Take a look at this page from the July 2010 issue of Vogue:
And now let’s take it apart:
Reference to women’s lib anthem: Check.
According to Federal Bureau of Labor statistics from last year, just 29% of American traders were women. While the growth of women in the financial services industry is not to be mocked, there is still a long way to go. Are the only roaring women the ones who work in a male-dominated industry, and are they roaring only because they are doing a job which has traditionally been done by men? I think not.
Just a few lines in, we’re already talking about what a woman is not. Plus, Katy Perry’s style was already celebrated in June’s Teen Vogue, and Ke$ha was featured in Teen Vogue‘s May music issue. In a few years, Big Girl Vogue will tell former Teen Vogue readers that the “Katy and Ke$ha are awesome!” thing was all a joke.
Vogue suggests you try this look instead.
You, the same magazine whose French edition did a photo shoot of Lara Stone in blackface; you, the same magazine that ran a questionable cover of LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen; you, with a notorious tendency to debut international editions with white girls at the cover’s focal point–you sing of Lena Horne? Not to mention that a search for Lana Turner on vogue.com turned up just 2 results, and 1 for Barbara Stanwyck. Sure, I hear you singing.
So–we can wear leather gloves but not leather leggings? And you ask the Woman Who Roars if she knows anything of rebellion? I’m also not sure Vogue gets to send a shout-out crinoline in the same space where they criticize burlesque-inspired fashion.
Yes, Vogue is talking to you, teens who should not be reading Teen Vogue! The wearable fashions–nay, “2010 Fall Essentials”–recommended by Vogue include a $250 Michael Kors belt, a $380 sweater by Inhabit and a Cynthia Rowley feather tutu for $410. In fairness, I suppose they did say ‘wearable,’ not ‘affordable.’ Though that still doesn’t explain the feather tutu.
In the fall fashion collections? You don’t say!
See: feather tutu; sweater that costs more than half of what the average family of 5 spent on groceries each month as of 2009.
In a word: No.
–Emily Long