Usually, I tend to avoid magazines that boast skincare and weight loss tips on their glossy front covers. Something about the nauseatingly bright pink lettering, partially covering the forehead of some size-zero fashion icon with laser-whitened teeth, turns me off.
However, recently at a nail salon, I picked up a fall issue of Glamour, out of curiosity. The cover hinted at its usual enticing information about fall fashion deals, but when I flipped to the table of contents, I was shocked at the diversity of information and articles. Yes, there were a few articles about new trends, but amongst the mix was an interview with Hillary Clinton, an article on interracial couples which also highlighted police cruelty, an interview with Demi Lovato on mental health issues and feminism, and an article about why Hillary Clinton was truly the only viable option for president.
The article on interracial couples, in particular, was eye-opening. One of the highlighted families, a white woman and a black man with a child, spoke about a frightening incident in which a police officer pulled over the husband on the road. The police officer saw the child, who was fair-skinned, in the backseat of the car, and assumed that the man driving the car was a kidnapper because he looked like he bore no relation to the child. The wife was shaken up by her husband’s recount of the incident, but the husband simply shrugged it off, explaining that he was used to such discrimination.
The article was so visceral and so emotional and shed light on one of the sparsely-discussed populations in America: interracial families. I felt like I had stumbled on an article straight out of TIME, but it wasn’t; it was from Glamour, a renowned female fashion magazine, one that was typically seen as catering to a shallow, vain audience.
I went on to read further, curious of the questions asked in Demi Lovato’s interview. I assumed that an interview with such a high-profile female celebrity would discuss “who they’re wearing!” or their newest potential boyfriend, but instead, the article focused on body positivity and Demi Lovato’s rehabilitation process. It drew attention to body image problems and mental health issues among adolescents. In addition, Demi declared herself to be single in this issue, having recently gotten out of six-year relationship with Wilder Valderrama. I expected that the interviewer would express her condolences or that Demi would portray her single status as being tragic or lonely, but instead, Demi explained that Wilder had helped her as she rebuilt her confidence, but now, she is powerful and independent, and she was a different woman than she was when was with Wilder.
The interview was chockful of positive messages that I believe that everyone, not just young females, would benefit from. The entire issue drew attention to stigmatized topics and promoted female empowerment, and frankly, I found myself wishing that I had read more Glamour and fashion literature when I was younger.
I had spent so many years judging a magazine for its cover, without even knowing it, without even being able to acknowledge the internalized assumptions I associated with fashion magazines. Internalized misogyny runs far deeper than I realized, and I’m proud to announce myself as the newest fan of Glamour magazine.
