--- description: A Vogue cover featuring a Saudi princess behind the wheel prompted backlash as it follows the nation's arrest of women's right activists title: Vogue Arabia's Saudi Princess Cover Sparks Backlash image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Saudi Arabia](/tag/saudi-arabia/) ## Saudi Arabia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Vogue Arabia Faces Backlash For Its Saudi Princess Cover While Women Activists Remain in Jail ## Video: Saudi Arabia Is Allowing Women to Drive Cars for the First Time [Watch (HLS stream): Saudi Arabia Is Allowing Women to Drive Cars for the First Time](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FvbiKJ7W.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2017-09-26. Saudi King Salman on Tuesday ordered that women be allowed to drive cars, state media said, ending the conservative Islamic kingdom's status as the only country where that is forbidden._ by [Laignee Barron](/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2018 4:00 AM CUT by [Laignee Barron](/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2018 4:00 AM CUT A Vogue cover featuring a Saudi princess behind the wheel of a convertible has prompted criticism online as its publication follows the [nation’s arrest](http://time.com/5285131/saudi-arabia-activists-detained-driving-ban/ "undefined") of nearly a dozen women’s right activists. In anticipation of the Kingdom’s June 24 removal of the ban on women drivers, Vogue Arabia’s June issue celebrates the “trailblazing women of Saudi Arabia”. The cover shows the Princess Hayfa bint Abdullah al-Saud in the driver’s seat wearing leather gloves, high heels and a loosely tied headscarf above the headline “Driving Force”. “This month, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is putting women in the driving seat — and so are we,” [the magazine said ](https://en.vogue.me/fashion/news/inside-vogue-arabias-groundbreaking-first-ever-saudi-issue/ "undefined")in its announcement of the cover feature. The issue “celebrates the women of the Kingdom and their wide-reaching achievements.” Yet critics pointed out that while the royal family continues to earns accolades for efforts to modernize the conservative Kingdom, 11 activists at the forefront of a campaign to end the gendered driving ban were [detained last month](http://time.com/5289690/saudi-arabia-womens-activists-arrests-escalate/ "undefined"). They were also smeared as “traitors” and could face charges for “undermining the country’s stability.” At least four of the activists were [released](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/05/saudi-arabia-another-activist-arrested-as-crackdown-continues/ "undefined") last week, according to Amnesty International, but others remain in detention. In the midst of the crackdown, social media users blasted the magazine cover as tone deaf. > [](https://twitter.com/Osha001/status/1002203654336778240) > [](https://twitter.com/Hala%5FAldosari/status/1001993237652017152) > [](https://twitter.com/Rowaida%5FAbdel/status/1002302574077374465) > [](https://twitter.com/btoulabi/status/1002097982467203073) Some on Twitter altered the cover by replacing the princess with images of the jailed rights activists. > [](https://twitter.com/Ana3rabeya/status/1001991709612478465) Princess Hayfa, whose family has enforced the driving ban, told Vogue, “In our country, there are some conservatives who fear change.” “Personally, I support these changes with great enthusiasm,” she added. Rights groups say international outrage over the crackdown has threatened to derail the [Crown Prince ](http://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217538/crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman/ "undefined")Mohammed bin Salman’s image as a reformer. He recently traveled around the world on a tour aimed in part at [reshaping](http://time.com/5228006/mohammed-bin-salman-interview-transcript-full/ "undefined") Saudi Arabia’s image. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5298116/vogue-arabia-cover-driving-ban-activists/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5298116/vogue-arabia-cover-driving-ban-activists/"},"headline":"Vogue Arabia Faces Backlash For Its Saudi Princess Cover While Women Activists Remain in Jail","datePublished":"2018-06-01T04:00:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:26:33.343Z","description":"The cover was criticized as a tone-deaf celebration of the royals while rights activists languish in prison","url":"https://time.com/5298116/vogue-arabia-cover-driving-ban-activists/","keywords":["Saudi Arabia","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laignee Barron","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/"}],"articleSection":"World","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":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/saudi-arabia/","name":"Saudi Arabia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5298116/vogue-arabia-cover-driving-ban-activists/","name":"Vogue Arabia Faces Backlash For Its Saudi Princess Cover While Women Activists Remain in Jail"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Saudi Arabia Is Allowing Women to Drive Cars for the First Time","description":"Saudi King Salman on Tuesday ordered that women be allowed to drive cars, state media said, ending the conservative Islamic kingdom's status as the only country where that is forbidden.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FvbiKJ7W/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-09-26T22:22:34.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FvbiKJ7W.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5298116/vogue-arabia-cover-driving-ban-activists/","duration":"PT1M32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5298116/vogue-arabia-cover-driving-ban-activists/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```