Breaking through the blue ceiling
Polling suggests Republicans are gearing up for a big night but will fashion media take notice? Spoiler alert: No
“How did you go bankrupt?"
“Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.”
-Ernest Hemmingway, The Sun Also Rises
On the eve of the 2022 midterms, Elle, Vogue, Glamour and Marie Claire are running almost identical articles about what they feel is at stake for women on election day, November 8th, 2022. Each piece could be directly pulled from Democratic National Committee (DNC) talking points, the assumption being that their readers are an ideological monolith. It is a stark reminder of how the mainstream lifestyle media have dispensed with any modicum of ideological balance (and are probably not the best sources for rational advice on public policy).
Of course, the bias was always there. It lingered below the surface – insidious – never so overt as to completely alienate the reader. Keenly attuned readers might have noticed that articles about “women’s issues” were always written from a center-left perspective or that center-right women were slightly under-represented. Consider that in 2012, Vogue magazine featured photos of women they deemed “Political Powerhouses,” that included an ideological cross-section of leaders from Michelle Obama and Nancy Pelosi to Condoleezza Rice and Sarah Palin along with former first ladies Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush and Nancy Reagan. In fact, Vogue had profiled Sarah Palin in its February 2008 issue prior to her ill-fated run as McCain’s VP later that same year.
To read the profile today you’ll have to buy the print magazine on eBay as it’s been expunged from Vogue’s digital site.
Since 2012, the leftward drift has rapidly accelerated, reaching a fever pitch in 2020 with features like, “100 Influential Women on Why They’re Voting in the 2020 Election.” Fewer than 10 of the women featured in the story represented independent or right-of-center views while all the others were current and former Democrat politicians or administration officials, “activists” of all stripes (usually as a modifier to another profession like “model” or “actor”) and leaders of progressive interest groups.
Take a look at Glamour’s Women of the Year over the recent years. Honorees have included immensely talented women ranging from Jennifer Hudson to bio-chemist Dr. Katalin Karikó and fashion icon, Tory Burch. Yet the more common thread among honorees is their dedication to progressive causes from climate change (Greta Thunburg), abortion, (Dr. Rebecca Gomperts) and social justic (Sherrillyn Ifill) - to name only a few.
Adding to this, Democrat politicians regularly grace fashion magazine covers – among them, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and two-time Georgia gubernatorial candidate, Stacey Abrams. Ever recall seeing a Republican woman on the cover of a fashion magazine?