Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman says attack on supermodel Helena Christensen 'wasn't my finest hour'

'This kind of culture whereby you can't criticise... is kind of a nonsense'

Alexandra Shulman discusses backlash over Helena Christensen comments (Getty)

Former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman has responded to the backlash over her recent comments about model Helena Christensen.

Shulman found herself in the midst of controversy last month after she wrote an article in which she criticised the 50-year-old supermodel’s decision to wear a black lace bustier.

Speaking to The Telegraph’s podcast Fashion Unzipped about the incident, Shulman admitted that she was “kind of wrong” to criticise the model but that everyone has opinions.

“I think that it certainly wasn’t my finest hour,” she said. “I’m very pleased that Helena behaved extremely graciously about it.

“I also think that it is important that you can have an opinion, whether people disagree with it or not - and if you’re going to do that then it might be uncomfortable, but you’ve got to take the heat, haven’t you?”

The 61-year-old later questioned why it is appropriate to review “other art forms” such as a play, an exhibition or a film “completely impartially” but why “commentary is not really a part of the fashion business”.

Shulman also said her background as a journalist occasionally prompts her to have a knee-jerk response but that she was “kind of wrong to make a negative point about how [Christensen] looked in a bustier”.

The former editor added that the main issue people took offence with was that she had “attached [the criticism] to the idea of age”.

In addition to her belief that it is important to express both positive and negative opinions, Shulman, who worked for Vogue for 25 years before leaving the magazine in 2017, said there is now a culture where criticism is unacceptable.

“I think there’s huge hypocrisy here, and this kind of culture whereby you can’t criticise, whereby you have to be incredibly anodyne and ‘supportive’ of everything, is kind of nonsense,” she said, before adding that that is not “how people actually behave, it’s not how people actually think”.

“In the real world, particularly if you’re a young person, you have to be able to deal with the fact that people are going to criticise you. You have to be able to deal with the fact that there are going to be judgements made about you and what you do that won’t necessarily be right or fair, and you’ve got to learn how to deal with that,” Shulman said.

In response to the critical article, Christensen responded with an Instagram photo of her wearing a bustier, which she captioned: “Let’s continue to elevate and support each other, all you beautiful, smart, fun, sexy, hard-working, talented, nurturing women out there.”

At the time, numerous people defended Christensen from the criticism, including current British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, who commented on the model's post: “You are BEAUTIFUL inside and out.”