Outrage as Vogue Italia uses shocking domestic violence images to promote couture fashion

Vogue readers are tweeting their outrage following the magazine's decision to promote couture fashion using glamourised domestic violence victims

domestic-violence

by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

April's issue of Vogue Italia has come under fire after featuring several upsetting pictures of apparent domestic violence victim, dressed up in couture fashion.

One shows a young woman lying at the bottom of a staircase, her eyes partially open, bright-red hair mingling with the blood streaming from a head wound. Opposite, a man calmly looks on, his shirt spattered in blood.

Another image shows a woman screaming at the bottom of the stairs, blood on the walls, as another blood-soaked man walks towards her.

Yet one more depicts a woman clawing desperately at a door, screaming in fear as a man's unseen hands drag her backwards.

And readers are unhappy. Very unhappy.

Editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani has claimed that, in running the pictures snapped by Steven Meisel, Vogue Italia is "taking a stand against domestic violence."

But the piece, which focuses on the high-end fashion rather than the stories of the women affected by domestic violence, seems to be trivialising, even glamourising, the subject of abuse.

And, as can be seen by reader responses on Twitter, people are horrified by the 'Horror Movie' fashion spread.

Meanwhile, others have applauded Vogue for “taking a stand” against a serious issue, insisting that anything which gets people talking about domestic violence is a step in the right direction.

While we admit that the controversial topic of domestic violence needs to be talked about, and awareness raised, we're just not so sure that this is the right way to do it.

Firstly, the focus is on the clothes, worth thousands of pounds, rather than the serious matter at hand. And, secondly, the highly-stylised shoot seems to glamourise the incident. Thirdly, the shoot - like so many other campaigns - forgets that women are not the only victims of domestic violence; men can be affected too.

However, as some have pointed out, the shoot reminds us that domestic violence is not class-dependent; whether we are rich or poor, we can be touched by domestic violence - and, for many women, this is the harsh reality of their everyday lives.

What do you think of the controversial campaign? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments Box below now.

For more information, help or advice on domestic abuse, please visit the National Domestic Violence Helpline now.

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