Vogue
2021; Volume: 22; Issue: 1-2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/jmm.2021.0011
ISSN2576-7895
Autores Tópico(s)Asian Culture and Media Studies
ResumoVogue Kimberly Voss (bio) I have been a Vogue magazine subscriber for decades. It was one of the first publications I read that treated soft news as important, covering fashion and food in ways that were interesting and significant. These topics were approached from business, sociological, and cultural perspectives. Vogue was, of course, visually stunning—from the cover to the fashion spreads inside. But it was news of fashion—from designer profiles to trendsetters to the business of fashion—that caught my attention years ago. I realized these topics were as newsworthy as any other major industry, whether it be energy, tech, or transportation. Pioneering magazine editors have also headed the magazine, such as Diana Vreeland, who expanded coverage to include the sexual revolution of the 1960s, including East Village boutiques and popular models. Another editor was Grace Mirabella, who focused on the liberated women in the 1970s. She increased arts coverage, news about health, and articles about working women. The magazine also included lengthy feature stories about politics, personalities, and entertainment. The stories were well written, as well as full of significant sources and current events. There was a blend of news— both hard and soft—the kind of mixed content that our students like to cover and that magazine audiences like to read. This realization was especially helpful in later years when most of my journalism classes were focused on hard news. In contrast, I found that soft news was being treated as insignificant, even fluff. Vogue provided an example of what soft journalism could be—after all, we all dress and eat each day. This example provided the foundation for my research of soft news years later. Too often, the topics of fashion and food are considered “women’s news” and, by default, fluff—or soft news. This is despite the fact that [End Page 25] clothing and eating are a central part of most people’s lives. Instead, the kind of journalism that gets respect is hard news that focuses on conflict. An article in the Columbia Journalism Review recently made note of the problem when journalists typically make distinctions between “hard” and “soft” news. “Journalism should blur the lines between hard and soft, high and low, serious and trite—not reinforce those boundaries,” the author wrote (Sanders 2021). The assumption that women’s magazines do not have value was mirrored in the dismissive coverage of Teen Vogue in recent years. Critics regularly wrote about how shocking it was that a publication for teen girls could include significant content (Gilbert 2016). Yet the September 2016 issue included an interview with Loretta Lynch and an essay by Hillary Clinton. This was just one issue that demonstrated the fashion magazine’s mission of feminism and activism—as well as fashion and style. Women’s fashion magazines were and are filled with significant editorial content and visual elements. Despite being overlooked by much of the journalism industry, these magazines that explore fashion, food, and lifestyle—as well as politics, health, and personalities—deserve as much recognition as any news magazine. [End Page 26] Kimberly Voss University of Central Florida Kimberly Voss kimberly voss, PhD, is a professor at the University of Central Florida, where she teaches a magazine survey course, among other classes. She is the author of several books of journalism history. Contact: Kimberly.Voss@ucf.edu. REFERENCES Gilbert, Sophie. 2016. “Teen Vogue’s Political Coverage Isn’t Surprising.” Atlantic, December 12, 2016. Google Scholar Sanders, Sam. 2021. “All of It Matters.” Columbia Journalism Review, Fall 2021. Google Scholar Copyright © 2022 Magazine Media Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
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