Lament for Vibe Vixen

by Racialicious Special Correspondent Latoya Peterson

I grabbed the final issue of Vibe Vixen off the newsstand today.

Ever since I read about the magazine’s demise on MediaBistro.com, I’ve been on a hunt to make sure I got my last copy. I search the shelves of my local Borders until I spot it, wedged between DC Style and Bethesda Magazine. Rihanna graces the cover, body bent like a bow, clad in a metallic silver dress.

I scan the coverlines. August/September issue is the celeb glam issue. Rihanna speaks out about Jay-Z. Fall’s best boots, lipstick, wine, books, and purses. Two articles on hip-hop.

After doing a quick flip through to make sure I was paying for articles and not just ads, I took it to the register.

Cracking open the magazine, I find that the highlighted articles on the cover do not begin to do this issue justice. The models, as always, are multicultural. The Vixen Verified feature focuses on a new powder by M.A.C. - the three tones shown in the picture would work on Asian, African-American, or Latina complexions with relative ease. Beauty 411, a monthly page dedicated to beauty dilemmas, tackles the issue of going natural for the scissor shy - something I’ve been wrestling with for some time.

Vibe Vixen is one of the only mags where I see young African-American women discussed - but also young Asian American women and young Latinas. The models reflect this diversity, and while the articles can be skewed toward black women there is the occasional feature about Asian American make-up trends or popular Latinas beyond Jennifer Lopez.

In this issue, there is even a health warning, discussing the issues faced with the feeling that young women have to overachieve. The quote that represents the article is telling:

Latinas suffer from depression more than any other group in the U.S. Asian-American women have the highest rates of suicide in the nation.

Chilling facts are presented, but with another message as the undertone - we need to care about each other. Issues that Latinas face are important. Issues that Asian women face are important. Issues relating to other women of color are our issues.

Vibe Vixen was refreshing that way. Moving in small strides, it began to rectify one of the most egregious flaws in the magazine industry - the continued segregation in demographics in the magazine industry.

The same industry that will relentlessly serve up ten different variations on a magazine aimed at young white women from ages 25-40 seems to feel as though African-American women can be served with one main magazine (Essence), that all that is Latin-American can be encapsulated within the covers of Latina, and that Asian American women largely do not exist.

[Note: I am aware of the existence of two magazines - East/West & Hyphen that may cater to Asian-American women…but I have yet to see either of those on a newsstand in my area. As my local newsstands continue to bulge to overflowing with the latest UK imports, artsy mags from New York and the Bay Area in California, and hobby magazines, I wonder how Asian-American women are consistently passed over. The only place I consistently see Asian-American faces is Lucky - and I think that is the influence of one of the editors.]

The mag industry also underestimates the number of cross-cultural friendships. How many times have I bonded with my friends over how much advertisers do not appreciate our money? Sitting with my friend Hae, we both marveled at a hair care feature which painstakingly detailed options for brunettes, blonds, and redheads with thick hair, thin hair, wavy hair, curly hair…and then saved a small column for “ethnic” hair.

Hae and I were mystified. I can no longer remember the name of the magazine that ran the article, but apparently, all types of ethnic hair can be fixed with a defrizzer. Since there was an Asian girl in the accompanying photo, we decided to believe that advice might have been for Asian hair. Or maybe not. The next beauty feature we read also labeled out options for pale skins and self-tanners, giving another column to what was deemed “dark/African-American skin.”

Not too long after that, Hae gave up American magazines all together, preferring Korean mags like Ceci and Korean blogs.

I still had the occassional magazine to fall back on. There was Honey, there was Suede, and finally Vixen.

Vixen excited me the most. Essence is the reigning magazine for African-American women, but it leaves a lot to be desired. A lot of Essence’s articles are tailored toward older, more family oriented women, and about their truths and achievements. What I looked for in a magazine was something that spoke to me, a neo-bohemian from the new school, raised on hip-hop and the internet with a healthy mix of rock, jazz and culture thrown in to keep things interesting.

Vibe Vixen was the magazine that spoke directly to me, my own affirmation that there are more of the young, rebellious, and fabulous. Finally, someone heard my silent pleas and created a magazine that was reflective of me.

