Trump & Melania. Admiration for the royal family is the same thing as nostalgia for a past where one group of people benefited at the expense of everyone else.
The monarchy IS tradition–the whole point of defending tradition is to protect the monarchy.
The Queen literally embodies the establishment that set up slavery and genocide across the world and she’s done nothing to apologize for it. She’s the opposite of change because she never does. The main reason some people like her is because she’s always been there. Inertia does not mean change. All she’s done is hide away and now she’s going to Scotland because her routine can’t dare change for this worldwide disaster. The UK has one of the highest per capita death rates in the world but none of that could actually affect her life despite cities going back into lockdown.
Her speech was pretty pathetic too. It was weeks after the pandemic had started and she quote a song that only old people on the verge of death really remember. The bootlickers may have cooed about it but even in most Commonwealth countries it was barely a blip.
Jacinda Arden was far more of a change maker regarding the pandemic. She took action and now New Zealand is free of covid.
The Queen did nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Enninful cares way more now about sucking up to the working Royals than he ever did about collaborating with Meghan. This ridiculous accolade, so undeserved by the Queen, and coming right on his dissing Meghan (and yes, that’s what it was), is disgusting.
I hope he is feeling the utmost shame for this sell-out.
This queen doesn’t belong in Vogue with that cover. She’s literally what activism is fighting against: an old, racist, sexist institution.
I know, its just a slap in the face to include her.
It undermines the whole point of the issue.
Well that’s one issue I won’t be buying. Sooo disappointed that he needed to include queenie, talk about kissing royal arse.
My opinion of him has gone way down, bloody sell out!
I don’t know what it is with some of my fellow black brits, it’s like they have a huge need to do anything in order to be accepted, which will never happen!
Exactly. And he said it himself: whatever the achievement, black and brown people in Britain will never be accepted as equal to white Brits (by the establishment). They will always have to prove themselves in every situation. Yet he has fallen for the beguiling to belong.
I just don’t understand this. Has she come out and said anything about BLM, instiutional racism, colonialism or any human rights at all? How can she possibly be included in an issue about activism? And why hasn’t Meghan been included in an issue about activists? Last year EE said what he was most proud of was that issue… and now he has changed his tune. He’s def. had a talking to by the publisher …
I don’t understand why there isn’t a petition by Brits to have her removed as the head of the Church of England. By not speaking out about human rights and harboring and protecting a pedophile/human trafficker/child rapist she has demonstrated that she has no morals whatsoever.
Because as we are seeing, institutions like this continue to be propped up by the systems around them.
DERELICTE!! I don’t really look to fashion magazines for an interpretation of current events. However, I recognize the power of art in effecting change. Fashion can be art. But it can also be an extremely bourgeois, vain, elitist, materialistic, exclusive and exclusionary club.
Hah! And you are absolutely right. Vogue is super establishment so this isn’t that surprising.
I am shocked that Kate was not included. The Kate stans will be disappointed.
😂😂 Maybe the CEO will get an issue devoted just to her.
The Queen doesn’t shape anything, let alone a momentous year like 2020. WHAT has she done besides utter a few words of hope to be placed on a list of 20 trailblazers. Let’s pay homage to Black Panthers and black activism but include a privileged white woman who hasn’t so much acknowledged the largest social justice movement in decades?? Every Brit comes in here and tells us that most Brits don’t even think about the royal family Let alone be shaped by it. It’s a bizarre head scratcher and feels so out of place that I actually buy that the palace pressured British Vogue to include her.
I wouldn’t expect them to put Meghan but let’s be real, the Sussexes sent shockwaves around the world when they announced their decision to step down and have been the number one topic of all the royals, if you want to include a royal. It’s even more odd to include the Queen on the same list as the JOURNALIST WHO INTERVIEWED HER CORRUPT PEDO SON.
I’ll just end by saying that Edward is British but had no problem calling out the racism that affected him a few weeks ago.
Oh yeah. I wonder how much govt money she spent for that.
How much did the BRF pay to get the cover? She’s nothing more than a PR prop for a dying monarchy.
I said on another post the other day, that British Vogue didn’t post a happy birthday pic of Meghan on their Instagram, where they have recently posted birthday pics of all the other royals. They did post on twitter though. But I was looking over their twitter and I literally saw about 4-5 posts on kate in the last few days. Their Instagram feed has multiple posts on the Cambridge’s, and Diana and the last post they had of Meghan was from may on archies birthday. The palace has got to them and I do think Edward is most likely under a lot of pressure to literally bow down. It’s a damn shame, especially given how much money Meghan made vogue with her issue. I’d love to see how much money Kate would bring in….oh wait I forgot her issue flopped. Oh well, another one bites the dust, it seems every corner of British media is now owned by the palace. Well atleast the didn’t name kate as top woman shaping 2020. That would be ridiculous.
Very well said. It was hurtful to see British Vogue disregard Meghans birthday on their Instagram which seemingly has their biggest following but posted a photo celebrating Kate’s holiday return. It was truly disgusting. There’s no denying Edward has been bought by the royal family to elevate them after the Tatler debacle. He’s being puppeted. Sad to watch he could this to Meghan.
