1991 was the year three women scandalized the World with a photograph. These women were Annie Leibovitz, the photographer; Demi Moore, the model; and Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown. What may seem like a vanilla picture now, which certainly has been mimicked and parodied a number of times, was at the time of its publication subject to worldwide responses criticizing the photograph. But the story behind it is just as fascinating, since no one intended nor expected for it to explode the way it did. Years later, we have an iconic picture that can be retaken as a symbol of feminine beauty.
Back in 1991, Vanity Fair was to feature Demi Moore on the cover of its August issue, when Moore was seven months pregnant with her second child. Leibovitz dressed Moore in a “long gown and a green satin robe” and “black lace bra and panties,” one of which would eventually make the cover. At one point, however, the robes came off for a full nude photo that was to be for Moore’s exclusive private use. She appeared side faced, her right hand and arm covering her breasts and her left arm holding her belly while looking straight at the camera only wearing diamond earrings and a diamond ring on her right hand.
Leibovitz explained in an essay how she found a sudden realization on the set:
“As I was shooting, I said, “You know, this would be a great cover.” It wasn’t until I got back to New York and looked at the proofs that I realized that there really was a great cover photograph there. Tina agreed, although she thought that Demi would be furious if we ran it. She was surprised when Demi said yes right away. We all knew what we were doing up to a point, but none of us completely understood the ramifications.”
Even though neither Leibovitz, Moore nor Brown had any intention of creating a worldwide debate around it, scandal ensued. This photo was a celebration of womanhood, a photograph that “helped make pregnant women feel less awkward or embarrassed about their bodies.” Also, it effectively made the “handbra” go mainstream.
And yet, markets refused to sell it and those that did covered it with white paper wrap as if it were porn. Still, the magazine sold out on newsstands during its first day within one hour. Television crews waited outside the Vanity Fair office for days. News anchors, journalists, pundits, everyone had something to say about the photo.
Years later, it became the must-take photo while pregnant. Today, that photo is a symbol of women empowerment, an image that helps “pregnant women feel less awkward or embarrassed about their bodies.”
“It was a popular picture and it broke ground, but I don’t think it’s a good photograph per se. It’s a magazine cover. If it were a great portrait, she wouldn’t be covering her breasts,” said Leibovitz. I wish I could say we’ve come a long way in terms on how we perceive female bodies, but the truth is that nothing has changed that much since that 1991 cover. Though we’ve seen celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Kourtney Kardashian, and Serena Williams mimicking the legendary photo, taboo’s concerning pregnancy are not different from those in the early nineties. So, maybe we’re in the right track regarding female sexuality and pregnancy, but we still have a long way to go.
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