Look for Development next to Cosmetics and Beauty
I opened up the August Age issue of Vogue earlier this week to find that within the first few pages of the magazine there were two articles that focused on a public figure discussing their involvement with a charity. Christy Turlington and “It” girl of the moment (according to Vogue) Liya Kebede, in this case both represented causes that work in developing countries. I had a thought and decided to do a bit more investigating and it turned out that almost every magazine that I opened up in August featured some kind of cause or celebrity do gooder in an article about his or her summer volunteer work.
O, the Oprah Winfrey Magazine: the August issue features an article about coffee traders in Uganda getting a fair deal while brokering peace deals.
Elle Magazine: featured two articles, one on Scarlett Johanssen’s work with (RED) in Rwanda and also one on the environmental it subject of the moment, water scarcity.
Chatelaine: the feature article of the month questioned the protection of child refugees arriving in Canada.
While not an exhaustive list of magazines on the newstands in August, these magazines are all popular women’s magazines. Do women care more about philanthropy and development? I found a lack of similar issues in men’s magazines and found an abundance in the more newsy art magazines like Harper’s Bazaar. I wonder if it has become an expectation of the readers that women’s magazines showcase women and sometimes men in the public eye who are volunteering their celebrity for a just cause. Or is it that women want to appease their conscience by being informed and what better way then to read the women’s magazines which feature articles about sustainability, human rights and health featuring their favourite celebrities. It’s a bit of a one stop shopping trip for awareness.
For me a social media, development, fashion, celebrity and arts news junkie, I think its great that the magazines I read also feature articles that are beyond the realm of their primary subject. Also the writers of these articles and the people who benefit from the exposure to issues and projects are given a wide audience in these very popular magazines.
- Photograph from Vogue August 2009 Issue by Alex Majoli
The Christy Turlington article in Vogue did just that. I had no idea that one of the most famous of the “supermodel” group was pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at Columbia. Or that she is working on a documentary which focuses on the health dangers for pregnant women in Bangladesh, Tanzania and Guatemala and follows the women who are working to treat them. CARE, the organization she has been working with, are benefitting from having her celebrity status but more importantly from having an educated and accomplished volunteer who is passionate about women’s maternity rights.
Here’s what’s being said on Facebook about this post:
Moneeza Walji
christy goes to mailman!
Yesterday at 6:42pm · Delete
Tania Kh
A little off topic but seeing as much of the volunteer/charity sector (in Canada/North America) is highly filled with women (young women), and we are always eager as program managers to have men (any men some times) volunteer or work in this sector, I am not surprised that women’s magazines have picked up on this seemingly “women exclusive” interest. It seems perhaps that men in North America might still carry traditional values of men making money, and being the breadwinner, and not a social activist and volunteer (ie. no money - again a traditional concept)!? On the flip side, you can also psychoanalyze the reasons why women as traditional “care takers” would be more interested in philanthropic careers. Has “care taker” conditionining trained us women for philanthropy more than men? If this is the case, in simple economics, I wonder if it is the higher “demand” of women’s interests in philanthropy (vs. men) gives rise to the “supply” of philanthropic publishings in women’s magazines? It probably seems like I’m just blabbing on here… lol.. sorry… but the more important quesetion for me is… how do we/why havent we (as men and women) yet gotten past traditional understandings of our “gender-specific interests”? And also, are these women’s magazines then to be blamed for reconfirming these gender biases or are they simply delivering to interest/demand? Maybe as activist types, we should count our blessings that more knowledge is being spread period, who cares where?! Whatever the case may be… goodness knows the philanthropic world needs more “man” power and contribution - from both females and males.
Yesterday at 7:39pm · Delete
Claire Holloway Wadhwani
Great post! Hopefully it’s the beginning of more interest….like a few years ago when they all started running “green” articless…
7 hours ago · Delete
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