It was first reported in December that V Magazine, the edgy fashion magazine whose cover is usually emblazoned with the tiniest high-fashion celeb of the minute, would be taking quite a turn in the opposite direction for its January issue, which is out on newsstands on January 14. V’s “Size Issue” will be devoted entirely to just that: changing the idea that fashion is only limited to the skinniest of the miniest.
“Big, little, pint-size, plus-size — every body is beautiful. And this issue is out to prove it,” V editor Stephen Gan told the New York Post. We applaud Gan for taking this stance. While it certainly isn’t a new one — after all, we saw plus-sized models in Glamour’s November issue — having models beyond the realm of size 0 or 2 on the pages of an edgy, high-fashion magazine like V is most definitely sailing uncharted waters.
A promo video of the cover shoot for the issue is available on V’s Web site, alongside which is proudly declared: “The Size Issue: Every Body Is Beautiful!” Beneath that are the names of photographers and designers whose work readers will see featured in the issue, like Karl Lagerfeld, Bruce Weber and Terry Richardson.
Models.com also scored an exclusive five-day preview of some of the fashion and editorial spreads in the issue, which have cutesy names like “V Luv You Just the Way U R.” The tagline? “Tall, thin, short, curvy, punk, prep, dom, deb. Whoever you are, and whoever you want to be, we’re with you all the way!” The images are true to V’s vision: high-fashion, boundary-pushing and well-styled.
Sites like Jezebel and NYMag.com’s The Cut are quick to doubt V and other magazines’ commitment to changing the modeling industry’s perception of what defines beauty. The Cut claims that V’s Size Issue is just “a trend,” arguing that they won’t be incorporating the concept into editorials moving forward.
Instead of focusing on whether or not the appearance of plus-sized models in V’s January issue is a one-off, bloggers and readers should take action in every way that they can: by buying the issue and talking about it as much as possible, we can send a message to editors, stylists and advertisers that we do want them to “love us just the way we are.” V Magazine has got that 100 percent correct, and one issue can be enough to start a steady groundswell of change.
Photos courtesy of V Magazine and Solve Sundsbo