The story goes something like this:

InStyle – up 4.7 % to 1,156 pages

Vogue – up 11% to 1,094 pages

Elle – up 15% to 1,082 pages

Harper’s Bazaar – down 5.4% to 712 pages

W – up 5% to 44o pages

For  men’s titles:

GQ – down 3% to 485 pages

Esquire – up 12.5% to 410 pages

Men’s Health – up 4% to 377 pages

Men’s Journal – up 5% to 353 pages

Details - down 2.8% to 311 pages

And on the lifestyle front:

Real Simple, down 6.6% to 688 pages

O: The Oprah Magazine, up 3.8% to 671 pages

Vanity Fair – up 6.5% to 650 pages

Redbook – down 1.6% to 635 pages

Martha Stewart Living – up 2% t0 507 pages

More – down 3.3% to 401 pages

[WWD]

Celebrities and Fashion have always been synonymous. However, today more than ever, fashion magazines are featuring more celebrities than immigrants trying to get into the USA for their Green Card. In many cases these highly regarded magazines are using celebrities more often than Super Models for their covers. There are many reasons for this and in my opinion some of those decisions have more to do with the Politics of Fashion than the notoriety of the Celebrity.

Why is it that some of the Biggy Fashion Mags don’t feature Super Models, but do feature Celebrities from all sectors of the Entertainment Industry?  I believe that it is because they can’t get the Super Models for their magazines. In fact their are very few magazines that can get Super Models and find it a lot easier to get Celebrities to adorn the covers of their ELLE’s, Marie Claire’s etc…

It is true that Celebs sell and can attract a large audience, but when it comes to the giants vying for THAT Top Model, that is where only a few of the Biggies like VOGUE, Harper’s BAZAAR, ELLE and a few other more obscure, but none the less important magazines like Numéro, V and perhaps L’Officiel can get on occasion.

Of course many would argue that the reason that this or that fashion magazine are shooting Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears or Paris Hilton is because they sell magazines. That may be true, but I am quite sure that if all of the major and lesser influential fashion magazines attempted to compete for the creme de la creme of the modelling industry and could only get models and not celebrities, that the King of the heap would surface really quickly. You would see immediately by the standard of the models acquired who really rules the game.

Thus again the reason why Celebs act as a great draw that diverts the attention from the obvious omission from the covers of “Fashion” Magazines of Top Models. Why would a major fashion magazine want to be judged by their peers and the public based on the fact that so and so was on this magazines cover but not on theirs? Celebs are a kind of “Hey we have Paris on our cover wearing Gucci” and not “Hey we could only get so and so and so and so competitor Fashion magazine knows that we could only get so and so because of you know why…”

I am not saying that celebrities should not be on magazine covers. I am saying that a Fashion magazine should be a Fashion Magazine and not a people magazine. Models are part of the Fashion landscape and I am hoping that we can get back to the epoch where fashion magazines did what they did and did it well and leave the people’s magazines to People Magazine.

And lastly, celebrities seem to be more accessible than agents representing those models most of the fashion magazines would love to get on their covers but won’t. They and their PR people understand that the exposure they garner being seen on the cover of Redbook could aid in them getting their next big part in that 2012 blockbuster “Calender’s End”*

So the next time you see the cover of a magazine with a celeb on the cover, you may want to ask yourself, “Did they because they wanted to, or because so and so didn’t want to”.

* (I made that up)

by:Benjamin Kanarek

Below are some photos from the spread and highlights from Fischer‘s interview.

You’re a newlywed. Has your idea of The One changed?
“In a way, yes. After my divorce, someone said to me, ‘Finding love is not as hard as picking the right person to spend the rest of your life with.’ It was Paul Lieberstein, the executive producer of The Office; he also plays Toby on the show. I held on to that advice when I was searching. I’d start to fall for someone and think, But that’s not a good match. The fluttery feelings aren’t enough. When I was younger, I thought you married the person you fell in love with the most. But as [my ex-husband and I] learned what we wanted, I realized there was a whole other set of criteria. You have to ask, Do we have the same goals?”

What was it like to date after your divorce?
“I thought I’d go wild with freedom, but instead I pretty much did what I did in college–stay home with my cat [laughs]. I didn’t want to waste time flitting around. I remember going out with one cute and funny guy. I thought, We could have a really fun eight months, but that’s eight months I’m taking away from finding Mr. Right. I can’t afford that. So I ended it. In the midst of all that, I was having weekly script dinners with Lee, and I realized, I’m looking at basically the perfect man. It doesn’t get better than this.”

As an actress, do you feel pressure to stay in shape?
“In a normal job, if you gain or lose a few pounds, it’s no big deal. But in my business you have to tell someone so that the next time you go to a fitting, the clothes are the right size. It’s really embarrassing to have to say to your manager, ‘I’m now a 6 pant instead of a 4.’ Emails go out, and they cc the agents: ‘Jenna would like everyone to know that she’s now a 6 pant.’ This is why actresses obsess about their weight. It’s not a private affair.”

LINK LOVE: REDBOOK

“Every woman has the ability or the drive to do it all and have it all,” Aquilera told REDBOOK, who separated from her husband, Jordan Bratman, just two days before the photos were taken. ”Men aren’t as strong and capable as we are. We’re machines.”

You said it girl! Now get yourself a new stylist and you’ll really have the power.

LINK LOVE: REDBOOK

In the June issue of REDBOOK, which hits newsstands May 25th, the supermodel-turned-reality-TV-hostess reveals some juicy details about her marriage with pop star Seal and their highly-anticipated vow renewal ceremony this weekend, opens up about her family, and shares her happiness guidelines.

On her husband Seal: “I don’t know why I got so lucky. I have to pinch myself often and say, “Is this just a dream?” Not only do I love my husband for the obvious reasons (ahem, his sex appeal), but also he is one of the kindest, most loving men I have ever met. He is sexy to me because he is fearless and not afraid to show his emotions. He is a supersexy, hot kisser and…he is sexy to me because he can be singing in front of 25,000 people one minute and, the next, be changing our daughter’s diaper…When is he the most sexy and handsome? Hmmmm… in our bedroom.”

Seal, on renewing vows: “Each year, Heidi and I get remarried. It’s a great party, but for about an hour, we go off on our own down to a private beach. We sit there with the kids and read vows to each other as the sun sets. It’s a very special moment to us.”

On her marriage: “One thing I think I will always want to be for my husband is not only his wife, mother of his children, and his best friend, but also his “hot” girl who keeps making an effort to be attractive and fun!!!!”

On overcoming obstacles in her life: “I have a survivor instinct. I’m not sure where it comes from, but probably from all the little things that make you into who you are. From being teased, to not being the best at school or skinny enough for the big runway shows in Paris, to being cheated on by boyfriends, to the death of family members and friends… But as they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

A few happiness guidelines from Heidi Klum:

* Don’t be afraid of change

* Surround yourself with positive people

* Smile J

* And for heaven’s sake, toss those baggy sweats!

LINKAGE: jezebel via people