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| Michelle and Barak Obama photographed by Annie Liebovitz for the April 2013 issue of American Vogue. Fashion Editor: Tonne Goodman. Click to read the full story. |
I realise I have a problem. I blog too much about VOGUE. But it’s not as though my fashion-Bible-fuelled posts are uncalled for. With the April 2013 American covers just having been released, would you rather have me blog about US ELLE’s Nicki Minaj cover? (It’s a great cover – Minaj looks fantastically subdued for her standards.)
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| Nicki Minaj on American ELLE April 2013. Click to see the full shoot. |
There’s just more to say about Michelle Obama hitting the
cover of American VOGUE for the second time.
There are many who say Michelle is her husband’s most valuable asset: a huge contributing factor in creating his positive image. With a woman of such power covering VOGUE, it’s hard to decide exactly who should be flattered about the situation: Michelle, or the VOGUE editors.
I guess it’s a mutually beneficial situation. Michelle gets to amp up her image even more in the public eye, and VOGUE gets to sell lots and lots of magazines. Also, since Anna Wintour was an active supporter ofthe Obama campaign, it makes sense that she would be able to organize this kind of high-profile shoot. (And who wouldn’t want to be photographed by Annie Leibovitz?)
There are many who say Michelle is her husband’s most valuable asset: a huge contributing factor in creating his positive image. With a woman of such power covering VOGUE, it’s hard to decide exactly who should be flattered about the situation: Michelle, or the VOGUE editors.
I guess it’s a mutually beneficial situation. Michelle gets to amp up her image even more in the public eye, and VOGUE gets to sell lots and lots of magazines. Also, since Anna Wintour was an active supporter ofthe Obama campaign, it makes sense that she would be able to organize this kind of high-profile shoot. (And who wouldn’t want to be photographed by Annie Leibovitz?)
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| American VOGUE April 2013. Click to see the cover shoot. |
One of my first thoughts was, “Oh, so you put Beyoncé on your March Power Issue and
give Michelle April? The power of celebrity is baffling.” What a silly thought
that was: Obviously if they put Michelle on the Power Issue and gave Beyoncé
April, it wouldn’t have had the same effect for Beyoncé. Michelle makes any
issue a Power Issue. But then April is traditionally The Body Issue, and Beyoncé’s
post-baby physique is perfect for that. So why not just switch the two covers?
Maybe my thought wasn’t so silly after all. Maybe they didn’t shoot Michelle in
time for March. We’ll never know.
Still, the cover looks great and, according to Keli Goff, is very important in showing America that a non-model black woman can be beautiful. It goes without saying that the Obamas hold a special place in American history. This cover ensures that the first African American first lady has made her mark not only in politics, but in iconic fashion images, too.
(An aside: why have none of the local magazines made any
effort to cash in on the power of a first lady cover? In South Africa, the
creative options are so vast: 1.You could do a series of covers throughout the
year, spacing them evenly. 2. You could do a (very extensive) fold out. 3. You
could print different covers for one issue - make them collectors’ items. 4.
You could tell fellow publications to do the other wives in the same month and
see which wife sells better – there is an opportunity for a reality show here.
And I could go on.)  |
| Click to see the full Michelle Obama VOGUE shoot. |
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