By Kiran Galani
The September issue of the premiere fashion magazine Vogue is a reflection of fashion, the arts and the people who have helped shape the world around us in the past 25 years. As the last issue to be edited by the long-standing editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman, this edition represents the culmination of her career.
It is perhaps then fitting that the issue celebrates the achievements of the several illustrious women who have graced the pages of the publication since 1992, including the likes of Natalie Massenet, Vivienne Westwood, Theresa May and the recently appointed Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick. Commissioner Dick posed in her uniform for the feature, celebrating women who were at the top of their game. As Londons first female police chief, she certainly deserves the spot.
Dick’s ascent as the first female Commissioner
Dick joined the London force, known as Scotland Yard, in 1983 as a constable and made her way up the ranks to become Britain’s senior most counter-terrorism officer, and National Director of Security during the 2012 London Olympic Games.
In April this year, she began her tenure as the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, an organisation that comprises of 43,000 officers and staff. It was a turbulent start, as a series of unfortunate events hit London during the first half of 2017. The city’s emergency services had to cope with the fallout following the horrific fire which engulfed Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, the attack on Westminster Bridge in April, and the terrorist attacks on London Bridge and Borough Market. However, an experienced counter-terrorism officer, Dick was unfazed by the vast multitude of events she had been tasked with.
In her interview with Vogue, she explained how the Grenfell fire and the recent fatal attacks in Westminster and London Bridge meant long working hours, but the police force’s morale has stayed high.“There is something about putting the uniform on. You’ve got a role to play, to be calm, to lead other people, to go forward when everyone else is running away. It gives you a sense of, not of courage but, ‘It’s my job,'” she explained.
An interplay of empathy and experience
Dick’s experience, coupled with her empathetic nature, helped her take a practical approach to the problems she faced. Simultaneously, she was also sensitive to the cause of the people and their situation. In an interview with BBC after the London Bridge attack, Dick’s voice caught as she told how an off-duty officer was having a drink with friends in the market when terror struck on Saturday and without hesitation he dived in, sustaining several injuries as a result.
While one often sees public figures and politicians sharing their compassion in times of urgency, its rare to see such solidarity from police officers. Despite how unusual it was, her compassion was very well received by the public. This shows a changing attitude in the way people view things and expect them to be done. It will be interesting to see how far this movement goes.
Looking beyond gender
Vogue magazine has been in the news recently for several interesting reasons. Their August 2017 cover featured Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid wearing each other’s clothes as a part of a story on how fashion is gender fluid now and stereotypical gender norms are a thing of the past. The September 2017 issue will be the last to be edited by the long-standing editor-in-chief, Alexandra Shulman. Edward Enninful will be taking her place and he would be the first male editor in chief of the magazine.
While Cressida Dick may not fit the stereotypical image of a commissioner and Edward Enninful may not be the usual Vogue editor-in-chief, it is important that these changes are accepted and given a chance. Its 2017 after all, and stereotypes are meant to be a thing of the past.
Featured Image Source: Visual Hunt