On Nov. 3, young members of the fashion world received devastating news—one of the major publications that has served them for over 20 years is going to look a little different going forward.
Vogue Business announced in an online article that Teen Vogue would be absorbed into the Vogue website to unify the brands and “expand the Vogue ecosystem.” The new editor-in-chief for Vogue, Chloe Malle—who took over for Anna Wintour in September—will oversee the content for the magazine’s teen counterpart. The article said content will be centered on “career development, cultural leadership, and other issues that matter most to young people.”
Teen Vogue started in 2003 under the guidance of Anna Wintour. What made the magazine so special was its focus on fashion, style and beauty as opposed to other teen magazines at the time which focused more on relationships and teen pop culture. In 2016, with the arrival of Elaine Welteroth as the sole top editor of the publication, articles began to include political and social justice coverage as well. This has continued on into the present day.
If Teen Vogue is simply moving to fall under the Vogue umbrella, why do people care so much?
While it may seem like the only thing changing is the URL, there has been a lot of concern over the quality of Vogue in general in the past several months. From AI-generated ad campaigns and models, cover quality declining and the publication facing public scrutiny, to accusations of advertisers negatively impacting the independence and creativity of the magazine, Vogue has been making choices that have left readers with questions.
The latest concern comes with the announcement of Teen Vogue being folded into its parent company. Many readers worry about the voice and content truly staying the same, especially since six editorial staffers for the teen publication who identify as women of color, part of the LGBTQ+ community or who identify as transgender have been laid off, according to articles from NPR and The Hollywood Reporter.
Some of the employees being laid off include Teen Vogue’s politics culture editors, so there is concern this kind of content won’t be included going forward—despite Teen Vogue being known for journalism that centered around these topics.
This isn’t just a concern in the magazine’s home country of the U.S., though. News sources from Canada to Australia have discussed the impact the decision might have on the voice of young people and the kind of content serious publications are offering to them. While there is plenty of content similar to what Teen Vogue has published in the past thanks to social media, the newly-popularized Substack and other independent sources, a platform with the kind of history and clout that Vogue and Teen Vogue possess can’t be found in many other places.
