September issues are circulating and two of the most notable legacy publications, Vanity Fair and Vogue, both went with illustrated covers: Breonna Taylor ethereal in blue for Vanity Fair and Aurora James (founder of the @15percentpledge) by artist Jordan Casteel, as well as Kerry James Marshall’s portrait of a fictional character, for Vogue. Today, Angela Davis by Ava Duvernay was released (shot by Deana Lawson) for VF and Vogue, to go with its cover, is taking the 15 percent pledge (see more on it in the post below). It’s all overdue, because much of media is long overdue on this kind of work. The fashion industry is heavily influenced by Black culture and that influence has not translated to respect or credit to Black communities. For Vogue in particular, it’s impossible not to notice the gaping lack of Black creatives (Beyoncé’s 2018 September issue was shot by Tyler Mitchell, the first Black photographer to shoot for the magazine – and remember, she had total control over that process). They will be rolling out 26 international editions here. This is the most relevant and vibrant Vogue has felt in some time.
On the other end of the spectrum are the Bella twins on the cover of PEOPLE for the first September issue of 2020. This feels so dated and almost willfully out-of-step with not just the world, but pop culture. These babies will still be babies in a month so from an editorial standpoint, where’s the urgency? It’s an odd choice, even for their demographic.
The VMAs are this weekend and there’s no way Lady Gaga is going to do anything half-assed, even though some of the show will be remote. She’s all about the spectacle and right now, we could use some dazzle.
Taylor Swift is nominated for Best Director for The Man – do you think she “shows up” for an appearance? If she does, she may speak to her audience directly about voting in November.
Gigi Hadid has released pregnancy portraits and it’s like she’s floating, some of the shots look straight out of the 70s in the best way. Very pretty.
Some good news! Antonio said “be gone, bitch” to COVID.
I would very much like to cuddle Joe Zee’s daughter Vivian (great name) because I love a substantive baby, one with some chub around the legs and arms. (Also quarantine has given me baby fever even though I’m not having any more kids – what is this?! Is this a thing?) Anyway, Joe asks a question that tore mommy chat rooms apart in the 2000s – how to measure baby-to-toddler age. When do you transition from weeks to months? When do months turn into years? Everyone has their own style and preference, but over the age of 2, can we agree that it’s age/month? It’s contentious, I know.
Celebrities like Cardi B and Bella Thorne are on OnlyFans and there’s a discussion brewing online about what happens when celebrities move into a new media space (for example, podcasting) and are able to immediately monetize their content, which can push out the early adopters. In the OnlyFans case, it is sex workers who popularized the platform and some feel they are being swept aside in favour of big names. This piece by Kayla Kibbe for Inside Hook is a very interesting read.
