The Inspiring Story Behind The ‘Vogue Challenge’

Editor’s note: Since publication, Centennial Beauty has been made aware of the speculation surrounding the original creator of the Vogue Challenge.

If you’ve been on social media in the last week, then you’ve likely seen the Vogue Challenge.

The Vogue Challenge, simply put, encourages participants to put themselves, or their work, on the cover of the magazine with a little help from Photoshop. The trend originated on Twitter in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, providing an online space for BIPOC creatives to showcase their best work via the hashtag #VogueChallenge.

Within days, some of the world’s most influential players in the beauty and fashion space accepted the challenge, taking the Vogue Challenge from a niche concept to a full-blown viral trend.

Now, with thousands of re-creations and global recognition, few are aware that Norway-based student, Salma Noor, was amongst the first to gain viral traction for her cover art.

On June 2nd, Salma tweeted a photo of herself on the (figurative) cover of VOGUE shot by Angèlique Culvin with the subheading: Being black is not a crime. The magazine-esque cover art inspired others to create their own powerful “cover stories” in support of BLM, and thus, the Vogue Challenge was born.

Salma spoke with Centennial Beauty, saying her inspiration for the cover was a protest of sorts— a way to showcase the talent of Black photographers and models as they “don’t get enough credit for their hard work.”

While few have given her the well-deserved credit, Salma says she is happy that her message went viral. “I’m glad my message went out to the world,” she explains. “The challenge went viral because I had a meaning behind it. I think many young Black people felt the message.”

A young Black Muslim woman herself, Salma says she hopes this trend will inspire the fashion industry to include more diversity on their covers and throughout their work. “There’s not that many Black hijabis on covers,” she told Snobette, “I want to show that Black young girls are beautiful no matter what.”

On her plans for the future, Salma told us that she’s committed to using her platform to support the movement, “I will keep sharing and using my voice to uplift Black people through these hard times.”

And if you’re thinking of doing the Vogue Challenge yourself? All she asks is that you give her credit and share how the challenge has affected you.

See some of our favourite Vogue Challenge entires below.

To find out more about the movement, visit Black Lives Matter.