You’ll have to excuse me readers, but I need to vent.
After flipping through Vogue US’s underwhelming January issue, where they successfully made Gwen Stefani boring, I decided it might be time to quit holding the magazine up as the ultimate in the industry.
Even Gwen looks over it.
I didn’t think it could get worse, and then this happened…
I can no longer support a magazine that turns out something this awful. With all the money, and all the creative talent at Vogue, they come up with this? What art director looks at this cover and thinks, “Yes, I approve of this awkward text alignment. Let’s cover up the interesting detail of this blouse with red, white and blue text. Surely that is the only way we can convey that this issue is about American style.”
I don’t want to be a senseless internet griper, so I will write a list of grievances that hopefully you will find reasonable.
1. When was the last time you saw a model on the cover of Vogue US?
And I do not mean Kate Moss (even though I love her). Sure, Karlie is a favorite inside the mag, but let’s give her a cover, yes? Or what about Edita, or Anne V. or *gasp* one of the leading Asian models right now, Fei Fei Sun? Vogue US has the power to catapult a model into supermodel status and it frustrates me to no end that they stick Kristen Stewart on the cover looking like a dead fish and call it a day.
Shouldn’t Vogue be championing models, if they really are so supportive of the industry? And if they are worried about selling magazines, I assure you that seeing Twilight girl’s icy mug and Rihanna splashed all over is not doing anything for my urge to pay hard earned money…
2. Vogue US covers are predictable, unimaginative and very, very white.
This pretty much goes for editorial content too, but covers are easier to discuss.
They are doing the same thing, over and over again and I am bored out of my mind. Who says you have to have captions on both sides of the cover, in the exact same font every time? It is a formula and it isn’t working. Who says you even need to have WORDS AT ALL? It’s Vogue for heaven’s sake. Throw the rules out the window and get all that clutter off the cover. They should be going for an iconic cover every. single. time.
Like this one…
Now that is a magazine you would want to pick up and flip through (it’s from the 40′s). Vogue Italia and Korea’s covers are fantastic to look at if you want to see the kind of minimalism I am talking about for our modern age.
And do not even get me started on the amount of safe, white actresses in the mag lately. Okay sure, there was that one cover with Michelle Obama and Rihanna twice in the last two years and J Lo. But guess what, there are tons of gorgeous Hispanic, Asian, African and everything in-between models working right now. Or hey, why not introduce America to Erika Linder or Andrej Pejic in grand style? The magazine no longer represents the American population and that is a problem. Don’t get me wrong, I like Emma Stone, Emma Roberts, Charlize Theron, Marion Cottilard, Keira Knightley, Taylor Swift, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon (anyone noticing a trend here?)
Even the way the editorial content is presented to us is same old same old. They are doing nothing of interest with type or graphics.
Nothing is dynamic, nothing is exciting!
There was more excitement in the 1920′s than there is today! How is that okay?
I am done with Vogue US until someone up there starts churning out stellar content. There is no excuse.
Having said all this, I am now in need of another fashion magazine to subscribe to. I do enjoy Harper’s Bazaar (for the most part) and have considered that as an alternative.
Does anyone have a good one out there for me?
Also, tell me your thoughts. Anyone else out there unsatisfied with good ol’ Vogue US?
