Why Is There a Mirror on Meghan Markle's British Vogue Cover?

Last night the Duchess of Sussex revealed the first look at British Vogue's September issue, which she guest-edited. On Instagram, the Duchess shared the cover, which features women she, along with British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful, dubbed "forces of change," which is the theme of the issue. "For the cover, The Duchess chose a diverse selection of women from all walks of life, each driving impact and raising the bar for equality, kindness, justice and open mindedness," the Sussex Royal account notes in the caption. On the cover are many familiar faces, including actresses Yara Shahidi, Jane Fonda, and Laverne Cox, activist Adwoa Aboah, model Adut Akech Bior, Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, but there is one blank space at the center of the image with no face in it. What is it? It's not a mistake, in fact that blank space is a very significant...and it's not actually a blank space at all.

"The sixteenth space on the cover, a mirror, was included so that when you hold the issue in your hands, you see yourself as part of this collective," the Sussex Royal account writes.

"The 16th spot on the magazine’s cover represents a mirror, at the request of the Duchess, to include the reader in this unique moment and encourage them to use their own platforms to effect change," Vogue explains further in a post from Enniful about the issue. "The 16th spot on the cover will appear in print as a silver reflective mirror, to show how you, the reader, are part of this extraordinary moment in time."

View this post on Instagram

We are proud to announce that Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Sussex is the Guest Editor for the September issue of @BritishVogue. For the past seven months, The Duchess has curated the content with British Vogue's Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful to create an issue that highlights the power of the collective. They have named the issue: “Forces for Change” For the cover, The Duchess chose a diverse selection of women from all walks of life, each driving impact and raising the bar for equality, kindness, justice and open mindedness. The sixteenth space on the cover, a mirror, was included so that when you hold the issue in your hands, you see yourself as part of this collective. The women on the cover include: @AdwoaAboah @AdutAkech @SomaliBoxer @JacindaArdern @TheSineadBurke @Gemma_Chan @LaverneCox @JaneFonda @SalmaHayek @FrankieGoesToHayward @JameelaJamilOfficial @Chimamanda_Adichie @YaraShahidi @GretaThunberg @CTurlington We are excited to announce that within the issue you’ll find: an exclusive interview between The Duchess and former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, a candid conversation between The Duke of Sussex and Dr Jane Goodall, inspirational articles written by Brené Brown, Jameela Jamil and many others. Equally, you’ll find grassroots organisations and incredible trailblazers working tirelessly behind the scenes to change the world for the better. • “Guest Editing the September issue of British Vogue has been rewarding, educational and inspiring. To deep dive into this process, working quietly behind the scenes for so many months, I am happy to now be able to share what we have created. A huge thanks to all of the friends who supported me in this endeavour, lending their time and energy to help within these pages and on the cover. Thank you for saying “Yes!” - and to Edward, thank you for this wonderful opportunity.” - The Duchess of Sussex #ForcesForChange

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jul 28, 2019 at 2:26pm PDT

So it seems the idea for the mirror came directly from Meghan Markle who, Enninful says, didn't want to be featured on the cover herself. "As you will see from her selections throughout this magazine, she is also willing to wade into more complex and nuanced areas, whether they concern female empowerment, mental health, race or privilege. From the very beginning, we talked about the cover–whether she would be on it or not. In the end, she felt that it would be in some ways a 'boastful' thing to do for this particular project. She wanted, instead, to focus on the women she admires.”

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