A Wren Says

I was scrolling through my fashion news headlines and one caught my eye. Teen Vogue was shuttering. Teen Vogue to be absorbed into Vogue.com. I went to do a deeper dive to find multiple outlets covering this story. So many serious news institutions concerned about the closing of a teen magazine. But it is bigger than that.

As they put it, Teen Vogue wasn’t just a sweet little magazine for teens; it was an independent serious journalistic endeavor. The restructure that folds the brand into the larger Vogue world means a loss of serious activist journalism. If you think about how teens think, the importance of social justice and fairness, think about those kinds of stories being lost.

And in part, as others put it, it also means that there is no distinct place for teendom. The very adult world of Vogue doesn’t seem quite right. Nor does it seem quite right to have the unmentored social media voices of their generations to be their only outlet. Just like I have written before, fashion is so much bigger than it seems. And a fashion magazine for teen girls is just the same. A place for beauty tips, clothing inspo, and real commentary on the world.

The other thing I would suggest is that the restructure could be alarm bells. Either a push towards softer journalism to cater to potential buyers of the brand or financial weakness and a need to make budget cuts. I don’t know which if either it might actually be. But as  Vogue reader myself, I will definitely be keeping an eye.