Preity looks weird. why's the blond chick there? is she part Indian or something?

the blonde chick is Gemma Ward, and she is def not indian. She shouldn't have been apart of the issue.

I agree. This is a beautiful cover but why put gemma ward in it?

I really like Bipasha and Priyanka Chopra- dey seem to have both beauty and brains.

Put Kajol on the cover! and Rani! lol.

i don't know anything about those other ladies, demonkitty18, but Kajol and Rani seem very aware and intelligent to me.

that was very silly of vogue to launch it with gemma ward on the cover - bad move.

They launched Vogue China with Gemma and several Chinese models on the cover. Maybe they are trying to follow some kind of theme....You would think Vogue would do something more original.

I think it's VERY silly to say Gemma shouldn't be on the cover. As much as U.S. Vogue should have Priety on the cover, Gemma should/could be (IS) on the cover of VogueIndia. No she has no Indian ethnicity but maybe these gals were geographical hot shots and Australia's closer to India than we are (U.S.)... who knows their motivation. Regardless it sounds ignorant to say Gemma doesn't belong.

P.S. if anything all Gemma does is highlight how well all the other girl's makeup is done!! heh. Do people tell her her eyes are too close together or something because girl's eyes *always* look like that.

I think Gemma's there to show how great the other girls dark skin looks. Maybe even a kind of handover from american and british vogue?^o)

Hmmm, they all look a bit lightened to me.

I love that they put Gemma on it. It's letting the world know that just because it's India Vogue, doesn't mean it's just for Indian Women. LOVE IT!!!
Saying Gemma Ward shouldn't be on there is a negative racial remark. I guess there shouldn't be any African women on American Vogue either. Wake up people.

Wow StaceyMae, I really dont see how you could correlate Gemma being on the inaugural issue of INDIAN vogue, to an African American being on the cover of American vogue. Are African Americans not really Americans? Should only Native Americans be on American vogue? Of course not, America has long been a country of immigrants with a mix of cultures, which is reflected in the various models we see on magazine covers, while India on the other hand is mostly INDIAN, so I don't see how putting a white Australian on the inaugural issue is a positve thing. If she were on later issues, I could see how they'd want to mix it up, but for the very FIRST one, she seems out of place and unneccessary.

Yeah, the Blonde does not fit - maybe there is a reason? I don't know. The other girls look absolutely beautiful! I would love to look exotic like these girls! It's so great to see girls other than blonde, blue eyed, and extremely tan be the beauties of our society. It's pathetic. There are so many young girls who look at that and think "Is this what I need to look like in order to be considered pretty or beautiful?" Not everyone thinks it's beautiful and not everyone looks like that. So happy to see this change!

i am just wondering why they put gemma smack dab in the center of the cover.

I think that the contrast of Gemma against the toehr two makes the cover totally pop the other two girls have beautiful eyes and I think Gemma only enhances them!

RiceGirlReese: I don't believe StacyMae said ANYTHING about African Americans. She said African. As in the continent of Africa. Last time I checked, most people from Africa don't consider themselves to be "African American."

As for the cover, when does Vogue ever use models exclusively from the country it is printed in? The whole reason I subscribe to Vogue is because they always have such an excellent mix of local and international fashion, designers and models. For Indian Vogue to put out its inaugural issue with only Indian influences would be to break away from everything Vogue is about.

In general, it's cool to have different racial and ethnic groups on Vogue covers, but adding Gemma to the premiere issue of Vogue India seems strange. It's as if, by putting Gemma there, Vogue is trying to appeal to White magazine buyers or Indians who like White standards of beauty. Why couldn't they just put all Indian girls for the premiere issue, and then mix it up for later issues with White and other races/ethnic groups of models? I fear that Vogue in general sends the wrong messages to women about what is and isn't beautiful.

I think they put Gemma on there to symbolize a magazine that is traditionally associated with the West becoming part of the Indian culture. I know Gemma is Australian, so maybe she wasn't the *best* choice, but I think that's what they were getting at. In any case, I like it.

Haha, she looks like a scared little kitty cat in the center. "Aah, they're going to squish me with their humongouziod boobies!"

Wow, these comments are really sad. So what if Gemma Ward is not Indian?! What the hell is wrong with you people? It's Vogue magazine and she's a top model, recognized all over the world. Just because it's Vogue India doesn't mean they should ONLY feature local models. Urgh, all this ignorancy really upsets me...

