The new V56 issue of V Magazine featuring the Obama-loving Beyonce Knowles on the cover has a rather controversial trick up its sleeve; it has many bloggers baffled for its defiance of the general rules of fashion editorials.
See, it is common knowledge in the world of fashion photography that American publications shy away from nudity and extremely controversial subjects that are often embraced in European publications. So, it is rather curious to find out that V Magazine, an American publication, had the guts to publish an editorial that was deemed too racy for Vogue Italia.
Yes… Vogue Italia!
The interesting bit is that the editorial does not feature nudity or violence (two topics that Vogue Italia is notorious in tackling many times before.) The controversy here is over the subject matter and its depiction.
The editorial, ‘Dogging,’ was shot by photographer Steven Meisel with models Anna Selezneva, Daul Kim, Iris Strubegger and Naty Chabanenko. It was done especially for Vogue Italia but was subsequently picked up by V Magazine after it was rejected for being too racy, becoming Meisel’s first ever editorial for V Magazine.
So what exactly is dogging? According to the editorial, dogging (verb) is a "British expression for participating in sexual acts in a semi-public place (usually a secluded car park or a forest preserve) or watching others doing so. Often, there are more than two participants. As watching is encouraged, voyeurism and exhibitionism are heavily associated with dogging. The people taking part often meet either randomly or arrange to meet up beforehand on the Internet."
Check out images from the controversial editorial in the gallery and see the rest of the images here.
I guess we shouldn’t be too shocked by V Magazine’s bold move. Back in May, Trend Hunter featured an article about American media embracing nudism with a spread from V Magazine followed by a report on the publication pushing the decency limits with a set of scandalous covers featuring Supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Taboo Fashion Editorials
‘Dogging' by Steven Meisel in V Magazine (NSFW)
Trend Themes
1. Controversial Fashion Editorials - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore the boundaries of fashion editorials by pushing the limits of subject matter and depiction.
2. Embracing Taboo Topics - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Challenge societal norms by addressing controversial subjects in fashion photography.
3. Breaking Cultural Stereotypes - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Challenge conventional perspectives on sexuality and cultural behaviors through fashion editorials.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion Photography - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore new boundaries and challenge traditional norms within fashion photography.
2. Publishing - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Expand the boundaries of what is deemed acceptable in editorial content.
3. Fashion and Lifestyle Media - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Cater to a more open-minded audience by featuring provocative and controversial fashion editorials.