On a very rare occasion is Asian representation accounted for down at the newsstand – especially when it comes to the British fashion glossies. Lydia Slater at British Harper’s Bazaar, however, breaks new ground and leads by example with the mag’s offering for the biggest fashion extravaganza of the year, welcoming Soo Joo Park as Bazaar‘s September 2023 cover girl. The model who became the first Asian-American woman to be a L’Oréal brand ambassador back in 2015 poses via the lens of photographer Boo George for the occasion, with stylist Cathy Kasterine selecting a monochromatic outfit from Prada’s Fall 2023 collection for the cover look (with some Tiffany & Co. jewelry completing the ensemble).
Despite such a wonderful addition to Soo Joo Park’s portfolio, members of our forums expected a whole lot more. “The ‘power of fashion’ with this outfit? Absolutely not,” declared Melancholybaby.
“A cover line declaring the power of fashion paired with the most stiff, lifeless and drab cover image is downright baffling to me – even more so for a September issue! I am dumbfounded, to be completely honest,” added vogue28 in agreement.
“I love Soo Joo but this is really bad. Her expression is strange (maybe because of retouching) and the stringy hair is not helping,” BlueRuin pointed out.
Also unimpressed was Handbag Queen: “Very lackluster for a September cover!”
“She looks painful and uncomfortable on the cover,” noted kasper
“A better photographer would’ve lifted this. A different model too, quite frankly. Why Soo Joo? Was Liu Wen or Fei Fei Sun busy? They have a stronger brand to carry an important September cover in the West. Or maybe Lina Zhang? I believe this might be the first time UK Bazaar is giving an Asian model the cover,” Benn98 shared.
Share your own thoughts and see what else the September 2023 issue of British Harper’s Bazaar has to offer, here.
