GUEST-EDIT: The Duchess of Sussex
THE DUCHESS of Sussex has guest edited British Vogue’s September issue, focusiing on women who ‘break barriers’.
The cover of Vogue’s September edition, titled Forces for Change features 15 women including author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and young political activist Greta Thunberg.
The Duchess told Vogue: “Through this lens I hope you'll feel the strength of the collective in the diverse selection of women chosen for the cover as well as the team of support I called upon within the issue to help bring this to light. I hope readers feel as inspired as I do, by the forces for change they'll find within these pages.”
The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, said Meghan was the first person to guest edit the September issue in the publication’s history, and that the former actress did not want to feature on the cover herself as she thought it would be a “boastful” thing to do.
The cover page is divided into 16 boxes, with one box taken as a mirror aimed to encourage and empower the reader to use their own platform to force change.
Enninful spoke of his experience working with the Duchess. "To have the country's most influential beacon of change guest edit British Vogue at this time has been an honour, a pleasure and a wonderful surprise,” he said.
“As you will see from her selections throughout this magazine, she is also willing to wade into more complex and nuanced areas, whether they concern female empowerment, mental health, race or privilege.
"From the very beginning, we talked about the cover - whether she would be on it or not. In the end, she felt that it would be in some ways a 'boastful' thing to do for this particular project.
"She wanted, instead, to focus on the women she admires.”
The 15 women featured:
Adwoa Aboah: 27-year-old Ghanian model and mental health campaigner, who is currently trying to introduce free sanitary products in schools
Adut Akech: 19-year-old South Sudanese model, who works with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Ramla Ali: A young boxer training to represent Somalia in the 2020 Olympics and also teaches self defence classes to Muslim women
Jacinda Arden: New Zealand Prime Minister and the world’s youngest female leader
Sinead Burke: 29 year old disability and academic activist, a Vogue contributing editor, who campaigns for fashion inclusivity
Gemma Chan: British actor involved in the Time's Up campaign - a project to help fight sexual harassment in the film industry
Laverne Cox: American actor and transgender advocate. In 2014 became the first transgender to be nominated for an Emmy
Jane Fonda: 81-year-old actor, writer, political activist and producer. An active supporter of #MeToo, a movement against sexual misconduct in Hollywood
Salma Hayek Pinault: The American actress campaigns to raise awareness of violence against women and discrimination against immigrants
Jameela Jamil: British actor and former BBC radio host who advocates body positivity through her “I Weigh” campaign
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Award winning Nigerian novelist, who has often spoke out on politics, race and feminism. Known for her widely watched Ted Talk “Why we should all be feminists”
Christy Turlington Burns: American model and founder of Every Mother Counts, a charity dedicated to improving maternal health
Yara Shahidi: Young American actor and activist, founder of Eighteenx18, a creative platform to encourage young people to vote
Francesca Hayward: Kenyan born Royal Ballet principal dancer
Greta Thunberg: 16-year-old Swedish political activist, nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, the girl behind global youth protests for climate change.
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