Hey Glamazons! Don't worry, I haven't been neglecting you, just been super busy. (Ah, the life of a hussler lol) I've decided that the freelance writing life is for me and have been hunting down gigs. I don't think I've ever told you guys this, but one of my all-time fave mags is Glamour and I've always dreamed of writing for them. Well, I'm proud to share with you all that I've been hired to start writing for their website in 'The Girls In The Beauty Department' section. (I'm filling in for one of their awesome writers, Petra, while she's on maternity leave.)

Check out my first post and leave me some comments! And don't worry, I'll still be posting here as well...long live Ferocia! hahahaha

xo

Ferocia

Raise your hand if you're tired of seeing the same celebrity on the cover of the same magazine month after month. The newsstand displays the same faces over and over again and it's frustrating and boring.





I mean, how many times can you see Sarah Jessica Parker on the cover of Elle, Nicole Kidman on the cover of Vogue, Mary J. Blige on the cover of ESSENCE, Lauren Conrad on the cover of Seventeen and Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt/Jennifer Aniston on the cover of [Enter Gossip Magazine here] before it just gets stale?

And once you open the issue and arrive at the Cover story, you learn the magazine cover is just as dull as the accompanying article. Beyonce has nothing new to reveal about her relationship with Jay-Z and Angelina Jolie is still volunteering in foreign countries, having babies and getting tattoos. Yawn.

Celebrities are even starting to shed their clothes in magazines (hello Kim Kardashian and Christina Aguilera!) to show us something we haven't seen already. Snore.





The good news is that the magazine industry may have finally woken up. Here's what editors are saying about the same old celeb covers via The Daily Beast:





Glamour editor Cindi Leive explains:

"I think what you’re seeing in the magazine world is a certain amount of fatigue with the same old, same old faces. One reason we had a nice sale with Taylor Swift was that you hadn’t seen her on a million magazine covers before and there was actually the hope that ‘Oh my God! I might actually learn something new.’ I think taking risks is serving people well right now."

But magazine guru Samir Husni says with some celebs, there's nothing new to learn. He argues:

"What else do you really want to know about Angelina Jolie? With a lot of these celebrities, there’s nothing left to show unless they actually take their clothes off. We’ve covered them from every shape, every corner. We’ve shown them with their kids, and with their boyfriends and with their girlfriends, so that’s why you’re starting to see semi-naked soccer players and a semi-naked Tiger Woods. That’s what it takes to survive in a digital age."

Elle's creative director Joe Zee suggests: 

"It’s about commerce. At some point, you have to go and find something new."

Yeah, duh. 





No one pins down the source of the celebrity cover backlash in the article; suggestions run the gamut from reality TV stars (everyone is a celeb these days, the reasoning goes) to the digital media shift (no one reads mags anymore to begin with). But the upshot is the same: it's time for a new cover subject.

Many are arguing that the answer is to go back to the original subject of magazine covers: models. Having worked at a magazine, there are so many upsides to featuring a model over a celebrity. They are trained to give a great photo (they're masters of the smize). Conversely, you can go hoarse trying to coax a camera-shy celeb to come out of her shell. And rather than arrive with their boyfriend, publicist, manager, mom, best friends, doctor and personal paparazzi in tow, (most) models come, do a job and then leave. They have a more business-like approach to photo shoots as modeling is their main profession. 





The problem is the magazine-buying public is so accustomed to buying an issue because of their favorite celeb that some wonder: will they be inclined to pick up a book with a relatively unknown, yet beautiful, model's face on the cover? What do you think?





Are you tired of seeing the same celeb faces? What's the solution? Are models on magazine covers a good alternative? Do you even buy magazines at all? Discuss.





Kisses,





Coutura

This just in.



For the first time since 2006, Glamour Magazine will feature models on their cover for the June Swimsuit issue.



And not just any models: Brooklyn Decker, Alessandra Ambrosio and Crystal Renn. Crystal Renn being, as you know from V Magazine's Size issue, one of the best curvy models in the business.



The ladies tweeted these pictures from their shoot in St. Bart's. Gorgeous!



I'm so excited for the new cover, shot by Matthias Vriens-McGrath, and for Glamour's decision to embrace models (so tired of celebrity mag covers) and curves!



Of course, not everyone is as excited as I am. ABC News said, model Alessandra Ambrosio bears a "closer resemblance to a pre-pubescent teenager than a 29-year-old mother" via WWD. Ouch!

Ambrosio, pictured above, countered by raising an interesting point that the media "should be more responsible while covering the model size debate." I agree. Because shouldn't sensitivity toward size go both ways (for plus-size models and thin models)?



Ambrosio told WWD: "If I'm two pounds heavier, I'm fat. If I'm skinnier, I'm sick. It's ridiculous." It has to be hard for a model to endure constant criticism of her weight, whether thin or curvy.



I think a healthy body weight is ideal, and we, as media, should promote 'healthiness' in a tactful, socially responsible way. In other words, we don't have to attack thin models to embrace plus-size models.



What are your thoughts? And are you excited for the new Glamour cover?



Kisses,



Coutura

Our favorite Pandora native, and Avon spokesperson, nailed the cover of two April magazines: ESSENCE Magazine and Glamour magazine.



While her Oscar gown was a despicable Fashion fail, Zoe looks radiant and ravishing on the cover of Glamour in a printed pink minidress. The cover is soft, feminine, adorable and sexy at the same time.

Zoe goes for a more casual look on the cover of ESSENCE with a gold tank top, a pair of high-rise denim jeans and a flower necklace. I love the idea of a celebrity in jeans on the cover, and am thrilled to see a fresh face on the cover of ESSENCE!

The similarities? Beautiful, flowing hair. Fresh-faced, soft makeup. And in both interviews, Zoe dishes about her love of...sex. (Too much fun under the tree of Souls I guess...you totally have to see Avatar to get that joke).



But which Zoe cover do you love the most? Tell us which one is GLAM and which one is a SHAM.



Kisses,



Coutura