The Evolution of Teen Vogue: From a Fashion Handbook to an Activism Incubator (Part 2)

An Activism Incubator

Teen Vogue and the Brand New Generation

Teen Vogue's first digital cover

Last two years (2016-2017) was a special period of time for Teen Vogue. Began with the forming of the new editorial community, followed by the release of first political article, the first-ever Teen Vogue summit, and the celebration for diversity. Teen Vogue is reforming and evolving into a brand new face from the inside leadership to the outside storytelling. “Teen Vogue is here to push the envelope as truth tellers, we are here to be a resource to an audience that may not get this information anywhere else.” Said Elaine Welteroth.

New Editorial Leadership

When Elaine Welteroth together with Philip Picardi and Marie Suter replaced the former Amy Astley editorial leadership, Teen Vogue has experienced tremendous changes under the guidance of this more diverse editorial leadership, the first African American editor and her gay digital director. According to Welteroth, this new team is planning to change the direction of Teen Vogue from an exclusive white girls’ fashion magazine to an inclusive platform for “civic-minded generation of women” who pursue truth.

New Storytelling

“Changing who is at the table is actually change the storytelling and create an authentic connection to audience.” Said Welteroth. Indeed, this new editorial leadership started to put their focus on those underrepresented groups. Teen Vogue is now delivering the microphone to those who are being underrepresented or discriminated by the media and the society. Instead of just using more diverse models on the cover to show that Teen Vogue editors cares about diversity representation, they let them talk. Another new trial in their storytelling that differentiates Teen Vogue from before is the fearless engagement in more serious issues like politics and social movement. If we take a look at nowadays’ Teen Vogue website, it has expanded its content from a fashion and beauty exclusion to a hotchpotch of everything that a teenage girl would care about: culture, fashion, entertainment, news and politics, environment, social movement, beauty, lifestyle and wellness. Just as Lauren Duca, the writer of Teen Vogue’s first political article said:“A woman can love Ariana Grande and her thigh-high boots and still discuss politics, and those things are not mutually exclusive.”

New Ways to Survive

Nowadays, Teen Vogue is becoming a mature multimedia practitioner. It has already have 2.4million followers on Instagram, 3.4million followers on Twitter, 5.9millions likes on Facebook and 1.2million subscribers on YouTube, its Pinterest page has more than 10million monthly viewers, and there is a link from Pinterest directly to Teen Vogue’s official website. It has launched three interactive digital covers for Snapchat. Aside from its sophisticated social media strategy, Teen Vogue team also come up with other innovative ways to survive in this fast-changing age. According to Carolyn Kitch, professor from Department of Journalism, Temple University, “Teen Vogue now is no longer just a magazine, it is a digital brand, a women’s empowerment and activism brand.” So it’s clearly that their mission now is to gain its recognition as a digital brand and to form and expand their activism community. In the year of December 2017, Teen Vogue hosted its first summit, where Hillary Clinton showed up as its guest speaker and openly discussed issues related to equality and feminism with its members. The original teenage girl high-fashion and beauty handbook is evolving into a “powerhouse incubator” that produce contents relate to politics, female empowerment, and social activism.

A Future of New Generation

Teen Vogue’s young editorial leadership seems never stop to make changes. In this year of 2018, not long after they just pointed out the future direction for Teen Vogue, Elaine Welteroth left Teen Vogue for CAA, Phillip Picardi followed her step and signed with Out. Lindsay Peoples Wagner, another African American editor took over the crown in October, what kind of future Teen Vogue will have under her rein? I don’t really know for now. But one thing I do know is that magazine is the barometer of society, culture and politics. Teen Vogue, as the product of social, cultural and political changes, also has the power to influence and shape such changes. If Teen Vogue’s mission is to empower and educate more and more young women in the future, then this will finally lead to another big social change. As for what change, I don’t really know, but I do know that there will be more and more young women revolutionists/activists who want to get involved in fashion and this society.