Meghan Markle Criticized For Vogue Magazine Cover, Some Think It’s A Rip Off Of Another Book
As news of Meghan Markle guest editing the September edition of UK Vogue makes the rounds, some people are finding that it has an uncanny resemblance to another book for which she previously wrote an essay.
The book, entitled The Game Changers, by Samantha Brett and Steph Adams was published in 2016. It features 15 black-and-white photographs of women on the cover.
The cover of Meghan’s Vogue issue, entitled Forces for Change, also has 15 black-and-white photos of women on the cover. It also has another spot, which is a mirror image meant to “include the reader and encourage them to use their own platforms to effect change,” as reported by The Daily Mail.
Both publications shine the spotlight on women who are breaking down societal barriers.
In addition, both publications were marketed using the same language. The Daily Mail reported that Royal officials promoted the Vogue issue by saying it featured “trailblazing change-makers united by their fearlessness in breaking barriers.” The Game Changers was promoted as being a book about “fearless, trailblazing” women who were making a difference in the world.
Brett told TheDaily Mail she was surprised and dismayed when she saw the cover on Monday.
“It’s obviously very flattering, she obviously likes our concept!” she said.
“I love Meghan and am a huge fan, but if what people are alerting us to is true, then it’s extremely disappointing,” she added.
Meghan Markle accused of copying Australian book for Vogue cover https://t.co/JSv6gr3lP5 pic.twitter.com/KBtODbyQQ0
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) July 29, 2019
Some readers on The Daily Mail agreed that the cover seemed to be a copy of the book. One comment that received over 2,100 upvotes pointed to the idea that a similarity between the covers could not simply be a coincidence.
“Markle doesn’t have one original thought in her head. This is disgraceful plagiarism,” the comment read.
“Rather pathetic for someone to pretend to be more than they actually are. At least if you must feed off other people’s ideas have the guts to admit that’s what you’re doing,” read another comment.
It should be noted that there are some differences between the two covers. For instance, the cover of The Game Changers has one row of photos at the top and two rows of photos at the bottom, with the name of the book in between. The book was republished in 2017 with two rows of photos at the top of the cover and two rows of photos at the bottom. The reprinted version of the cover was also in color.