Like I said the palace are doing their very best to own every corner of the media. But at what cost? My guess is they will pay with interviews with the Cambridge’s, access, money, leaks on the Sussex’s, as well as dishing out knighthoods and honours to all those at the top who participated. Anyone who disagrees will face losing their jobs. I think Edward has had to toe the line here, he may be the editor of vogue but there are a lot more powerful people above him pulling the strings, who can easily show him the door if he doesn’t play along.
I’m just wondering when the bubble going to burst, how much longer can this charade go on for? Who is brave enough to challenge this and expose what is going on?
They shut down that American reporter’s investigation into Pedo Andrew and Epstein with threats of denying future access to the Cambridges. I wouldn’t put it past the courtiers to try the same thing with Enninful now, telling him that the Cambridges are the FFKQ and that he better promote the current royals or else lose access. Enninful’s comments the other day about Meghan were a definite about-face on his part, no matter how subtle. Meghan needs all the support in the world right now and Enninful didn’t give it. They got to him, for sure. Will we see Kate on the cover of Vogue this year to make up for the Tatler mess?
Is that all they have to offer “access to the Cambridge’s “. It’s funny because they have been doing a hell of a lot of interviews lately, when before they never did any. No one even knew what kate sounded like. The thing is the Cambridge’s don’t generate income like harry and Meghan. All four are in their peak now, it doesn’t matter that Willie and Kate are the FFKQ, cos Charles is up first and literally no one cares. Once any famous person hits their 40s they’re not young anymore. So the investment into the Keenbridges will not pay out in the future. I’m hoping American media will see that, but I don’t have much faith, I think the palace has taken over the British media, and will do the same around the world.
I do think British vogue will do something with Kate, and the sales will be fudged to make it look more popular than meghans. No doubt it will be praised to the heavens.
I get what you’re saying but I still have to laugh at their threat of taking away access to the Cambridge’s. Like, what kind of threat is that? They are two of the least interesting people who don’t do much of anything. FFKQ zzzzz….
I think this and new Vanity Fair will be interesting issues.
On one hand the Queen as influential is contradictory seeing as in a constitutional monarchy she is meant to just be a symbol& the thing with that speech is that people said fact she is a stable figure was what reassured them with the uncertainty that this pandemic had brought.
On the other hand- stories about Prince Andrew& even her involvement in the sacking of Australian GG doesn’t get the mileage you would think so maybe she does wield influence over the media at least.
Personally, since I’m in the US I’m not really giving two sh!ts about British Vogue. But this dude should be canceled because he’s acting like he’s totally clueless. However, I’m wondering if American Vogue will try and reach out to her and maybe that is why Meghan wasn’t included in the British Vogue issue.
I mean, it’s BS that she’s in this issue at all, but I am LOLing at the fact that she’s in it with Emily Maitlis, who is the undisputed winner of Murdered By Words: House of York Edition.
Me too.
Disappointed Edward caved to powers that be. I don’t know if there is no formal organization established to stand up for minorities in the UK.
Yes there *are* organisations fighting for minorities in the UK, thanks for asking.
Seems like EE is keen to demonstrate that HE knows “the rules.” Too bad he didn’t include Virginia Guiffre on the list, right below the Queen. (I know she’s not British, but still, that would have been masterful shade.)
The queens terrible judgement denying H&Ms wish to keep representing her as part time royal really launched their lives on a global platform. Is that how this woman with a gold piano was influential?
Enninful is a mess of contradictions right now. I know he put the Queen in there because of the backlash to last years Forces for Change issue he did with Meghan. He used a black photographer and a primarily black team to work on this issue, something I don’t think he would have been able to do without the clout and visibility last years issue he did with Meghan gave him. This is in some ways a direct follow up but instead of giving her credit, he decides to go all revisionist and shade her. It comes across as fake and bitchy. He didn’t need to go there, especially since he himself is talking about his own experiences with racism, beyond the doorman incident. He doesn’t need to defend her, a lot has changed, but he should move on and keep it professional when speaking about her.
Elizabeth, the head of one of the oldest institutions that aided and abetted slavery, racism, colonialism, classism, etc., all across the world, and continues to do so, no! This unacceptable.
By including the Queen, does it not emphasize that she’s NOT a force for change? Because the comparisons with everyone else forces acknowledgement that she is the OPPOSITE of a force for change?
I’m saying this badly, but by ‘bowing’ to the castle, does he not effectively shine a light on how Ms. PettyBetty is the exact opposite of every other person on the list? It emphasizes her irrelevance, to me, at least……,
30 pieces of silver Edward E.
The doorman directed you to the back entrance not because you are black but because you are a hypocritical piece of shit and a sellout.
As for Petty Betty? What has she ever done for women and people of colour? She is praised for merely existing. Stop shielding your pedo son. And when your great grandson is compared to a chimpanzee say something you horrible woman.
