Vogue magazine had a pretty big story on their hands when Cara Delevingne came out as bisexual to the fashion bible, which was a revelation that was surprising to approximately zero people. She’s got a girlfriend and has previously dated men. What did these people think was happening there?
Well, this shocking news apparently caught Vogue writer Rob Haskell off guard, who interviewed the model and, when the topic of sexuality came up, made the conclusion that her being bisexual could be “just a phase.” If that wasn’t condescending enough, get a load of these two paragraphs featured in the article:
“Cara says she felt confused by her sexuality as a child, and the possibility of being gay frightened her… Her parents seem to think girls are just a phase for Cara, and they may be correct. “Women are what completely inspire me, and they have also been my downfall. I have only been hurt by women, my mother first of all…”
“When I suggest to Cara that to trust a man, she might have to revise an old and stubborn idea of hers — that women are perennially troubled and therefore only women will accept her — her smile says she concedes the point.”
Was this a meeting with a fashion magazine or a support group? Why on Earth was Haskell suggesting that Delevingne’s sexuality was only brought about by a distrust of men? This is the middle-class alternative to drunk men at nightclubs assuming that women who don’t want to sleep with them must be lesbians.
Also, when Delevingne told Haskel that “being in love with my girlfriend is a big part of why I’m feeling so happy with who I am these days,” how did that statement lead him to conclude that her bisexuality could just be a little vacation away from men before she jumped right back into the hetero woman lifestyle, as if sexuality is something that has an on/off switch? Was Haskell patting her on the head throughout the duration of this interview?
Needless to say the interview has caused quite the stir, with a petition being set up that demands a formal apology from Vogue editor Anna Wintour. The petition has nearly reached its goal of 14,000 signatures, though as with most online petitions, it’ll probably be completely forgotten about when it reaches its target because, and I cannot stress this enough, no one cares about online petitions.
With that being said, it was still an incredibly shitty stance for Haskell to take and Vogue should be held accountable for it. Let’s hope that not only do they acknowledge that it was a misjudged article, but that Haskell personally recognizes that maybe questioning the validity of the sexuality of others isn’t a cool thing to do.
Photos: Getty Images
