XX-ELLE

XX ELLE

by Benjamin Kanarek

Fashion silhouettes and the models used in most spreads in all of the major Fashion Magazines are generallyquite sleek. Woman who read these magazines aspire to the precedents setby these Trend Makers. It is more often than not very frustrating forthe readership to have to live up to the standards being set by thoseinfluential glossies.


Pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies make a fortune on their magic formula’s, whichthey regularly advertise in the Beauty or Fitness sections of ELLE, VOGUE, Harper’s BAZAAR, MarieClaire, etc… The income generated by catering to weight lose and theassociated regimes to do so are astronomical. Considering thatpurchasing one advertising page in one of the above giants cost between$25-35k, you can now begin to calculate the importance of this sector.The Dove campaign is a case in point. But, the problemup to now has been, although weight lose regimes are advertised, themagazines do not really cater to the present physical state of a largesector of the potential readership population. In fact, they more oftenthan not alienate those potential adopters of the Mega-Magazines, by notdirectly communicating with them. They treat Plus Sized woman as amalady and not a normal fact of life, thus alienating them even more so.

Hungry by Crystal Renn

However, there has been some stirring amongst the general female populace and some magazines arestarting to react. Most recently with French Marie Claire’s’ Special Un-retouched April 2010Issue and in the March 26th, 2010 French ELLE(a weekly), they grace the cover with XXL Model Tara Lynn at FORDAgency. To say it was a cultural shock, would be an understatement. Wehave become so accustomed to size “0″ models featured on most coversthat the shock and awe stopping power of this one became a huge seller,outselling their average weekly sales by a Large Margin… No PunIntended.


Why did the ELLE cover create such a stir? Well first off, being that the model was not a recognizablecelebrity, people had to look more closely at what many would ask, “whois this larger than what I have been accustomed to classic model theygenerally show, doing on this cover?” Secondly, breaking withconvention is a sure way of getting people to stand up and take notice.Thirdly, it is a paradigm shifting and powerful statement being madeby one of the Big 4 most influential magazine conglomerates in theworld.

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