Hooking you up with what's happening on the glossy media beat...- Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn have made the
November cover of Teen Vogue. While Iman made the cover of Teen Vogue with Ali Michaels and Karlie Kloss back in February 2008, Dunn did time with Liya Kebede and seven other supermodels on the May 2009 cover of U.S. Vogue and appeared in a model threesome including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Eden Clarke on the November 2008 cover of U.K. Vogue. It's been a sparse but relatively good two years for black models in the world of Vogue, thanks in part to Vogue Italia and Michelle Obama. "Not since Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks, both of whom are now in their late 30s, has a black model garnered this much intrigue and attention," writes Teen Vogue's Jane Keltner of Iman. "You would think in a day when America has elected its first black president, the notion of a black supermodel wouldn't be such an anomaly. But until Jourdan Dunn appeared on the scene a few years ago, Chanel didn't have much company at the top." Read the full story here.- The question occupying glossy editorial meetings this month, muses Steve Smith, is "What ratio of fantasy to reality [do] women really want to see in magazines and ads?". First there was Lizzi Miller causing an internet stir, now Glamour's giving us seven naked "normal sized models" in its November issue, as seen on the Ellen DeGeneres show.
- Going one step further on the body image front,
top-selling German magazine Brigitte has vowed to remove professional models from its pages and replace them with images of "real life" women instead from next year, reports The Guardian. "From 2010 we will not work with professional models any more," said Andreas Lebert, editor-in-chief, adding that he was "fed up" with having to retouch pictures of underweight models who bore no resemblance to ordinary women. "For years we've had to use Photoshop to fatten the girls up. Especially their thighs, and decolletage. But this is disturbing and perverse and what has it got to do with our real reader?". The magazine will recruit women "who have their own identity" to feature in its shoots, while the move has been written off by critics as a cost-cutting regime.- Closer to home, you can read Madison magazine's Body Issue feature, accompanied by shots of model Alana and a 'body icons through the decades' image gallery, here. The results of the magazine's body survey reveal that 34% of readers "constantly wish they had a different shape", while 74% are currently unhappy with their bodies. Further, 36% said they'd be happier if they lost one to five kilos, while 28% would smile to see 5-10 less kilos on the scales.
- Marie Claire Australia – the country's highest
circulating fashion glossy – has also run survey results in its November issue, albeit giving a bigger picture of where the female Zeitgeist is at (not happy, Jan). Over 5000 women responded to the 'What Women Want' survey, whose findings are discussed by a panel of prominent Aussie women, including editor Jackie Frank, academic Catharine Lumby, designer Carla Zampatti, author Gretel Killeen and government minister Kate Ellis. It addresses: 'having it all' (64% of women believe we can have it all, just not all at once); relationships (75% believe a happy family life and relationship defines success in their life; 82% would choose their relationship over a career); career (69% have doubts about whether they've chosen the right career path; 42% believe success equates with attractiveness); pressures (78% believe women are pressured to have a great family life as well as a great career); stress (50% believe they are more stressed that their mothers were at the same age); sex (47% aren't happy with the amount they're getting); body image (63% are trying to lose weight; 42% would feel better if they lost a few kilos); and beauty (85% would choose wealth over beauty). Am I the only one who gets depressed reading these figures? As Gretel Killeen says, the fairytale dream still exists, while Cate Blanchett represents someone who has it all at work and home. Watch the panel's videos online. A great example of mags using their Little Black Books to open up discussion about the big issues. My favoruite clip: Yumi Stynes on "just getting through the day"...- The latest edition of Aussie weekly Who magazine features a spread on Biggest Loser contestants
showing us how they look since appearing on the show and telling us how much weight they've regained or lost (eek - talk about public accountability!). Covergirl Tiffany Henderson, we're told, weighed a healthy 59.5kg by the end of the show and has since shed a further 1.5kgs (she shed a total of 54.1kgs). The 28-year-old mum says, "I've found myself on occasion wandering to the fridge to have a look. I have to catch myself and say, 'Tiff, you're not hungry, you're just bored.'"- Meanwhile, Zoe Foster of Primped and Mia Freedman of Mamamia are both perplexed by the sexualisation of girls issue, as I have been also.
Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel
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