Controversy bells ring yet again through the pages of Vogue. It is safe to say that there are no more racially stereotypical cover shots subliminally portraying NBA athletes as members of the primate family. This time, however, Vogue India has put critics in uproar over a 16-page spread featuring the indigent and impoverished decorated with designer accessories. From costly Hermes Birkin bags to Fendi bibs and more, critics fear that the poverty of India is exploited and augmented as the models, or should we say “props,” flaunt accessories they cannot even afford to dream about. Despite the claims that fashion is art, no matter how it is portrayed, we as human beings must ask ourselves one very crucial question: Where should the fashion industry draw the line between expression of fashion as art and expression of fashion as unethical, chagrin and downright disrespectful?

Thanks Jezebel!