By Meghan McKenna
Meghan McKenna reports on the latest targets of online ire: a Kardashian on a magazine cover, a cloned dog, a digital model, and menstrual cramp severity. If you're planning to take up these battles this weekend, here's the full scoop.
Kim Kardashian poses on the cover of Vogue India
THE STORY: Kim Kardashian graces the March cover of Vogue India.
THE REACTION:
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: This isn't the first time Western celebrities have sparked backlash when featured on international magazine covers. Similar outcry occurred when Gigi and Bella Hadid appeared on separate Vogue Arabia issues, and when Kendall Jenner fronted Vogue India's May 2017 edition. Back then, the magazine defended itself in an Instagram statement: "In the last 10 years, Vogue India has had only 12 international covers, including Kendall Jenner, in 2017. Therefore, statistically, 90 per cent [sic] of our covers are Indian! And we are proud of that. India has given the world so many beautiful faces to admire. We are Vogue, an international brand, and we want to give the love back by featuring some of the best international celebrities on over covers. Occasionally!"
There are valid reasons why a global publication would want a worldwide star on its cover—after all, these figures dominate social media influence. Yet it's also understandable why this repetitive spotlight frustrates people: we keep seeing the same familiar faces, while equally deserving individuals could take their place.
HOW WE FEEL: ?
Barbara Streisand cloned her dog — twice
THE STORY: In a recent Variety cover story, Barbra Streisand disclosed that she had her 14-year-old Coton de Tulear, Samantha, cloned before the dog passed away—and she did it twice. The 75-year-old star's two new pups, Miss Scarlet and Miss Violet, are genetic duplicates of Samantha, who died in 2017.
"She was always with me," Streisand told the Associated Press about her beloved pet. "The last 14 years she went everywhere I went. She was at every performance. It was like losing a child. It was kind of awful."
Unsurprisingly, cloning an animal doesn't come cheap. The price tag ranges from $50,000 to $100,000.
THE REACTION:
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Sure, the clones are pricey and she could have donated that $100,000 to charity. Yes, she could have adopted a shelter dog instead. But come on, Internet—those aren't the disturbing takeaways from this sad story! A 75-year-old woman, Barbra Streisand, was clinging to her aging pup, unable to accept that a dog's life must eventually end, and that nothing—not even a genetic clone—can replace what's lost. Even worse, Streisand now hints that the scientific experiment might have been a mistake. The new dogs look like Samantha but don't act like her. "I'm waiting for them to get older," she told Variety, "so I can see if they have her brown eyes and her seriousness."
That said, I would totally clone my dog if I had $390 million.
HOW WE FEEL: ???
Photographer creates dark-skinned CGI Insta-model
THE STORY: With flawless skin, long limbs, and a perfectly curated Instagram feed, it's no wonder that Instagram model Shudu Gram caught Rihanna's attention while wearing her orange Fenty Beauty lipstick.
But Shudu Gram is unlike any other stunning social media model—because she isn't real. She's a digital creation by British photographer Cameron-James Wilson, who spent a decade in the fashion industry. "I was learning how to create 3D imagery for graphic novels and animations and I had the opportunity to create a model however I wanted," Cameron told Metro, "So I created the most beautiful woman I could."
THE REACTION:
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: This isn't just one man's art project. As cool as the technology is, it's deeply problematic that a Black woman—digitally crafted by a white man—is landing modeling gigs that could go to real Black models. Black women remain underrepresented in fashion and beauty, and the progress being made to level the playing field shouldn't be reduced to an "art project."
HOW WE FEEL: ?♀️ ?♀️ ?♀️
A professor compared period cramps to heart attack pain
THE STORY: A recent Marie Claire article went viral for quoting John Guillebaud, a professor of reproductive health at University College London, on period pain. In 2016, Dr. Guillebaud told Quartz that patients have described the cramping as "almost as bad as having a heart attack." According to the article, about 1 in 5 women experience dysmenorrhea, or painful periods.
THE REACTION:
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: I didn't need a male scientist to validate how much my menstrual cramps hurt—but seeing women online share their experiences makes my abdomen ache a little less.
HOW WE FEEL: ? ? ?
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