By LISA ORKIN EMMANUEL, AP
MIAMI -- The model is in black, prone and dirty on jagged rocks, netting draped around her legs like a dead sea creature.
There she is again, lying on her back in a feathered dress, and in close up, her hair and face sleek with oil.
A stirring photo spread in the August issue of Vogue Italia was inspired by the Gulf oil spill, leaving readers wondering if the magazine crossed from evocative to insensitive. Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzani understands the debate stretching from blogosphere to beaches and said the motivation is straightforward.
"The message is to be careful about nature," she said by telephone from Milan, Italy. "Just to take care more about nature. ... I understand that it could be shocking to see and to look in this way these images."
The spread, featuring Kristen McMenamy, is titled "Water & Oil" and was shot in Los Angeles by a leading fashion photographer, Steven Meisel. In another of the photos, the gray-haired McMenamy is covered in oil, spitting up water while clutching her neck.
For pictures from the editorial click HERE.
"They are teasing BP. It doesn't offend me," said Lauren Crappel of Houma, La., as she slathered sunscreen on a child while unpacking her car in a Pensacola Beach parking lot.
Virginia Contreras of Navarre, Fla., said the photos were making light of the disaster. "I think they are making light of the oil spill. Everyone isn't going to the beaches and people have lost their jobs here because of the oil," she said.
Sozzani said the shoot reflects the magazine's effort to "find an idea that comes from real life. ... There is nothing political. There is nothing social. It's only visually. We gave a message but in a visual way."
Some bloggers weren't pleased. Dodai Stewart, deputy editor of Jezebel, called the spread inappropriate.
"I didn't feel it made a statement," she said in an interview. "I felt that they used the oil spill as a backdrop. There was one picture that had feathers. ... What makes a stronger statement about oil-slicked birds is an oil-slicked bird."
Miranda Lash, curator of modern and contemporary art at the New Orleans Museum of Art, said artists should be free to take on any topic.
"When I look at it, I feel pain. It evokes pain and a feeling of loss and sadness because this is going to hurt my region for a very long time," Lash said.
Beth Batton, curator of the permanent collection at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Miss., said in an e-mail that the spread humanizes the condition of the Gulf coast animals and environment.
"Looking at Steven Meisel's photographs, you know something is terribly wrong because, as sensual as the images are, the human mind understands the toxicity of the oil that has coated model Kristen McMenamy's skin, hair, and feathery gloves," she said.
On Twitter, type in keywords Vogue Italia and you'll get various opinions.
Brandie Hopstein, who lives in New Orleans, tweeted about the shoot after seeing the photos days ago. "There is this oil spill going on. It's not going to be slipped under the rug," she said. "I happen to love the shoot."
Julie Urban of Doylestown, Pa., said it's too soon for photographs like these. "I was like, 'What?' I can't believe they did that and the pictures are really graphic," she said. "It's just people dying and choking. There's tar everywhere. It's really disturbing."
Angelia Levy of Silver Spring, Md., tweeted that the spread was "kind of iffy, but it's provocative." She said she wasn't offended, and questions whether an American magazine would have run it.
"There is no way that would go down," Levy said. "It seems distant for them so they can afford to have models rolling around in oil."
Associated Press Writer Melissa Nelson in Pensacola, Fla., also contributed to this report.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.