American Vogue’s August 2025 issue has been making headlines — and not only for its cover featuring actor Anne Hathaway, who is back in the limelight as she films “The Devil Wears Prada” sequel. What has drawn much — if not more — attention can be found in the pages of the magazine: s for the Californian clothing company Guess.
At a cursory glance, nothing appears unusual: A Caucasian woman with wavy blonde hair, flushed cheeks and perfect teeth, bared in a wide smile, shows off a long stripe dress with a matching top-handle bag. In another image, she models a floral playsuit with a drawstring that cinches her waist.
Yet, in small print on the page, it is revealed that the model was created using artificial intelligence. The campaign was developed by Seraphinne Vallora, a London-based AI-driven marketing agency, whose work has also been featured in titles including Elle, The Wall Street Journal and Harper’s Bazaar. The discourse around the AI photos was ignited by TikTok user @lala4an, whose video on the Guess ad has since been viewed more than 2.7 million times.
The revelation that AI models were inside the pages of Vogue sparked debate over what it might mean for real-life models pushing for greater representation and diversity, and consumers — particularly younger people — who often face unrealistic expectations of beauty.
“It’s insane because it’s not like we’re short on people looking for modeling gigs or anything,” wrote one user on TikTok in a comment that, to date, has over 67,700 likes. “So first normal women are comparing themselves to edited models… Now we have to compare ourselves to women that don’t even exist???” wrote another.
