Vogue Cover: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy And Wife Olena Zelenska's 'War' Photoshoot Criticised

It must have been a fine day at Vogue Magazine until they put out the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska's cover shoot photos on their Instagram handle. They must have thought that the photoshoot might highlight the Ukraine war crisis for good, but they never saw the netizens' backlash coming. But what was in the photoshoot that did not sit well with the world? The answer is 'romanticism of war.'

What The Zelenskyy Shoot For Vogue Is About

The latest photoshoot by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska for Vogue Magazine has created a buzz. The photos showed the power couple posing for the camera inside the Presidential Office in Ukraine. What has irked the netizens is that the First Lady is posing in the backdrop of war, with what looks like a 'set' of rugged sacks and men armed with guns. The intention of the photoshoot was to highlight the turmoil of war by covering the couple's emotional ups and downs, relationship and family life. But it has backfired.

In a series of photos, the beautiful Zelenska in a satin white shirt with black pants can be seen sitting on marble steps, looking into the camera while Vogue calls her - 'A nation's face, a mother's face, an empathetic human face'.

In another picture, she wears a royal blue long cardigan and poses in front of the 'wreckage'. Captioning it as the 'portrait of bravery,' Vogue tries to keep in focus Zelenska's efforts to fight for her country by going on an unofficial and unannounced visit to talk to US President Joe Biden, where she asked for weapons to protect her nation.

The Controversy

The Internet is divided over this controversial photoshoot by the Ukrainian President and his wife. While some addressed the couple as 'power couple', others called them out for their 'publicity stunt'. The audience perceived it as romanticism of war, where they argued how dangerously photography intersects with the lives of the haves and the have-nots, if not taken care of, while a nation grapples with war.

A user on Instagram termed the photoshoot as: 'A superficial glossy depiction of a hero in the Hollywood mould.'

The couple's interview with Vogue will be released in October 2022, and only then may we know the full story behind the shoot.

As of now, it does seem insensitive to do a photoshoot like this by the head of the state and his wife amidst war.

What is your opinion on it?