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Vogue’s Anna Wintour Apologizes After Black Staffers Call for Her Removal

Vogue’s editor Anna WIntour apologizes as black staffers call for her to resign and accuses her of using a racist word, favoring a “certain type” of employee  — namely, those who were thin, white, and from an elite background – and cultivated a racist work environment, Breitbart reports.

“I strongly believe that the most important thing any of us can do in our work is to provide opportunities for those who may not have had access to them,” Wintour said in a statement to the New York Times. “Undoubtedly, I have made mistakes along the way, and if any mistakes were made at Vogue under my watch, they are mine to own and remedy and I am committed to doing the work.”

An investigation by the Times, published Saturday, describes how Wintour, who has been Vogue’ editor in chief since 1988 and Condé Nast’s artistic director since 2013, details the complaints of 18 individuals who have reportedly worked with Wintour.

According to the black journalists, who spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity, Wintour has fostered an environment of discrimination and racial insensitivity by favouring a “certain type” of employee — those who are “thin and white, typically from a wealthy family and educated at elite schools.”

One former black staff member admitted that “fashion is bitchy” but suggested that, under Wintour’s leadership, the magazine adhered to another discriminatory standard.

“It’s hard. This is the way it’s supposed to be. But at Vogue, when we’d evaluate a shoot or a look, we’d say ‘That’s Vogue,’ or, ‘That’s not Vogue,’ and what that really meant was ‘thin, rich and white,’” the former staffer said. “How do you work in that environment?”

11 different sources, who spoke to the Times, said Wintour should surrender control of Vogue and give up her considerable position of power and influence within Condé Nast.

 

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About Catherine Smith

Catherine Smith is a newcomer to Washington D.C. She met and married an American journalist and moved to D.C. from the U.K. She graduated with a B.A. in Graphics, Media, and Communications and worked in design and retail in the U.K.

Photo: (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images )