VOGUE MAGAZINE - APRIL 2012
"WEIGHT WATCHERS"
THE ARTICLE EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT.
When I first heard about the backlash this article was receiving last week, (it definitely feels longer than that) I admit I made some snap judgements. I even got in a heated argument with my mother about how ridiculous it seemed to be putting a 7 year old on a diet.
SO YES, I MADE MY SNAP JUDGEMENTS, AND THEN COMMENCED THE ARTICLE. To be honest, up until the very end, I was unwilling to let go of my pre-article opinions. But I was one over by ___ vulnerability, authenticity, honesty, and courage to write an article about a subject most people want to glaze over and throw to the pile of "non discussible" topics.
AFTER I read the article, I realized the publics distain with it was mostly just because the public seems to have this unwillingness to recognize its flaws. Weight IS a very personal topic. No one wants to be thought of as "OBESE" or "ANOREXIC". ESPECIALLY at such a young impressionable age.
WHAT SEEMED TO BE BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION WAS THE REASONING BEHIND THIS MOTHER'S CHOICE TO TAKE CARE OF HER CHILD. This was about teaching her daughter to be healthy and eat healthy at the recommendations of HER DAUGHTER'S PEDIATRICIAN. This was not about a mother believing her daughter to be "FAT" and therefore starving her daughter to put her on a diet. And yes, in the article ___ does admit to letting BEA go without a meal. But she admits those as her flaws, just like all of us have done the same in some crazed desire to lose weight.
WHAT I BELIEVE is that the public should be embracing this article. PARENTS are supposed to teach and guide their children into making good lifestyle decisions, promoting a good overall well-being. PARENTS are supposed to protect their children. I think ___ was just being a good parent.
"THE VICTORIA LINE"
I'VE GOT SOME ADVICE FOR VOGUE, HOW ABOUT INSTEAD OF CELEBRITIES AS COVER MODELS, HOW ABOUT DESIGNERS? Can I copy write that idea? Seriously. I know you don't want to compete with other magazines who happen to have VICTORIA BECKHAM on the cover this month, but really, having her as the cover story wouldn't be pushing the limits too much. She is a celebrity after all.
AND ONE OF THE ONLY CELEBRITIES TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL CROSSOVER CAREER INTO FASHION. I'm not talking the KARDASHIANS, because we all know that's a JOKE, I'm talking REAL, RUNWAY SUCCESS.
AND THIS IS MAYJAH, to quote the former pop sensation. I don't know what ever happened to her BRAVO REALITY SHOW she was supposed to have about moving to LA. It peaked at one episode. I guess people couldn't handle all the "MAYJAH" things going on in her life. I could.
OKAY, so I might be a little bit biased. POSH SPICE was always my favorite SPICE. And I always "played" her when on the playground with my girl friends, even though I looked nothing like her. I even had a POSH barbie doll.
What I've always loved about her is how endearing she can be, how her style is impeccable (short of what happened in the 90's), and how despite comments like "I stand for the general public here", she is really down to earth. Almost like a normal person was just thrust into the spotlight and hasn't let their true self be altered. Because come on, we all know her body does not stand for the general public.
"BACK TO THE FUTURE"
THIS ISN'T TRULY AN ARTICLE, but an excerpt from CHRISTOPHER SIMON SYKES new book: DAVID HOCKNEY: THE BIOGRAPHY. Yet still an exciting piece about the painter as a young student and romantic, painting in Suffolk.
You're not going to learn much about the painter on the whole in this excerpt, just about one particular summer escapade where the artist got his start. What really drew me in were the gorgeous landscape paintings done recently of the English countryside. Although these are all recent prints on display at London's Royal Academy of Arts, they seem to speak to this particular excerpt from the biography. Hockney spent his summer in Suffolk painting landscapes of the countryside, which later were either destroyed or sold.
This isn't out of VOGUE'S comfort zone to have an article on an artist. In fact, it's a monthly installment, to have at least one, whether an interview or what not. Although I am very interested in art, sometimes the articles can be intimidating or my interest in them is lost quickly. I suppose I have to enjoy the art, or have some attachment to it, to some extent, to become interested in it's backstory.
WHAT SOLD ME ON THIS 'ARTICLE' WAS NOT ONLY THE GLORIOUS BRUSH STROKES AND BRIGHT COLORS, but the fun, and immaturity of the subjects. Just a couple of mates who are completely committed artist's engaging in a conventional, trite artist's story of setting up "shop" in a barn and all the mistakes they made a long the way. AND OF COURSE, THE HAPPY ENDING WHERE YOUR COMMITMENT PROVES FRUITFUL.
* * * * *
I WOULD LIKE TO ADD. . .
I did not read and or cover the main article "VENUS RISING" about Jennifer Lopez because I have no interest in her, her career, her life, etc. THIS "REVIEWS" are completely SUBJECTIVE. So naturally, I'm only going to write about what I find interesting and or important. JENNIFER LOPEZ doesn't do either of those things for me.
XO,
RACHEL B.
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