Here are some photos from a Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot featuring Kate Upton and some exotic baby animals. There’s a lot of controversy, of course, but before I wade into it, can I just say something? I love Upton’s styling in these photos? It’s sort of retro, but it’s also really flattering. I like that she’s not pushing her boobs on us, and I also like that Bazaar got some hair and makeup people who weren’t hypnotized by her breasts and actually put in the effort to make her look great.
Now, on to the controversy. This pictorial is called “The Animal Nursery” and I guess the theme is good-hearted and big-breasted Kate is some kind of stylish nurse to baby animals, and she poses winningly while holding up various animals. The shoot was styled by Carine Roitfeld and it will appear in all 26 international editions of the magazine. This is hardly the first time a major fashion magazine seemed tone-deaf about how fashion pictorials are “accessorized”. Vogue has gotten in trouble by using actual BABIES as accessories for fashion shoots, and just a few months ago, Vogue did an absolutely terrible shoot in the areas of New York and New Jersey devastated by Hurricane Sandy. So where does “using endangered baby animals” fall on the list of editorial disasters? Eh.
Fashionista reached out to Harper’s Bazaar, but no one at the magazine would issue any statements. Fashionists also reached out to Zoological Wildlife Foundation, which apparently provided the animals for the shoot, and they wouldn’t go on the record either. But PETA did, of course. Here’s PETA’s statement to Fashionista:
“The gibbon featured in the photographs is an infant and should be with his mother at all times. Besides the emotional trauma that he has undoubtedly suffered as a result of the separation, his delicate immune system is still developing, and he is susceptible to illnesses that humans carry. All the animals in the photographs are endangered and should be protected, rather than being treated like props.”
[PETA’s statement, via Fashionista]
Aw, the gibbon should be with his mom. Damn. As for the little tiger… I’m kind of in love with him. I bet he has those super-sharp kitten claws too. That’s actually what bothers me the most about this shoot – that they had all of those baby animals together on the set. What if the baby tiger thought the baby gibbon was a playmate and those sharp kitten claws come out and then…? Disaster.
Photos courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar, Kate Upton’s Twitter & the Mail.
I kinda liked her when she first came out now I’m over it..
The initial appeal has waned…..
Her face is a more budget version of Anna Nicole and her body is a squishy column with giant tits…
I think she is really pretty, but she has to work on her facial expression.
i’m watching too much ANTM, she has the same face on all photos. gotta work that open mouth, it looks cheap.
i like her though, i’m sort of weak to underdogs
Ha her mouth is the EXACT same in all these pictures. Kinda cracks me up. Her eyes are a bit wonky in a few, but that top shot is beautiful IMO.
In the last cycle of ANTM Tyra did a voice over on the finale episode claiming the winner was like Kate Upton. Funny cause even the contestant had better facial expressions than Kate…
Very irresponsible (keeping all of the animals together).
WTH…those boots!
Very. That poor gibbon would have been terrified.
I think she’s very pretty and I’m glad to see a woman of more substantial proportions modelling high fashion. But two things. 1. Must her mouth always be open? And 2. Did they have to pair those brown leather boots with that dress? The combination looks hideous.
1. Must her mouth always be open?
All models seem to have this problem. Models with gap teeth seem to be the worst.
I cannot stand the girl ESPECIALLY because of her unreal lack of any kind of facial expression other than her patented open-mouth-empty-eyes.
Why is she a thing? Why do they push her down our throats when there are tons of beautiful, normal sized women with a lot of class and the ability to express actual emotions? Ugh.
This! She has no other expression apart from that! She’s making the same face in every. Single. Shot. How is that talented.
Good Lord, please support the cat babies’ hind legs. They HATE dangling, every cat lover know’s that!
She looks good, of course. But I wish she could show different expression in her face.
Speaking about posing with animal, I remember when I was 9 years old—my mom made me took a pose at the zoo with an adult tiger by hugging it around the neck and told me to smile when that’s exactly the last thing I want to do. *shiver*
I’m sure they had the proper handlers for the animals, so there was no “baby tiger mistaking the gibbon” etc. so if that’s the concern, doesn’t really stick. If the concern is accessorizing with exotic animals, well PETA seems to be the only one that cares….
Another thing: another mouth-breather!
That’s disrespectful towards the animals though, and wearing fur, oh please. Another thing, the girl is a joke, she has no personality and one facial expression only.
PETA doesn’t give a sh*t about animals. They just care about putting out statements that get them the most press.
Personally, I don’t know if it was a great idea or not to use the baby animals. While it could possibly raise awareness of the animals’ endangered status, it also seems it could be unsafe for them. I guess if the ZWF thought it was fine, it probably is.
A very large complaint to this is that the animals are being treated like accessories. They aren’t. They are wild creatures, they shouldn’t be trained to pose around humans in the name of fashion. There is no bigger picture or awareness being raised. It’s them being used as props. Animals in the entertainment industry are usually drugged up or suffer emotional trauma. (More common for actual movies though). Makes me sad.
