So Teen Vogue Is Woke Now
Under the watchful direction of newly christened editor-in-chief, Elaine Welteroth (@elainewelteroth), Teen Vogue has quickly shed its innocent, adolescent image and earned a reputation for being an honest outlet for a young, politically and socially inclined generation of readers. A quick scroll through the publication's Instagram feed features inspirational quotes from the likes of Michelle Obama or Kerry Washington, feminist art, and candid photography from news-worthy moments around the world–intermixed, of course, with pictures of nail art, dreamy looking models and Zendaya's best red carpet moments.
The newly reimagined Teen Vogue draws inspiration from a young, fresh generation of muses
For this new iteration of Teen Vogue, the interplay between your standard fashion, health and beauty features alongside grittier op-eds like "Donald Trump is Gaslighting America" (which quickly propelled the magazine from a mere teen glossy to a viable source for political and social commentary), is seamless. In fact, in the year 2017, why shouldn't Teen Vogue readers be interested in hearing about the latest newsworthy headlines?
In the magazine's latest "Icons" issue, cover stars Millie Bobby Brown, Kaia Gerber and Amandla Stenberg address topics as disparate as fame, the importance of family and school, and youth activism and racism in America. Teen Vogue's embrace of diversity in both the array of topics it tackles, as well as the faces that front each monthly issue, is clearly resonating with its readers. The publication boasts 2.1 million followers on Instagram, another 3.42 million on Twitter, and nearly 650,000 subscribers on YouTube, where viewers can watch everything from Martha Hunt talk about her struggle with scoliosis, what it's like to be intersex for model Hanne Gaby Odiele, and what went down in Charlottesville earlier this month.
Cover stars Kaia Gerber, Millie Bobby Brown and Amandla Stenberg; all images via
With the rise of a social media savvy generation seeking politically and socially relevant information beyond the run-of-the-mill celebrity and fashion gossip Teen Vogue has fed its audiences with for the past decade, it makes sense that the publication is shifting its focus. For young people turning to the media as a means of making sense of the world they live in, Teen Vogue offers poignant, youthful and honest criticism far beyond the realms of entertainment, fashion and celebrity. In the process, the publication hopes to inspire a new generation of activists and socially-conscious readers. As Amandla Stenberg notes in her recent op-ed for Teen Vogue, "Youth-driven social activism gets results. Our generation of activists has a tool unlike any previous generation: the technology to act instantly."
