Recently, we came across a copy of the May 1986 issue of Elle magazine. How does it compare to the May 2010 issue of Elle? What has changed — and what hasn’t — in the last 24 years?
First, there’s the cover. The 1986 issue features model Bonnie Berman. Berman was on quite a few covers in her time, but not a household name like some of the supermodels of the ’90s. But in 1986, a pretty face and some interesting cover lines (“Secrets To Fresh French Beauty”) were all it took to sell a ladymag.
Also, you can’t tell from this scan, but when holding the actual magazine, you can see Bonnie Berman’s freckles and moles. She is not Photoshopped into a poreless mannequin.
In 2010, most mainstream women’s magazines rely on celebrities to “sell” the product. This cover — starring Fergie — is more edgy and creative than some, but that’s because it’s the one which goes directly to subscribers. The newsstand cover is much more straightforward. Magazines are struggling financially, so editors and publishers feel safer is better. But it’s also boring.
(Also, this cover is an ad for Poreless Mannequins R Us.)
In 1986, the celebrity features were tucked inside the magazine. Here, Charotte Lewis — “discovered” by Roman Polanski and then appearing in the Eddie Murphy flick The Golden Child, is given a few pages of photos and an interview. But unlike today’s celebrities, she is not exactly treated as a replacement for a fashion model.
One thing striking about these photos? How Lewis looks directly into the camera.
In Fergie’s 2010 shots, she does not make eye contact.
From 1986: Lots to love here: A piece on Sean Penn “and his wife Madonna” is interrupted by an ad for Regine’s, a legendary NYC nightclub. The floor was plexiglass with built-in heartshaped neon, and rich and famous folks like Paloma Picasso, Jackie Onassis and Andy Warhol were devotees.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
