According to Vogue, true crime is sexy. Or at least the Manson Family murders are.
This week, the publication came under fire for a tone-deaf Instagram post that linked the 50th anniversary of the Manson Family murders to the revival of 60’s beauty trends.
“With this summer marking the 50th anniversary of the Manson family murders and the tragic death of Sharon Tate, the catalyst for the ‘60s revival is a secret to no one,” Vogue Beauty captioned a photo of singer Jorja Smith. “Tap the link in our bio to see how five It girls have modernised throwback looks.”
Followers were quick to poke fun and point out that modelling a beauty look off a woman who was murdered while eight months pregnant 50 years ago is in poor taste, to say the least.
It’s a cringeworthy moment, and sadly, it’s not Vogue’s only blunder. Another Instagram picture posted just four days ago is captioned, “The ‘60s are back. Whether a referential ode to Sharon Tate, or simply capturing the spirit of her defining decade, tap the link in our bio for a round-up of ‘60s-inflected beauty looks have been everywhere of late.”
Following the backlash, Vogue were quick to delete the initial post and reword the article to reference Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as the reason for Sharon Tate being “thrust back into the collective conscious.”
To be fair, the tragic death of Sharon Tate has been thrust back into the collective conscious with Margot Robbie’s portrayal of her in Tarantino’s film, but does that mean we should be glorifying the murders, or worse, drawing inspiration from them for this summer’s hottest look?
Sharon Tate might’ve been a public figure, but her death was tragic and impacted far more than winged eyeliner. A decade after her murder, Tate’s mother, Doris, organised a campaign that amended California criminal law in response to the “cult status” of killers and the possibility of them being granted parole. Doris once said, “If, in my work, I can help transform Sharon’s legacy from murder victim to a symbol of victims’ rights, I will have accomplished what I set out to do.”
After hearing this, perhaps it’s best we draw beauty inspo from fashion icons who weren’t brutally murdered.