Bloody hell! I’m just now hearing about this. What an insult to the other people on the list who EARNED their place. I agree with you Kaiser, Edward seems to have done this to gain favour. I remember CamelTominey saying in her hate column how Meghan was insulting lizzy for not having her as force for change.
This was a stupid move. Essentially at a time of when institutional racism, colonial history ,inequality & police brutality is making headlines. You’d think as a black man who was racially harassed/made uncomfortable would understand how this looks. Black brits wont take this and might face criticism
The Insider has an excellent piece written by Mikhaila Friel on the Royal Family turning a blind eye to it’s racist past and going back to Queen Elizabeth I in the 1560s supporting a Captain who sold slaves as well as the abuse directed at Meghan. They even approached Buckingham Palace for a comment but got no response lol
Wow this isn’t good. She’s all about fairytales, glass slippers,carriages, moth balls, ben gay, Dedtol, Edwardian, Victorian, Masterpiece theater, girdle, white bras, full slips, stockings, max factor lip stick. She a great grandma. Maybe she’s not aware. The DDOC n courtiers were pissed. This is so immature and petty. These people aren’t bright. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. Their royals by default. It’s too GHETTO without the FABULOUS. Say whatever about the Kardashian’s=family. Sure there’s jealousy, goddamn not this. Three years of non stop bullying. They have turned off a lot of people. Look how England is supporting the Irrelevant Sussex. Charities are teaming up. Their charities are getting donations. They have $&@ up! This is worse then Diana. Harry at 12 forced to suppress his feelings. Their marginalizing him. Troll allowed to call Meghan n Doria ever name under the sun. Your attacked if you show. It’s GREAT EXPECTATION! Liz a bad bitch. She got great foundation to hide all those tear drops. She’s OG n stripped “BITCH better have my adrenochrome!”
I thought this year’s Vogue issue is brave of Edward, featuring all black crew and black personalities on the cover and thanks to Meghan, Edward continued with the Forces of Change theme, but as usual the jealousy of the royal family of Meghan’s highly acclaimed Vogue issue, has compelled them to twist Edward’s arms to contrived to keep The Queen on this list. If I were doing Verbal Reasoning, and a list of Chang Makers were given to me to circle the Odd One Out, the right answer would be; D, The Queen. Edward just chickened out, not acknowleging that what Meghan faced was racism, that was corwardice. The rules bit, I can defend, because what he said was, Meghan is very brave, but she walked in an institution with a lot of rules, and doesn’t take a minute to learn them, meaning, Meghan was not given the chance to even make mistakes, seeing as she is an American. That was my understanding of what he said. Grow some balls and intergrity, Edward
Most Brits (of all kind: white, black, brsuwn, poor, rich, newly arrived migrants) adept to and accept – some since upbringing – their class society and are really indoctrinated to believe in the ‘greatness of their God sent queen, and in the ‘she never put a footh wrong mantra’. But in fact, in her 65 years rein, she did almost nothing to change or affect the lives of ordanary Brittons in a meaningful way. She’s only interested in protecting the monarhy and it’s old ways, her assets and certain members of her family.
The ultimate wish of every Brit is to receive a honoray title by the Queen. The higher the rank/tittle the better. The are all very susceptible to it , because it ups their status in their class society. They will never skip a situation to let the rest op the ppl know what tittle they have, be it bestowed upon or inherited. EE got his OBE and in a minute betrayed the woman who put him in the position for the recognation. What a backtabber.
👋👋👋
👏👏👏Yes!
Am I the only one thinking that Vogue is trolling the queen?
Think about it. Her behaviour of hiding Andrew under her petticoats and allowing her self to prorogue parliament on the word of a known liar is certainly shaping 2020. I suspect that EE did a trade off with the sloanies on the magazine. Your girl for a few of mine.
Nah, Enninful is too far up the Queen’s a$s. Remember, this is the guy that got so upset that he was excluded from the Queen’s appearance at a fashion show, by Angie and Anna, that the guy cried. He cried like a baby because he did not meet Betty. Yuck.
The queen IS a force shaping 2020, just in a bad direction.
Liz is Britain’s equivalent to The Pope. They see her very differently than people of more sound mind.
A couple of comments to note. This is not just a BLM Vogue issue, its about activism more generally. Marcus Rashford who is on the cover is a child hunger activist, he just also happens to be black – although of course issue is intersectional with racism. Secondly, I find these comments about Edward Enningful deeply myopic. He makes a nuanced comment (which I happen to agree with) about the factors at play in the treatment of Meghan by the British press and suddenly he is a panderer?! Its ridiculous when you look at his actual work, including this issue which has been interesting, diverse and challenged the status quo particularly within fashion.
That said, I don’t agree that the queen is a change maker, that is obviously ridiculous. On the other hand, she did behave differently this year (in addressing the nation) than she has before. That was, at the time, a relatively big deal in the UK. I am not a monarchist and have no respect the Queen, but she is symbolically important to large parts of the UK. I don’t think it discounts all of Enningful’s work to acknowledge that.