The April issue of Australian Vogue has been on newsstands for almost 3 weeks, and it seems Vogue can not seem to do anything right at the moment.
First Media Watch pointed out last week that Vogue’s ‘interview’ with Elizabeth Taylor may not have been as exclusive as they claimed. Now a Sydney newspaper, The Sunday Telegraph, have reported that the 15 year old model on the cover of the April 2007 issue have been slammed by Family Council of Victoria secretary, Bill Muehlenberg.
“We have to ask, at what point should we be putting children into adult fashion magazines?” Mr Muehlenberg said.
Katie Braatvedt is the first New Zealand model to be featured on the cover of Australian Vogue in 10 years and features in an impressive 13-page editorial spread in Vogue.
Vogue Australia editor Kirstie Clements said she took the model’s age into account when deciding to feature her on the cover.
“It’s not sexy or decadent. They’re whimsical, romantic portraits, and I see an incredible, ethereal prettiness in this girl.”
Clements said the girl’s parents had approved of the shoot.
According to RunwayReporter.com, it’s not the first time Katie has featured in the pages of Australian Vogue, she was labelled as “Vogue’s favourite new face” in their August 2006 issue. But of course a cover is much different from a editorial mention.
I don’t think the shoot was offensive or racy by any means. But for a magazine that is about all things aspirational, should we be aspiring to look like or be like a such a young woman?
Want to see what the fuss is all about? Check out some photo’s of the editorial scanned in and posted online at The Fashion Spot.
Rumour has it that the cover image was switched at the last minute when news of a rival fashion mag was also featuring the same international supermodel on the cover. (As is turns out, both April issues of the two magazines were due to have a freebie for readers who picked up their magazines from the newsstands.)
— Covering Australian fashion because we’re an Australian fashion blog
I think it’s fine considering that the photos are not inappropriate. In fact, I think it’s a lovely shoot. We’ve certainly seen 15 year olds dressed in age inappropriate ways for things like magazines. So what if she’s in adult vogue? If she was on the cover of Teen like this nobody would care.
I think it is ridiculous using a 15 y.o. for a cover of a mag whose target audience are women (not teenagers!) aged 25 onwards. Sure there is nothing wrong with the images in themselves, it is in the context that these images are given public platform that is wrong. If these images were in a Dolly magazine (target audience – teenage girls)they would fine. I am not saying that this model doesn’t have the right to model at 15 but she should be modelling for her age group. This persistent trend of using newly blossomed teenage girls to sell clothing and accessorys with mature female messages of sexuality to older women is really wrong. Im so sick of it as a regular buyer of Vogue Iam no longer buying their magazine, it made me feel really uncomfortable looking at this spread, I couldn’t see the clothes for glaringly inappropriate model wearing them. I represent the mature, sexually active, cashed up working women who are sick and tired of having these just out of nappies, tweeny coat hangers, trying to sell us a life style we left behind us a long time ago. Its time the fashion industry woke up and did us all a favour by using models that match.
You’ve made some great points Misty. I don’t buy read Aus Vogue anymore (I just read a friend’s copy at work instead), and it is a shame that the magazine doesn’t empower women with fashion.
i would like to do modeling any1 no were i can?
I think this is fine.. because 15 year olds read these mags..
Comign from a 15 year old, i dont think she wants to be modeling for george range 3-16, would you? x
i would like to model.
heyah im 15 i really wanna model too im jealous shes stunning its appropiate so why not if she was half drressed then yh but its fine x
I think this is great. Not just because I’m 15 and i want to be a model… welll accually yes thats exactly it-
its not like she is half naked- being a model is not about being stick thin and half naked. its art. a way to show your different ‘faces’- or to show who you really are. she is a beautiful girl. and its a very pretty shot
misty- i agree to a certain point- yes its nice to have pics of poeple your age
but then again dosn’t adults ever want to relive there younger days? not saying that anyone is old- because 25is young but- what if the point they are trying to get acrossed is- that you can still look your age but feel young, free and beautiful again-
i am talking beautiful in the youth type of way if yo understand… does anyone follow me. i think i make a good point.
Okay so i think that having a 15 on the cover of a magazine is a good idea because yes i’m 15 too and i read this magazine, it would be really cool if we got a chance to be on an adult magazine besides like seventeen magazine?
I agree with Taylor about it too.
Okay so i have this friend named Hayley and she would be soo good for the cover she’s pretty and mature and would shock everyone at the studio.
Does anyone know where she can model?
i need to model to. my friend models at this place. a something- im not sure but i want to soooooooo badd 🙁
it’s ashame that our young girls have to exploited. The age limit gets younger and younger by the day. and it’s all because of male that may be behind the fashion industry. Men are always looking for a younger woman. It’s just that they don’t know at what age to stop at, and our silly women continue to let their young women be looked at that way and also other mothers daughters…..
toni i think your wrong im 15 and tbh its not exploiting in anyway like everyones saying, it would be is she was half naked then yes it would be but to be honest i think your being silly most girls want to model at the ages of 13-oap but its not the point it their choice, i would like to be a model im 15 what’s wrong with that.
and this 15 year old girl on this mag is beautiful most girls would kill to model for vogue i would die for it.
and no not all man take pretty pictures of girls and some mums like their daughters to do something they want to be doing.
so think of it in both ways.
and stop moaning.
God its just a beautiful 15 year old girl on a mag.
just cause she does not want to model for a kiddy store you need to give her some more credit for that, most of you.
I would like to become a model
This is the best she has looked in years.