How do you sell extremely overpriced clothing and accessories? Stick them on people far too poor to afford them. At least, this was the strategy of Vogue magazine. In the August issue, Vogue India featured a 16-page spread of extremely poor Indian families modeling expensive designer handbags and umbrellas.







Those are not even the worst ones. The New York Times describes a photo that shows a woman holding a Hermès Birkin bag, usually sold for more than $10,000.

Despite Vogue India editor's advice to "lighten up," I am really fucking disgusted by these photos. Almost 500 million Indians live on less than $1.25 a day, and Vogue has them modeling designer accessories?! Are you kidding? Mostly, I hate this shoot because it reminds me of how instead of buying disgustingly overpriced handbags, we could donate our money to feed hungry families abroad. I wonder how these people felt modeling accessories that are worth a year supply of food. I think this was an extremely insensitive move on Vogue's part.