German women’s magazine Brigitte has taken a bold move; they have decided that from 2010 they will no longer use professional models in their magazine photo shoots. The magazine’s editor, Andreas Lebert stated that they had decided to use a mix of prominent women and regular readers to model in the pages of their monthly mag. One of the reasons they decided to do this was because Brigitte’s staff was sick of having to retouch professional models to make them look like ordinary women, as readers could not relate to the models’ thin bodies, and they were actually airbrushing them to make them look bigger.
Readers have been given the opportunity to submit pictures of themselves in the hopes that they may be the next Brigitte photo shoot star, and they will be paid the same amount as a professional model (probably not as much as Kate Moss, but it’s still pretty good).
The magazine’s decision has been met with both praise and criticism. Some see it simply as a marketing ploy, while successful German designer Karl Lagerfield has been very outspoken about his lack of support for the magazine. Lagerfield stated that he believed that the decision was driven by overweight women who did not like to be reminded of their weight issues. He said, ‘These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television saying that thin models are ugly.’ Harsh Karl, very harsh.
As much as the magazine wants to show ordinary women, they have made the decision that they will only show women size 8-16; Lebert has said, ‘We are not going to become a magazine for plus-sizes.’ One blogger wrote that this decision was still discriminatory, ‘It’s like the popular girls inviting your friend to be in the club, leaving you all alone.’ It seems that there will be limits on what ‘ordinary’ women in Brigitte will look like.
One of Lagerfield’s other arguments was that fashion is about dreams and aspirations, and that includes the models. He believes that women want to see clothes on an aesthetically pleasing person, rather than on someone who they may view as their counterpart. As high fashion items are unattainable for most, is it fitting that the models’ looks and bodies should be unattainable too?
Magazines sales are down across all sectors. It could be because £4 on a magazine seems like too much of a luxury in these skint times in which we live, or maybe it’s because of the brilliant content that is available online. Digital magazines are great because they can be updated much more quickly than regular paper issues, and there can even be links included so you can find out more about something you see in the magazine that you like. Now you must be digitally savvy, because you’re reading this fantastic blog, so why not check out some of the digital fashion magazines that are on a computer near you. It’s another way for you to feel smug about being eco-friendly.
prim.
prim. is available in print and online. It comes out every two months and it focuses on up-and-coming talent in fashion, art and music. It was started in April 2008 by a 14 year old (makes you sick doesn’t it) New Yorker. For prim. it’s all about edge, and everyone they feature in the magazine has to be vibrant and up to the minute. It takes a while to load, but it’s worth it.
I Love Fake
I Love Fake is not for the faint hearted, it is avant-garde and out there and I would suggest that you don’t have a look if you’re offended by fashionable pictures of half naked people. Each issue has a theme, like ‘The Noir Issue’, ‘The Absurd Issue’, and ‘The Superhero Issue.’ You may not have heard of any of the people that they are interviewing (I hadn’t), so maybe just look at the pictures. They’re nice pictures.
Canvas Mag
Canvas Mag has up to date news about fashion, lifestyle and entertainment. From pictures of Jil Sander’s new collection, to articles on weird ice cream flavours, you’ll find something you’ll like at Canvas.
Dazed and Confused
Dazed and Confused is the only one of the digital magazines featured that isn’t free; you can opt to subscribe digitally or the traditional way. The magazine is of high pedigree as it was founded by Rankin and former Kate Moss boyfriend and current Kate Moss baby daddy Jefferson Hack. Dazed and Confused describes itself as having, ‘agenda-setting editorial, world-beating fashion, brilliant photography and illustration, unrivalled music and film coverage, headline-grabbing events, and admirers and imitators across the globe.’ Even though the magazine has become very successful, it remains an independent publication, so you don’t feel so bad about subscribing now, do you?
If any of these sound up your fashion street then have a look at these digital magazines, and maybe save a few pounds by not buying all the fashion magazines in the shop. Or do both.
