Beyond Beyonce

Frequently, a lot of people are quick to judge fashion magazine covers adorned with celebrities, with US Vogue coming under the harshest criticism.  The argument is that being on fashion magazine covers shouldn’t be in celebrities’ realm and models do it a whole lot better.  I don’t necessarily subscribe to this view as depending on the photo, the way it’s shot, the celebrity, what he/she’s wearing, who is to say that a celeb cover can’t equal the beauty of a cover with a model on it.  However, when I see a magazine like i-D putting a lack-lustre looking Beyonce in Prada on the cover of their August issue – well it saddens me.  Magazines like i-D, Dazed & Confused, Blag, Pop have the ability to conceptualise a celebrity in such a way that he or she is reinvented on the cover.  Instead of being photographed with a pretty smile and shiny shiny hair (Vogue, Marie Claire etc.), they can really use their imagination to invent a temporary alter ego for the celebrity and I can thus appreciate the merits of a celebrity on a cover.  But, i-D has not capitalised on that ability and instead gives us two boring as dishwater covers.  The theme of the issue is health but Beyonce looks decidedly tired with the neon green font and drab grey highlighting that.

Perhaps, i-D should take notes from their predecessor The Face (*blub* don’t get me started on how much I miss this magazine).  This was the October 2003 issue with a playfully made up Beyonce looking like she belongs on the cover of The Face.  Mainstream celebrity can hurt a cover but a lack of imagination doesn’t help the cause either!