WOMEN’S MAGAZINES TAKE A STAND
New focus on their political coverage
NEW YORK• No one can predict the direction of women’s magazines, which have struggled to maintain print circulation as newsstand sales continue to fall. But if you’re placing bets on a strategy that might help them flourish, look no further than Samantha Barry, the 36-year-old who is reinventing Condé Nast’s legacy title, Glamour.
Irish-born with hard-news experience via BBC and CNN, she’s using her digital expertise to drag the title into the 21st century. Part of her plan is political. She’s seizing the moment to remind female readers that the big glossies have always been the best source of reporting on topics critical to women.
With Donald Trump in the White House, Republicans in control of Congress and a potential abortion outlawing majority coming to the U.S. Supreme Court this fall, magazines that were once fairly understated about politics have decided to take a stand. Top women’s titles such as Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire are ramping up coverage of sexual harassment, reproductive rights and identity politics. As American women use digital platforms to mobilize politically, editors know they’ll have to meet readers where they’re most engaged. There’s a lot of money to be made there, too.
“The general public doesn’t understand the appetite women in America have today for all things politics, digitally,” Barry said. “I could not have picked a better year to come and work at Glamour — to talk to and with women.”
And she’s not alone, as the biggest name in women’s magazines lends credence to this industrywide shift. “At a time when our world is so politically active, it’s only right that we should be as engaged and as vocal as our readers,” said Vogue editorin-chief Anna Wintour. “I’ve always believed Vogue — indeed, all Condé Nast titles — should really stand for something, and right now that’s more important than ever.”
Since the 2016 election, Americans have shown an increased interest in politics and news. When it comes to women, that thirst has proven unquenchable. Women of either political party are more likely than men to say they’re paying more attention to politics, according to a 2017 Pew Research survey. That’s almost 60 per cent of women, compared with 46 per cent of men.
Political involvement is up among women, too. Almost one in three women aged 18 to 49 have attended a political event or protest since the election, the Pew report shows. And a record number of women — a whopping 516 — are running for seats in Congress this November.
Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire are looking to capitalize on this new landscape. They’ve all made political news coverage a priority, while some are hiring reporters with experience in political journalism and promoting their content aggressively on digital platforms. While cosmetics, celebrities and other lighter fare remain prominent, these magazines have staked a claim in the world of hard news.
“We can’t be everything to everybody when it comes to political coverage,” Barry said. “The two things we want to feature this year in our storytelling are how women are voting and how they’re running for office.”
Cosmopolitan has published features looking to educate women on how to run for office and started a “#VoteTwice” campaign encouraging them to vote in both the primaries and midterms. “Our ambition is to spur action, whether that’s running for office, registering to vote or going to the polls during the midterm elections,” said editor-in-chief Michele Promaulayko.
“Women are leading the resistance,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of Emily’s List. “And women’s magazines have been invaluable assets in covering that story.”
The pivot toward political coverage is an existential imperative. Last fall, the top editors of Glamour and Elle (as well as those at Vanity Fair and Time) announced they were stepping down. Condé Nast cut dozens of jobs and decided to publish one fewer issue a year of Glamour, GQ, Allure and Architectural Digest. Ironically, the media group shuttered the print edition of Teen Vogue — the title whose sudden, unexpected political relevance established the template for what was to come.
Still, as print sales continue to decline, digital traffic for glossies is skyrocketing. Overall, U.S. magazine publishers are estimated to grow digital circulation revenue by 3.6 per cent by 2022, increasing it from US$1.1 billion to US$1.3 billion, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Promaulayko and Barry said the rise of digital is, in part, due to the success of their online political content.
Indeed, by broadening their reporting to include politics, and especially issues important to minority women, big glossies are moving into territory that Essence and Ebony, magazines largely geared toward black Americans, have occupied.
“We’re seeing a more diverse representation in content,” said Amy Aronson, a professor at Fordham University. She added that “these magazines have historically been white-dominated, but there’s a greater push to reflect multiracialism and other forms of diversity.”
“Teen girls are so much smarter than anyone gives them credit for.”
WE SHOULD BE AS ENGAGED AND AS VOCAL AS OUR READERS.