I kind of like the retro styling, but am not a fan of using endangered animals as photo shoot props.
Totally agree.
I like this girl in general. She’s different and she doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously. I can’t see her pulling a “Giselle” and making me want to smack her for saying stupid, demeaning crap.
Her body is a throwback to the 60’s love it. Not everyone finds visible muscles their favourite look.
But dammit, close your mouth sometimes.
She reminds me of the 80’s models from Glamour with her big sprayed blonde hair(I read every issue from the 80’s 🙂
I kind of like it 🙂
I do too, aside from the hip waders
I don’t know enough about animals to say if it was animal endangerment. Hopefully there was someone on the set who knew enough to take care of them.
I love the green blazer and brown/white coat/dress outfits. Christina Hendricks should wear things like that.
Peta has lost all credibility with about everyone I know long ago, and then Ingrid Newkirk went ahead in a recent Guardian interview and called keeping animals enslavement, while posing for photos with her pet rabbit.
PETA is such a famewhore.
1-Thank you for the boob coverage
2-pretty but same open mouth expression in all the pictures
3-maybe they shouldve tried puppies and kittens instead of endangered species
Dear fashion world: stop trying to make Kate Upton ‘happen’ as a high fashion model. It’s not going to happen.
It already has happened, hasn’t it?
I am a serious animal lover (not quite PETA level but close, lol) and I would normally freak out if I saw baby animals being mishandled – be they endangered or not – BUT I honestly don’t see how this is a big deal.
Okay, it wasn’t the best idea in the world but I would think that there would be pros there like animal handlers or zoologists present who would ensure that the lil ones would be treated well. Also, I doubt very much that they would have just left the tiger cub to roam around and attack things…so no, it wasn’t a great concept but IMHO it’s wayyyyy less offensive than the infamous “Hurricane Sandy” shoot.
These are just a few reasons why posing with wild animals is really really wrong:
http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/news/detroits-tiger-cub-photo-represents-opposite-hope-big-cats
oh my gosh, I know it was wrong to put all those baby animals on set, but they’re so cute awwwwwwwww.
I find the whole shoot awesome! Love the animals, love the styling, love that they used Kate and her hair looks amazing!
Well, to me there’ll always be only one Kate who can look divine with a feline by her side and her name isn’t Upton.
It would have been priceless if Peta had been around during the filming of Bringing up Baby. Katharine Hepburn would just have ripped their head off (Howard Hawks too I think).
Her face just doesn’t have “it.” I don’t think that’s something you can learn or acquire, but I do think she can be coached into having more/better expressions.
As for using animals as props, were these young animals transported to a shoot location far from their homes? Yeah, that sounds kinda dicey, but I’d like to believe the magazine spent for an army of wranglers, vets, etc.
Here’s the thing… no amount of public outrage is going to change this spread or get it pulled from the magazine. So basically, all the noise is just fueling the controversy and potential magazine sales.
beautiful pictures!
I think these photos are gorgeous, save for the ones without any pants. I dont get it. Its also nice to see her boobs wearing a bra and clothing! She really is a beautiful girl and I am happy to see something other than her nipples for once…. even though I have major boob envy of her and can’t look away when they’re out.
the animals/props look disconnected from kate(well at least the cute as a button tiger)…and I still find kate to be still very ‘meh’. She has the same expression in every photo.
She is beautiful but looks lifeless, disassociated, in every photo.
Those boots are far more of a crime. Good lord, what are they supposed to be doing?
Funny part is she doesn’t grate on my nerves yet. My co-worker called her the “Female model version of Tim Tebow”–that is ‘more hype than their talent deserves’–but my only exposure to her is this site so I’m indifferent.
Though stop the mouth breathing, aie.
Umm, yes she is curvy, that is great and all, but that doesn’t mean she is a good model!
She isn’t a curvy woman… she has no waist or hips… just big tits.
Having large breasts doesn’t make you a curvy woman.
The first photo is great, the second photo is good and then it just goes downhill. Love her hair and the vintage styling, though.
I hate when wild animals are used like this, but the puppy tiger is too precious.
Baby tiger! Baby gibbon! Baby ocelot (I think)! I want them all! I know it’s wrong, but I do!
That baby ocelot (?) is adorable
Is that what it is? Saving that picture with the horrendous boots! I think I’ll bookmark Google Image ocelot for a rainy day 🙂
Looks like a baby Serval. I love baby ocelots, but add photos of baby Servals into your rotation for super adorable baby cat photos.
Thank you for a non-boob photo shoot. She does look pretty and it’s a nice change.
Baby tiger! Great, now I’m gonna be stuck on a YouTube loop of baby tiger videos. They are so stinking cute. As long as they are safe I don’t really have a problem. And as long as they gave the animal the space and resting time and didn’t damage its eyes or anything, then it’s not that big a deal I guess. I wouldn’t miss it if they didn’t do it though.
