The July issue of British Vogue brings the spotlight to frontliners who keep our daily lives running as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.
As models and celebrities take a step back, a train driver, a midwife and a supermarket assistant are featured in individual covers.
British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enniful explained the decision in a commentary on Monday, June 1. “Our heroes today are different. There has been a shift in who we look up to and admire, and these people need to be celebrated,” he said.
“They were always heroes, doing their jobs to keep this country on its feet – but they are also normal people. There is such a beauty in normality, but it’s taken an international crisis for us to see it.”
Narguis Horsford, who drives London Overground trains, said of her role in the pandemic: “I am no hero, but I’m proud of being a train driver and the essential role we are playing during the coronavirus crisis.”
“People have been smiling more at me and I’ve received a few thank yous!” she said of feeling the community spirit during this crisis.
Midwife Rachel Millar recalled how people around her gathered when she faced a tough moment: her ride to work, a bicycle, was stolen.
“Within a few hours, a friend who also works at Homerton Hospital had raised over £500 online to help get me back on the road,” she said. “Another colleague tweeted the story and within an hour, a local company had donated a brand new electric bike.”
Anisa Omar, a supermarket assistant, has been doing grocery shopping for other people and delivering their goods at their doorsteps.
She noticed that people saw the importance of their work more during the coronavirus crisis.
“Before the pandemic, people would look at us as service assistants – we’re there to show them where the eggs are or if they want to complain about something. But now they’re a lot more understanding,” she said. “They understand that we’re here all the time, and they don’t have to leave their houses. People are a lot nicer, they’re warmer.”
The issue is available for download online on Friday, June 5. /ra
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