Vogue today revealed two covers for Beyoncé’s very buzzed about coverage in the September 2018 issue. The cover and editorial were shot by 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell, the first black person to shoot a Vogue cover in the magazine’s 126-year history.
Within the issue, Beyoncé in her own words wrote about a number of topics, most poignantly the birth of her twins last summer on June 13, 2018.
On the challenges of her pregnancy, she wrote, “I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir. I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month. My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section. We spent many weeks in the NICU. My husband was a soldier and such a strong support system for me. I am proud to have been a witness to his strength and evolution as a man, a best friend, and a father. I was in survival mode and did not grasp it all until months later. Today I have a connection to any parent who has been through such an experience. After the C-section, my core felt different. It had been major surgery. Some of your organs are shifted temporarily, and in rare cases, removed temporarily during delivery.”
Hilariously, she also commented on her “FUPA,” stating, “To this day my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller. I have a little mommy pouch, and I’m in no rush to get rid of it. I think it’s real. Whenever I’m ready to get a six-pack, I will go into beast zone and work my ass off until I have it. But right now, my little FUPA and I feel like we are meant to be.”
In the lead up to the issue, there was sustained chatter from anonymous sources saying the issue would be Anna Wintour’s last as editor-in-chief of the magazine that was dismissed in a statement by Condé Nast CEO Bob Sauerberg. As well, Huffington Post wrote a lengthy story saying that Beyoncé had complete creative control over the issue and personally selected Mitchell.
Today in the Business of Fashion, Wintour clarified that Condé Nast creative director Raul Martinez selected Mitchell and also art directed the issue. “The concept and the photographer was entirely Vogue’s, specifically Raul’s,” said Wintour, who added Martinez first became aware of Mitchell when he photographed gun control activists for a Teen Vogue digital cover in March.
It is true Beyoncé was presented with multiple photographer options and she immediately approved of Mitchell not only because she recognized the historic nature of the choice but because she was familiar with Mitchell from when he had photographed her sister, Solange Knowles.
Check out the editorial and covers below.