Are those boots, like, thigh-high or hip waders that are undone and slipped down? Horrible styling.
She looks like a young christie brinkley. As for the animals they are so adorable. As long as the pictorial explains that the animals are endangered I think its helping them make people more aware of this cause. as long as something good comes out of it its ok. Shes just posing with the animals nothing else.
My god, she has the EXACT same face in at least 3 of those pictures and the other 2 are only mildly distinguishable due to the camera angles. Start at the bottom, look only at her face and slowly scroll through the pics. Its like shes a mannequin they just moved around a little.
Exactly like a mannequin. I think she’s gorgeous, especially without make up when you can see her freckles, but she really could use some modeling lessons for the high fashion stuff she does.
She is definitely a beautiful girl, no doubt. She needs to practice faces in the mirror though. Somewhere Tyra Banks is ranting and raving about the importance of smizing.
I love the first 3 photos.. The rest, meh not so much.
As a fellow “Apple”, Kate Upton gives me hope.
Apparently Kate is dating Diddy… interesting.
I just saw that…talk about random.
Saw that too. I don’t know about “dating” but probably a string of hook-ups? Poor Cassie, she really needs to leave him and that fugly engagement ring behind already.
adorable
all i know is i want one of each. (not the girl but the animals!)
Okay…those boots puked up their innards. 😐
It was all good until that last trashy pic. Oh well…
She has the same expression in each picture? A bad one, to add to the insult.
She’s a pretty gal, and I’d kill for her figure but I don’t buy her as a fashion model. It’s the face. The face, while really pretty, isn’t fashion. More.. catalogue.
Really bad pics. Bad photographer & terrible stylist & the animals look very unhappy.
She looks nervous in every photo. She looks very uncomfortable in that photo holding the tiger cub.
Why do her eyes look dead in the last 2 photos?
She’s a pretty woman, but she’s not a good model. She’s not versatile at all and she can’t convey any other emotion other than trying to look seductive and sexy.
Models always get insulted for “just posing in front of a camera” but Kate Upton and other wannabe-models clearly prove modeling is harder than just striking a pose.
Um… I don’t think the animals look unhappy? LOL Really, doesn’t seem like a big deal if there is some mention of the animals being endangered… this DOES raise awareness. Is it horrible for animal experts to bring young animals (such as these) onto talk shows? I don’t think so if they are properly cared for by experienced handlers, which they usually seem to be. I doubt this shoot was any different from that.
I don’t get it. I don’t get the appeal of Kate Upton beyond a swimsuit model. She has a very ordinary, dime a dozen face to me and if it weren’t for those boobs, i don’t think she’d get the amount of attention she currently gets. She is obviously not cut out to be a high end model, judging by these pictures. I really just don’t get it.
adorable, I love it. I love the styling as well, except for those CRAZY boots.
I’m sick of all the PETA bashing. You need to find a different venue for your hatred than PETA. Focus your anger on the people who inflict cruelty on animals- the animal experimenters, the fur and leather dealers, the factory farmers, Ringling Brothers (or better yet- focus your anger on yourself if you buy animal products because they were absolutely cruelly made). PETA has made mistakes and you may not agree will all their tactics, etc, but seriously, they at least are trying to help animals in a world where animals have no power and most people don’t give damn about animals. It’s tough to fight this, so please give PETA a break and shift your anger towards those who really deserve it.
The problem with PETA is how extreme they are. I tend to agree with the majority of their views, but demanding everyone go vegan and saying that keeping pets is a form of slavery is a huge turn-off to most people. They are not going to win over the people who are on the fence with those tactics. Sometimes they don’t even bother to fully understand a situation before they condemn it, such as horseback riding. No, it’s not exactly natural, and it CAN be cruel depending on many factors, but that is not fair to the rest of us. I ride my mare a few times a week, and she is so happy to see me when I come to the barn that she trots right up to me in the paddock. She is my friend and my partner in a sport we both take part in. She loves to work and if she were ever uncomfortable or in pain, I would stop riding her. As long as PETA thinks I’m some horrible person for enjoying my passion, they can kiss my ass.
Edited to add that I also don’t agree that all animal products are cruelly made. What about free-range eggs? A friend of mine keeps very happy chickens that lay an egg a day. An egg that isn’t even fertilized and will rot if left in the nest. There is absolutely nothing cruel about eating that egg or how it was produced.
Holy crap, it’s not like they picked up these animals on the black market or at a Petsmart adoption day. They were provided and cared for by ZWF which is a very reputable organization. There is no story here except PETA, once again, trying to fill it’s bank account on the backs of animals and gullible people.
This kind of shoot won’t fuel conservation it will fuel tiger is the new accessory syndrome for crazies. And isn’t it really weird to mix a sex symbol in a bikini and baby animals? Like something ain’t right with that! Plus she looks dead in the eyes right? Hating on this big time!