The Story of Journalism part 4: Once Per Month

Once per month means I only get each issue each month. I am talking about a magazine. Yes, in the third part, I want to talk about magazines. It is an essential part of journalism. If the newspaper is for daily news, politics, economy, society, wars, international, or investigating reports, the magazine is the house of lifestyles, fashions, architecture, foods, entertainment, cultures, geography, health, technologies, technologies, and even gossip. Currently, I am reading three magazines. Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, and Vogue. They are all fashion magazines and have important news on fashion. They usually cover fashion brands with brand-new collections, models, and celebrities featured on the front page with their profile stories and stories of fashion and arts.

The April issue of Vogue, featuring Cara Dalevingne

I paid little attention to what I wore if it wasn't because of Vogue. Back in the day, when I was in Vietnam and my first three years in America, I knew nothing about fashion. I wore whatever appeared in my closet and bought whatever it had at Ross, T.J. Maxx, Goodwill, or swap meets because I was too easy back then. I looked at everyone at school and realized they were too serious about what they wore to school. From top to bottom, I knew they were all expensive and fashionable. But I didn't care much until I watched The Devil Wears Prada. It is a movie about a girl named Andrea (played by Anne Hathaway) who came to Runway, a fashion magazine in New York, to be the second assistant to Runway's editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep). At first, Andrea only focused on her job, and Miranda tortured her with many complex tasks and asked her to complete them on time. But the more Andrea worked, the more she realized Miranda saw the potential and the bright future in front of that assistant. Andrea had changed and began to lose herself in the fashion world, which she never paid any attention to. She started to wear luxury clothes from famous brands with the help of Nigel, Runway's art director, became more confident, attended many vital events of Runway, and became Miranda's favorite girl.

I love this movie. The scene where Andrea's outfit changes each time there is a transition made me want to dig into the fashion world more. I wrote down all the names of essential fashion brands featured in The Devil Wears Prada and researched them. Then, I found out the movie is based on a best-selling book by Lauren Weisberger, who used to work for Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988, and it was the beginning of Vogue and fashion in me. In the day, I didn't have a bank account yet, I often went to Target or Walgreen, or CVS to buy a copy of Vogue to read. I even cut off some photos from the magazine to stick on the world of my room back then. I looked back at myself and saw that my taste in fashion was horrible. I was ashamed of it. Then, I decided to pay more attention to what I was wearing. Vogue has helped me to do it.

When I studied journalism, I planned to work for Vogue after graduating because I love writing about lifestyle. But Vogue is a fashion magazine and my knowledge about fashion could be better. Yes, I may know about brands and their newest designs because I am on Instagram all the time, and, to be honest, there are so many unique soigné from the house of Chanel, Versace, Balmain, Dolce&Gabbana, Gucci, YSL, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Givenchy, Miu Miu, and many more. Sometimes, I even tear off the perfume sample to sniff and put on my clothes.

Oh my God, I don't know when I will have enough money to purchase them. I am a loyal customer of Forever 21, H&M, Express, Uniqlo, Guess, Zara, and Calvin Klein. At least I can buy their clothes. That is the power of magazines, which can change a person's point of view on a topic. The stories that Vogue or any other magazine writes don't need to be limited to words or lead. They can write as long as they want. They can tell a story that relates to the content of that magazine.

Another aspect that magazines do the best is the photos that they take. Damn, they all look so beautiful. It is art. I remember that sometimes I went to my doctor, and while I was waiting in the lobby for my turn, I usually read National Geographic. As I turned each page, photos of a place worldwide would be taken. I thought our planet was so beautiful, and many hidden gems deserved to be known and reserved. The great Annie Leibovitz once said. "The camera makes you forget you're there. It's not like you are hiding, but you forget, you are just looking so much." It is never an easy job to get a perfect shot of something. And yet, there are many beautiful photos featuring people and places.

Each photo has its soul that goes directly into my mind. The best picture I have ever seen is of an Afghan girl. Sharbat Gula is the subject of Afghan Girl, taken in 1984 by American photojournalist Steve McCurry. She is an Afghan refugee in Pakistan during the Soviet–Afghan War. The photograph appeared on the June 1985 cover of National Geographic. Whenever I look at the photo, I feel like she looks directly at me. I cannot tell whether she is angry, sad, desperate, or wants to tell us something. But it had said to me about the horror of war. Every war has its tragedies. After all, the only victims are civilians and soldiers.

Source: National Geography

The magazine is about life and things around us. Let's not forget that. Besides news, we need to hear about lifestyles. Reading magazines can help us to understand more about things that happen around us and a way to improve our lives. If you ask me whether I want to work for a magazine like Vogue or not, my answer will be Yes. I will work for Vogue. In that case, I will study fashion and learn more about celebrities' lives. Then, it will be fun. See you in the next post!