Readers are quite divided over the controversial magazine editorial. The sight of a grey-haired (but beautiful) Kristen McMenamy is the first shocker. Models draped over oil-strewn rocks, trapped in nets, embellished with feathers. Models covered in dirt, oil, strangled with seaweed.
Some accuse the editors of glamorizing a tragedy.
I think that to reduce it as such would be too quick and narrow-minded. I believe that the spread is a statement on consumerism. This is a photo-editorial showing that the fashion industry does indeed acknowledge harsh realities in the world. This is a work of art by Steven Meisel and not an ad campaign.
The fashion pieces in the pictorial also served to showcase eco-artists and designers. In several photographs, Kristen McMenamy wears a seaweed-like rubber necklace. The necklace by Kathleen Nowak Tucci was made of re-purposed pieces of inner tubes from the Gulf Coast.
To check out the full magazine spread, click through to Refinery 29's slideshow. For a closer look at the clothing used in the editorial, check out the video below:
