--- --- # The Internet Is Sounding Off About Karlie Kloss's Japan-Themed _Vogue_ Shoot  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Feb 15, 2017 3:51 PM UTC  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Feb 15, 2017 3:51 PM UTC The [cover of _Vogue_‘s March 2017 issue](http://motto.time.com/4666150/ashley-graham-vogue-backlash-response/) was recently hailed by some as a sign that the magazine was embracing inclusion, thanks to [a diverse range of models](http://time.com/4579222/iman-bethann-mentorship/) and a cover line that read “no norm is the new norm.” However, an editorial inside the magazine that surfaced Tuesday showed that there’s still room for improvement, as it fashioned [Karlie Kloss, a white supermodel from Missouri](http://time.com/4452476/karlie-kloss-kim-kardashian-west/), in traditional Japanese style. Kloss’ editorial titled “Spirited Away” was shot by photographer Mikael Jansson in Japan and styled by Phyllis Posnick; images from the shoot feature Kloss, among other things, posing in designer clothing with a sumo wrestler, visiting a tea house and carrying a basket of cherry blossoms. > [](https://twitter.com/bestkkpics/status/831555434397982720) Vogue’s editorial registered as tone-deaf with many people, who took to the Internet to sound off about it. Some pointed out the long history of the [whitewashing of Asian people](http://time.com/4297950/scarlett-johansson-ghost-shell-whitewashing/) in popular culture, including [several recent examples](http://time.com/4316844/margaret-cho-whitewashedout-asian-characters/). > [](https://twitter.com/ira/status/831608325766672384) Kloss took to her Twitter on Wednesday to address the shoot, writing that she was “truly sorry for participating in a shoot that was not culturally sensitive.” > [](https://twitter.com/karliekloss/status/831778961600417793) This isn’t the first time that the fashion outlet has been criticized for featuring racial stereotypes and appropriating culture; in the past, they’ve caught heat for [invoking orientalism at the 2015 China-themed Met Gala](http://www.complex.com/style/2015/05/met-gala-2015-asian-appropriation-china-through-the-looking-glass) to [_French Vogue_‘s use of blackface](http://nymag.com/thecut/2009/10/french%5Fvogue%5Fshoots%5Flara%5Fstone.html) for a shoot. Some took issue with Kloss’s inclusion in this shoot for a diversity issue. > [](https://twitter.com/Feathermoonie/status/831629265074528258) > [](https://twitter.com/itsjustdaniii/status/831813089972490242) Some had a very strong visceral reaction to the shoot. > [](https://twitter.com/vivianwmlee/status/831882579963940866) Others pointed out how dated this editorial choice was in 2017. > [](https://twitter.com/johnjannuzzi/status/831628993552084992) Some pointed out that _Vogue_ could have chosen to cast a Japanese model for the shoot. > [](https://twitter.com/honobonoIog/status/831626396904546304) Others still drew a parallel to the other issues going on in the world. > [](https://twitter.com/MiyaTokumitsu/status/831618741330857984) _Vogue_ has not responded to a request for comment on this story. Vogue 2017: Karlie Kloss Controversial Japan Shoot Response ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4671287/karlie-kloss-vogue-backlash/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4671287/karlie-kloss-vogue-backlash/"},"headline":"The Internet Is Sounding Off About Karlie Kloss's Japan-Themed Vogue Shoot","datePublished":"2017-02-15T15:51:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:41:07.867Z","description":"The Internet is sounding off after Vogue Magazine published a geisha-themed editorial of the model in Japan for their diversity issue.","url":"https://time.com/4671287/karlie-kloss-vogue-backlash/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Entertainment","fashion","Vogue","Culture","karlie kloss"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4671287/karlie-kloss-vogue-backlash/","name":"The Internet Is Sounding Off About Karlie Kloss's Japan-Themed Vogue Shoot"}}]}] ```