It's not ignorancy, spare me. And she is NOT recognized all over the world, in my opinion. I've only seen her once before and I live in the US, I don't care for her face. Why does she deserve to be in the middle anyway? Talk about ethnocentrism....the West = the best, no? And you're wrong, there aren't LOCAL models on the cover, they are well-known actress so, why don't yo go somewhere and come back when you've learned some REAL facts?

silly.

Like PoisenedPrincess said, since when does Vogue only feature local models/actresses on their covers? As for Gemma Ward, she most certainly IS recognized all over the world; in the fashion industry that is. I should have made that clear. The fact that the Indian women are actresses and not models is beyond the point Im trying to make here...YOU are creating this 'ethnocentrism' by simply overanalyzing this cover and creating a conflict that is not even there in the first place! Again, it's Vogue magazine and she's a model amongst other beautiful Indian women...it's simply a matter of contrast in photography. Why do people have to be so negative and make such extreme assumptions?

This is quite an interesting issue to debate. I am of Indian origin. Needless to say I know the types of beauty standards Indian women are constantly putting themselves up to (and being put up to): fair skin, small noses, light (sometimes BLONDE) hair, blue eyes...There have been countless times I've seen Indians (both male and female) both in America and India who have dyed their hair blonde and have sported blue/grey contacts. As much as I would love to believe and think that putting Gemma on the cover is not a "racial" issue, that mindset is naive. You won't understand unless you understand India's culture and beauty standards. This cover is another way to perpetuate these stereotypes/"rules" that 15 and 16 year olds will be abiding by. I only hope one day more of us will be able to embrace our black hair brown eyes and brown skin!!

Something to take into consideration- Naomi Campbell was just very recently quoted saying: "I've never been on the cover of British Vogue and I've asked a million times and they've always refused me. They'll put the same white model for half the year - I swear like six times, but wouldn't put me on once in my own country. But I still want my British Vogue cover!" - not a fan of her personality at all but she IS a top model after all...

Well said NYFashionista!

Except didn't FabSugar point out that Naomi has actually been on the BritishVogue cover like 8 times or something?

She has been on the cover of Vogue 8 times, just never British Vogue (and Britain is her home!). Just saying that race is a big issue in beauty and we cannot ignore that fact.

cestmoi: You're not paying attention to the real issue here, how does this appeal to the demographic of India?

By the way, do you even know what ethnocentrism means? Get back to me when you've learned the REAL definition.

Listen to NYFashionista, she knows what she's talking about. After all, she's probably part of the target audience.

read this: http://www.forbes.com/markets/2007/09/18/vogue-india-interview-markets-e...

This is cool only I agree with others, If it's an Indian edition why is Gemma ward on the front. Shouldn't they be trying to showcase their lovely local beauties? In any case this is great. It's about time!

The Unseen Gemma Ward...

When Forbes came out with list of the highest paid models for this year, wasn't she like #4 or #6 or something? That is quite an accomplishment for someone that is "never seen" in the US considering it is the US models come to to make their money because this is where the big contracts are.

What I find most interesting about this cover is that the big controversy is the ethnicity of one (of the 6) cover models. If the general feeling is that the western influence should be limited in this publication, then shouldn't the initial "outrage" be from the fact that the cover is written completely in English? Italian Vogue is in Italian. French Vogue is in French. Wouldn't Hindi, or the option to buy either an English or Hindi edition, make more sense?

By fixating on the placement of one model and debating her validity on the cover, we are doing exactly what the publishers want - creating controversy, creating hype and drawing international attention to new magazine.

i like that this cover has caused such a dialouge between people, and like most people on here (even though i know that she is a well recognized model) i am not sure why Gemma Ward is on the cover, but i am glad that Vouge India is here! (i hope i can find a copy!)

p.s. isn't it weird that someone was trying to point out 'ignorant' views, and proceeded to use the word ignorancy. hahahahahahahaha, igorancy isn't even a word!!!! LOL!!

Brava! Spectacular comment...NOT.

I think you're silly for suggesting that the magazine should be written in Hindi, are so misinformed that you don't know that many of the people that Vogue India is targeting CAN read AND speak English. They were a British colony, after all, liberated less than 60 years ago. Have you ever heard these women speak? They do MANY interviews in English. They have an accent but is that an issue? Will that spark another debate? Don't be confused just because their films are done in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu etc.

