Kristen McMenamy portraying oil slicked and dead sea creatures. Poignant and thought provoking, if you ask me.Props to Steven Miesel and Vogue Italia for a provocative, powerful and chilling editorial (minus the product placement) raising awareness on the massive 5 million barrels of BP oil spilt off the Gulf of Mexico.

Though this editorial has been blogged about (mostly negatively) to death, I had to say, I don't see anything insensitive with it. Its Vogue and this is their context. Looked at objectively, the images can easily be seen as a barely-metaphorical representation of the harm being done in the ocean, portrayed in a context that is more accessible for a fashion magazine's readership. The audience may very well be people who have have little sympathy for sea animals but when they see their beloved fashion models subjected to the same thing would sympathize, or better, empathize and be prodded into a more direct, emotional reaction than they would otherwise. And if you're trying to get word out about the wrongs being committed, isn't that a good enough reason for the editorial?

Steven Meisel has used environmental and political themes in his work for Italian Vogue quite frequently. A couple of years ago he used the Iraq war, shooting with soldiers and more recently, a refuge scene. What we would love to see in addition to this inspired social commentary is that the magazine editors would seek to integrate solutions into their editorials.

What was missing was a call for action to the readers that must have been present alongside the editorial, such as:
1) Boycott BP! Products in India include Castrol.
2) Support Those Saving The Wildlife such as National Wildlife Federation and International Bird Rescue Research Center. You can even adopt an orphaned bird! :)
3) Register through OilSpillVolunteers.com to volunteer or join a cleanup organization.
4) Most important of all, End Mindless Consumerism that is contributing to all the oil greed! And yes, this has a place on a style/fashion blog! It is preoccupation with possessions that prevents us from living freely and nobly. We can all do our bit by spending carefully and wisely, I'm sure! :)