(Thumbnail image: Vanity Fair)
Some of America’s major magazines — Vanity Fair, People and Sports Illustrated — have hit the stands, and they’re hitting hard. Their cover stories have other media outlets calling the publications racist, sexist and even pro-choice. And the bigger question — is all the bad buzz on purpose?
We’re looking at perspectives from MSNBC, LifeNews.com, WomenTalkSports.com and Advertising Age.
Vanity Fair is known for its racy photos, but its new cover is being called racist. The magazine’s annual Hollywood issue features nine young actresses. It calls them “fresh faces” — but those faces are all white. MSNBC says the mag missed out on major up-and-coming, and minority, stars.
"Courtney Hazlett: One thing they also have in common: They’re all white. There’s not a single actress of color in that line-up this year.
Anchor: So no Latina, no African-American, no Asian-American, no one of color?
Courtney Hazlett: Correct.”
Anchor: The number one movie until this weekend and the number one movie of all time, Avatar, has an African-American woman as its star, but they couldn’t find a schedule or whatever to get her in there?
Courtney Hazlett: That’s what Vanity Fair says.”
People’s latest cover features the Duggars, the famous family with 19 kids. The story examines if 19 tots is too many, suggesting that the Duggars might benefit from some family planning. But that triggered this response from LifeNews.com, a pro-life news site, that calls the story’s headline “ugly.”
“It is telling that ‘People’ puts this phrase in quotes: ‘each child is a gift from God.’ The use of quotation marks indicates that such a belief is not necessarily widespread ... That is the pro-abortion mindset … ”
And Sports Illustrated’s story is about Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, whose bent-over cover pose has some screaming sexism. WomentTalkSports.com says only 4% of the magazine’s covers feature women, and it suggests that there’s a constant for cover girls.
“When females are featured on the cover of SI, they are more likely than not to be in sexualized poses and not in action–and the most recent Vonn cover is no exception.”
It’s no secret that several high-profile magazines have folded in the last year. In an age when print publications are struggling, were these cover stories just publicity ploys? Advertising Age seems to think so.
“If building buzz is the determining factor to a successful 2010, then Vanity Fair is leading the pack early.”
So, are these magazines reporting the news, or stirring the publicity pot?
Writer: Lauren Zima
Producer: Liz Reed
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