PoisonedPrincess: Actually English and Hindi are both the "National" languages of India (one of the very few positives that the Brits left behind considering Globalization's effects). Suprisingly, most of the people this magazine is catering to, speak English just as well as they speak Hindi (or one or more of the other 17+ other "Official" lanuages they might speak)! It's interesting to visit India and hear people our age speaking English more often than Hindi (or often they speak a combo of both )!

i like it minus the blonde chick. i thought vogue was world wide...

Indielove: People that use the word "not" at the end of a sentence aren't really in a position to determine how spectacular or silly something/someone is

Instead of assuming what someone does or doesn't know by a few written sentences, maybe you should hold your tongue or refrain from judgment.

My father was born in Chennai/madras. His mother (my grandmother) was born to an Indian mother and an English father in the same city. My father lived in India till he was an adult when he met my Scottish mother who was working there for a year. They then moved to Australia where they had my sisters before moving to the US where I was born.

I spent my life going back and forth between all 3 countries (As well as Malaysia, PNG and several other South Pacific countries) as my parents were transferred for their different jobs. I feel comfortable to say I know a decent amount about the different countries I have been fortunate enough to have lived in.

That being said, it was really great that you were able to educate me as to the fact that people in India speak English! Really?! I would never have known! Nor would I have ever known about all the other official languages of the country. My life is changed forever because of you! Thanks ever so much!..."Not."

NYFashionista: Yes, its true that English is spoken in India very well by a great many people. But so it is in France, Italy, Germany etc. My comment wasn't meant to be taken that I think the magazine should be written in Hindi, what I was trying to say is that people were making a big deal about the inclusion of a "western" model on the cover. By the very language on the cover, the magazine shows what a culturally diverse and colorful country India is. India's borders have been open to the influences of the western world for centuries. Unlike some countries, India looks outwards from its own borders and embraces change and growth. By including a big name International model on the cover, Indian Vogue shows that with such a rich fashion industry behind it, it is a validated member of the Vogue family.

Hey Everyone

It is a very interesting choice on Vogue's part but please make sure you respect each other's opinions and do not attack each other.

thanks
Team

there's nothing wrong with gemma ward being on the cover, even though i can't stand her... does every british and american vogue have white models only on their covers? launching indian vogue was, in a way, bridging its connection to the vogue empire all over the world.

i understand everyone's arguments, but i feel that the first issue of Vogue India should not included Gemma, at least not in the center. As a woman of color, there is something disturbing about this.

does anyone else see my point???

^ Yes I do. And I agree, she shouldnt be on the cover. "Vogue empire all over the world." Hmm "The sun never sets on the British empire" Wow the western world really hates not having control over eastern countries dont they?

they should've totally put Rani nd Kajul on the cover! and omg bipashu is soooo much prettier in reality and preity zinta is the prettiest!! she looks soo beautiful with her hair wavy!! kal ho na ho anyone??

i think gemma adds a beautiful aesthetic contrast to the cover. she's a supermodel surrounded by music and film stars...it makes perfect sense. stop complaining.

i think this used to be called colonialism. or at least, is textbook material for postcolonial studies.

maybe its true that GM adds "contrast" by virtue of her white skin and maybe the mag is trying to set a sort of International Fashion tone and maybe i'm obsessed with race but i find it impossible to look at this cover without being forcibly and umcomfortably struck by the fact that this random white girl is in the middle of a bunch of indian women on the first ever issue. and in a country that has a long history with british colonialism. anyone at vogue who thinks that subtext can be forgotten is clueless. if she were off to the side or if they had models of all different races i'd frankly still think its weird but i look at this issue and think what the hell is that supposed to mean?

all that rationalizing about it making perfect sense b/c she's a supermodel surrounded by music and film stars is a bit thin - why not get an indian supermodel to put in the midst of the indian musicians/actors?

^i agree with you 100% with everything that you said.

The cover is mixture of indian magazines FILMFARE and FEMINA.
Gemma Ward is the only saving grace and adds the perfect eye candy n "aesthetic value" to the otherwise bland overexposed indian "celeb" faces!!

it's just a magazine cover people. no one's freedom is on the line here, it's just one magazine's idea of beauty; THIS MONTH. there is no commentary on the state of the free world, who is in power, who is good-better-best of all time. just a magazine cover.