Talk about the brave new generation. Following the foot steps of the 14-year-old Julia Bluhm of SPARK (a group dedicated to ending the sexualization of women and girls in media) who initiated the "Give Girls Images of Real Girls" movement, which asked magazines to cut back on Photoshop and successfully precipitated Seventeen Magazine's "Body Peace Treaty," cohorts Carina Cruz and Emma Stydahar faciliated a similar protest against Teen Vogue — unfortunately only to learn their actions were in vain.
Cruz and Stydahar, who staged a protest fashion show outside the Condé Nast building in Times Square to deliver the almost 28,000 signatures they had collected to Teen Vogue, earned nothing but a brief meeting with EIC Amy Astley. According to Daily News, "the teens came away from the five-minute meeting with no agreement from Astley that she would commit her mag to its own "Body Peace Treaty." Cruz even said: "It was kind of shocking how rude they were to us."
Looks like the only thing that the two young girls walked away with were the editor's nonchalant response and free copies of the magazine. But are we surprised, after all? It's a widely known fact that major media corporations such as Hearst and Condé Nast are masters in making ostensibly responsive but indeed ambiguous and even fake promises to their readers. I mean, Seventeen's new treaty claims that they "never have, never will" change girls' body or face shapes. Um, do you believe that crap?! Not me.
So while these teens deserve a standing ovation for advocating what they believe in, do you think it's effective? Are there any other ways to urge magazines actually support a healthier body image? Let us know your thoughts below!
---
Follow on Ology: Clare Ngai | FashionOlogy
Follow on Twitter: @Nuvochocho | @Fashion_Ology
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment!