Comments on: Vogue Italia Comment Love!

By: Safera

Safera — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:24:46 +0000

I have mixed feelings about this issue. I like the idea of proving that Black models can sell (or in this case sell out) magazines, but it doesn’t mean anything if we aren’t supporting magazines that do present our image consistently. I’m with Maya who commented above about Colures magazine, here’s a recent interview with the editor of Colures http://allsafera.blogspot.com/search/label/Behind%20the%20Cover

With the exception of Sesilee Lopes’ spread I was a little disappointed and underwhelmed. I think the hype and long wait for the issue took away from my initial interest and excitement. Not to mention it’s in Italian. The contrast between editorial content and ads is annoying at best.

As we’ve already seen other magazines are following the “trend” and feature brown girls on the cover, but like any trend in the fashion industry it will be old and on the way out soon.

By: tiff

tiff — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:54:17 +0000

i wasnt blown away by the magazine. it had an 80s feel to it(yuck!) and the ads pissed me off. Naomi and Tocarra had the best shots s few were just plain ugly. a issue full of unique women with distinctive looks was refreshing.

btw: wanting to see a culturally and ethnically diverse models in magazines is not about making oneself feel beautiful. its about representation and acknowledgment because all kinds of women spend quite a bit on beauty items too.

for anyone still looking for the magazine try contacting the bookstore manager and periodical manager. i got mine from a local borders and periodical manager said they laughed at her when she wanted to put the magazines up in the front display.

By: Tricia

Tricia — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:29:42 +0000

I have two copies and a friend in Rome is sending one over. I am sharing copies with friends and will be giving a copy to my goddaughter to reflect on. I got my first copy at Heathrow on the way out to South Africa - never saw it on the newsstands there. I thought that it was a beautiful edition, but the adverts - apart from Naomi in the Pinko ad - was predictable/a commercial reality throughout Europe. They tried to so some editorial Spike Lee and the stuff on the american magazines - which was good (I bought an Italian dictionary!), but there could have been more like this. I think that of all the European Vogue issues to do this it should have been British Vogue - where all the really major cities are incredibly diverse. In fact the staff at Heathrow had been looking for British Vogue - I think that this confusion is because the text/mobile promotion here in the UK did not mention that it was Italian Vogue. We won’t be holding our breath to see how British Vogue responds - it has a different position in this more competitive market place than Italian Vogue does on the mainland. No I don’t need a magazine to tell me and my friends we are beautiful - but a lot of other folk out there need telling and reminding!

By: The Beautiful One

The Beautiful One — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:56:02 +0000

I was visiting family and friends in Paris and of course it was on the newsstands everywhere but I had no desire to buy it? Why? I don’t need an “all black” issue. Nor do I need a magazine to validate my beauty or the beauty of Black women all over the world. It’s a shame that with all the billions of dollars that the Black community spends on hair products, makeup, etc. that a vast majority of Black women would salivate over a magazine that puts out an all black issue. You would think that we’d focus that energy on making changes in advertising by not sponsoring companies that do not focus their advertising on the Black community all year round.
The solution is not having an all black issue it’s about seeing all kinds of beauty on a regular basis.

Do you feel more beautiful because of Vogue Italia? I certainly don’t. Think about it ladies.

By: Danielle J

Danielle J — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:37:31 +0000

Thanks for the shout Bella!

http://realsimpleliving.wordpress.com/

By: Maya

Maya — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:19:23 +0000

Well, I applaud Vogue Italia like everyone else, even though I couldn’t get a copy. The pics are great. HOWEVER, a great magazine has been over-looked and it’s on store shelves daily (at least here in Atlanta, where I reside). It’s a British fashion mag geared towards women of color called “Colures”. I feel like I’m street-teaming, but really, I’d hate to see this one (chock-filled with Black models and ads) go the way of Honey and so many other mags intended for us.
Anyway, viva Italia! I hope I can get a copy eventually. I got tired of calling all the bookstores and driving all over the place for one. Geez…

By: Dionne

Dionne — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:41:25 +0000

I happened across this blog by a black model named and she brings up the issue of white washed advertising.
http://modelliberation.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-are-advertisers-still-whitewashed.html

By: briany

briany — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:34:49 +0000

I am still waiting for my copies since I could not find them here in Toronto, Canada. I ordered from mymagstore.com. They are based in the USA.

By: afrobello

afrobello — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:10:38 +0000

Did the August issue show any progress?

By: kaliber

kaliber — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:04:19 +0000

i harassed my local newstands (in NY) for weeks looking for a copy - i bought two, and the owner told me a woman who had just left before me bought EIGHT!
(i pased her on the way out - im almost positive it was Joy Bryant!)

the ad did seem a startling contrast but the images were striking.
i DID have to remind myself that its a european magazine — what we here would consider excess nudity is par for the course overseas.
since ‘our’ issue sold out like crazy and is probably going to again lets hope advertisers get the message.

ALSO- TRACE Magazine does a ‘Black Girls Rule’ issue *yearly*
[take THAT Vogue]