On December 10th, 2016, Teen Vogue published an article entitled “Donald Trump is Gaslighting America.” In this scathing piece, journalist Lauren Duca blasts Trump for his constant factual inaccuracies and platform run on fear-mongering and bigotry. Soon after this article was published, it created an Internet firestorm. People simply could not believe that Teen Vogue had written an article about Donald Trump. What right did a women’s fashion magazine have to comment on politics?
The truth is that women’s magazines such as Teen Vogue are layered, well-rounded publications that cover a variety of important issues. Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire have an entire section of their website dedicated to political coverage. Marie Claire is also tracking the first one hundred days of Trump’s presidency in real time and analyzing what his actions mean for their readers. Elle recently partnered with ProPublica in order to create a space for people to report hate crimes. Here’s some more examples of great, in-depth reporting done by women’s magazines:
1. “What Some Pregnancies Centers Are Really Saying to Women with Unplanned Pregnancies”
A year-long investigation by Cosmopolitan reveals the dark side of crisis pregnancy centers.
2. “Rockette Management Tells Dancers to ‘Tolerate Intolerance’”
Marie Claire tells the story of the Rockettes who did not want to dance at Donald Trump’s Inauguration.
3. “5 Things Donald Trump Attacked Hillary Clinton Over – But is Currently Doing Himself”
Vogue gets political and calls Donald Trump out on his hypocrisy.
4. “Why I Ran”
Elle profiles some badass female politicians and asks them why they decided to run for office.
These magazines are going to be more important than ever as we head into the next four years under a president who has not exactly expressed favorable views in regards to women’s rights. Magazines like Vogue, Elle and Marie Claire are going to help women of all ages stay informed on politics and many other important issues. It’s going to be our job as readers, women and feminists to support and advocate for this type of coverage. Also, if you’re looking for more feminist content to consume (I mean, who isn’t?), check out Feministing and Bitch Media for some thoughtful and engaged feminist commentary!