LET IT SHOW
Dove’s newest partnership with Getty Images and Girlgaze is called Project #Show Us. These two brands collaborated in producing the world’s largest stock photo library, intended as an authentic, diverse and inclusive representation of women across the world. I’m proud to say that on these pages and across our platforms, Glamour has continuously reflected women. We have also featured dierently abled, hijab-wearing, nonbinary, curvy or petite, broad shades of melanin, 4C textures and more, corporate women who wear locs, tattoos, freckles and much more. We listened when you, our reader, told us, “We want to see ourselves.”
In key sections of this issue, Glamour stands behind #Show Us. My Ed’s Letter pic this month supports Dove’s #no digital distortion guidelines. You’ve seen this image before in previous issues. On the left, however, my picture has not been digitally distorted. What does this mean? It means you see the texture of my skin, and you see the visible crinkles and folds under my eyes and neck: unretouched, as they are in real life. This means that my features and skintone have not been altered in such a way that I don’t look like myself.
We’ve celebrated this month’s cover star, Pearl Modiadie, without altering her body or features. Her teeth have not been whitened digitally, her wrinkles have not been smoothed, and her skin has not been lightened or darkened. Yes, we women wear makeup, but the aim is to embrace our natural traits, as opposed to erasing them during the post-production of an image. Some of us have pronounced veins or moles, cellulite, that extra belly bulge, stretch marks or large pores.
This Youth Month, our message is one of self-love, self-care and selfconfidence. It’s up to all of us to expand on how we are portrayed. Enjoy the issue and happy Youth Month.