This time last week, Cara's interview with Vogue US landed. and in it she opened up about her sexuality for the first time ever, explaining how difficult it was for her to come to terms with it, but now it's all good: ‘I think that being in love with my girlfriend is a big part of why I'm feeling so happy with who I am these days…and for those words to come out of my mouth is actually a miracle.’
However, one thing we found iffy was how the* interviewer* suggested that Cara’s parents thought it was a phase, then used that topic to* herself* suggest that Cara’s sexuality is a phase: ‘Her parents seem to think girls are just a phase for Cara, and they may be correct.’
The interviewer then included quotes of Cara talking about how she just hasn’t ever been able to fall in love with a man. She then continued: ‘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.’
Her smile! In an interview where Cara’s happily talking about all sorts – her mum’s drug addiction, her own depression, her attempted suicide – the interviewer left it to a smile to confirm her spurious point!?
Anyway, other people are annoyed, with a very eloquent and concise petition for Anna Wintour and Vogue to apologise being set up on Care2.
‘The idea that queer women only form relationships with other women as a result of childhood trauma is a harmful (and false) stereotype that lesbian and bisexual women have been combating for decades,’ wrote the petition’s creator Julie Rodriguez (no relation to Cara’s ex Michelle, we presume).
‘How could* Vogue*’s editorial staff greenlight this article and publish it without anyone raising concerns about this dismissive and demeaning language?’
Rodriguez added: ‘Vogue should have taken this opportunity to combat negative stereotypes, not reinforce them. We should be applauding Cara for coming out as queer, and being open about her relationships with men and women.’
During Pride month especially, we wholeheartedly agree. Cara’s sexuality is whatever it is and whatever she does with it, and if the US’s fashion bible is putting pressure on her – so overtly – to end up with a man one fine day, we’d hate to imagine what happens to less famous models behind closed doors.
We all know the fashion world is very gay friendly, and is becoming increasingly friendly to transwomen like Andrea Pejic, but it’s clearly got a long way to go to be friendly to queer women.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.