Image Credit: Isabella Dewson, Image of Vogue

Unearthing a copy of Vogue from April 1999 felt like discovering a forgotten blueprint of audacious creativity. The images, imbued with a raw and vibrant quality, stand in stark contrast to the meticulously curated aesthetic of today’s publication.

Image Credit: Isabella Dewson, Vogue April 1999

Campaigns once unapologetically bold now feel lack-luster. Articles now lack depth and no longer feel culturally relevant. Photography has become mundane and lacking new inspiration. 

For example, the August 2025 cover of American Vogue was criticised online for its composite feel and lack of creative direction. Moreover, in June 2025, the publication faced immediate backlash for its cover of Lauren Sánchez Bezos, newly married to Jeff Bezos, in her wedding gown. In a time of political unrest, conversations about wealth inequality and Amazon’s controversial practices, the cover felt out of place. 

Flipping through the pages: seeing pores, real teeth, fine lines, and body glitter over ‘strawberry legs’. It almost felt refreshing. 

Moreover, Anna Wintour’s influence transformed the fashion magazine into a pioneering force that actively shaped popular culture. She helped to blend fashion with the entertainment industry, pushed now famous designers like McQueen and Galliano and made the publication more accessible and creatively free, rebelling against the conservative tone of the 1980s.

The 1990s definitely had its flaws but why does it seem more progressive than Vogue of the 2020s?

Image Credit: Isabella Dewson, Vogue April 1999

Recently, Vogue has been scrutinised for showcasing AI-generated ‘models’ completely free from human ‘flaws’ or uniqueness. It has been widely criticised for perpetuating unrealistic body standards and threatening modelling and other creative jobs. 

Below Guess Advert featured in August Vogue 2025

Image Credit: Vogue August 2025

This juxtaposition between now and the Vogues of the 1990s sparks a critical inquiry: How did Vogue transition from this vibrant, almost rebellious spirit to its present-day regressive incarnation? Has Vogue become more a purveyor of fantasy than a beacon of contemporary culture? 

The inclusion of AI-generated content actively distances the publication from its influential roots, especially with Anna Wintour’s departure as editor-in-chief of American Vogue on the horizon.

In August Vogue, Guess’s AI double-paged advertisement showed a fabricated and flawless blonde model in a striped summer dress and floral playsuit. The images were created by Seraphinne Vallora and is the company responsible for producing the controversial advertisement after being approached by Guess. 

The advertisement has faced immediate backlash, with many on social media stating it echoes social darwinism. The founders of the company were recently interviewed by the BBC and claim they don’t intend to reinforce already narrowing beauty standards. However, they also claim that the technology is ‘not advanced enough’ to create plus-size models and ‘women with different skin-tones don’t generate any traction or likes.’ Further highlighting the highly problematic nature of the origin of the advertisement and the purpose of the company.

Vogue states that it was not an editorial decision to include this advertisement however it is the first time an AI-generated model was included in the publication. This calls into question Vogue’s editorial direction and how it is distancing itself from its readership.

Moreover, it is clear that Gen-Z is nostalgic for a time of freedom and creativity: the 1990s. With markers of this trend being in documentaries like In Vogue: The 90s (2024), the revived popularity of The Devil Wear’s Prada and the viral the list of Vogue’s 1990s requirement for cultural competency circulating on social media platforms. The list is made up of 178 markers such as models, designers, artists, photographers among other things that you’d need to know to get a job at Vogue. From Studio 54, Kate Moss and Versace, to American Psycho, David Lynch and Sylvia Plath, with many of these markers still remaining culturally relevant today. Moreover, The New York Times also went as far as creating a quiz based on these markers. 

I think this underscores the critical importance of cultural literacy for creatives particularly within the context of Vogue. A deep engagement with art, fashion, literature, and contemporary culture should provide a foundation for creative work imbuing it with depth and resonance. The inclusion of AI is the antithesis of this idea.

This level of cultural understanding cannot be artificially manufactured, rather it must be cultivated deliberately and continuously over time to ensure authenticity and impact, therefore explaining why the Guess advertisement has landed so poorly. When today our interactions with popular culture become shallow and lack depth, it sparks the question:

What would this list look like in 2025…? 

Shein hauls, Sydney Sweeney and Streaming services.

How do we determine what is culturally relevant today? Most trends fall out of popularity as quickly as they come.

When Vogue’s features are made up of unethical fashion, controversial celebrities and their weddings, and models that are no longer human…What is next for Vogue and how can it stay relevant to a generation that is disillusioned?

Has Vogue’s zeitgeist well and truly died? Will it ever live up to its reputation as the ’Bible of Fashion’? With Anna Wintour’s transformative influence waning, what is next? 

Personally, I think it will be interesting to see the direction Vogue takes post-Anna Wintour. Will a new Editor-in-Chief bring about positive change and listen to its readers or cement its current tone? We shall see.