And now, that voice is no more. The bi-monthly mag has folded, to be reassigned as a cultural quarterly.

For the third time, the small voice that represented my interests has been silenced.

In the article, “A Hip-Hop State of Mind,” Vibe Vixen introduces the piece by summarizing their magazine:

“As the only magazine that fully represents the voice of a generation of women raised in and on hip-hop…”

Vibe Vixen was on its way to achieving that goal of being the voice of this particular segment of young women. I would have hoped it would pave the way for other voices - alternative Latinas, black women who are not defined by hip-hop, a ‘zine that respectfully explores differences between men and women without pitting one side against the other.

*sigh*

But silenced voices can no longer speak.

So, Vibe Vixen ends.

And young black women are once again waiting for a magazine that will speak to them, instead of the current cacophony of voices that try to speak for us without knowing who we are at all.

Trackbacks & Pings

  1. Asian American Mags Gain Ground: Thirteen Minutes, Audrey, and East West at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture on 06 Mar 2008 at 7:01 am

    […] East West […]

Comments

  1. trene wrote:

    I was lucky to finally find the last issue on a newsstand yesterday. I should have subscribed and then maybe this perfect mag would still be around. When will brown/tan/chocolate girls get some real and consistent love from magazine publishers? We are here and relevant too! The advertisers love our dollars; too bad the publishers don’t.

  2. islandgirl550 wrote:

    Wow! I love Vibe Vixen. I didn’t know that was the end… I did, however, see many notes on the end of JANE magazine. I enjoyed Vibe Vixen for their interesting pictorials on fashion and make up (secretly I’m a product junkie). I also appreciated their hair info. I have locs… the other mags definitely didn’t mention hairstyle tips for me!!!

  3. kristen wrote:

    thanks for this article. I rarely read magazines- except for GQ, Bitch and Ms.- and I was really into Vibee Vixen. I thought it was fresh and interesting and one of the few young women’s magazines that I could read without feeling like a repressed teenybopper. I wonder why it was chopped though- maybe people really don’t care about positive women of color issues?

    Ah well, at least I still have Black Detective

  4. Wanda wrote:

    I feel your pain. It came for me when Suede ended publication. I loved that magazine and how it actually included an array of skin tones and high fashion models of color. It was good while it lasted. I still have all my copies and even my Beyonce edition of “Honey”. Maybe one day we’ll get one that’ll last.

  5. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

    I loved Suede too. The fashion was awesome, and the art direction was totally out there. It was definitely hit or miss but they really took risks. I can’t believe it only lasted, what, 3 issues?

  6. Stella wrote:

    Great article! Wow, Suede was my absolute favourite with only 4 (!) issues. I have them all but the very last– the Zoe Saldana one.

  7. HighJive wrote:

    There’s probably just one major factor that affects a magazine’s success or demise: advertiser support.

    The truth is, there are only a handful of corporations buying space in minority publications (besides the ethnic hair care products). Just page through Essence versus, say, Sister 2 Sister and it all becomes clear. Magazines like East/West probably have one major advertiser, three tops. The rest are local advertisers. Compare the advertising in any of the minority magazines against Oprah’s O, and it’s a completely different world.

    It’s not that magazines like Vibe Vixen lack legitimate readership; rather, they lack legitimate sponsorship. Not sure if an argument can be made for advertisers deliberately failing to assess and support Black publications besides the four major ones: Ebony, Jet, Essence and Black Enterprise. The “monopolies” created by the Big Four make it almost impossible for other titles to even launch, let alone succeed. But it’s not just Black publications. Each minority group appears to receive just one major publication per sub-segment. Minority mags are segregated, then ghettoized by insufficient advertiser support. You’re either a major player or virtually an indie-type zine. The only apparent anomalies are the “Spanish” versions of White publications (e.g., People en Español, the Spanish version of Reader’s Digest, etc.).

    Not sure where I’m going here. Without greater advertiser support, there will be no competition. And without competition, pubs will not be inclined to evolve.

  8. stacey wrote:

    after reading through your entry about the mag i was all ready to go buy a subcription… until the last line said it was the last issue :(

    i hope something will fill that void, we need it.

  9. joyous wrote:

    audrey is a great magazine for asian american women– you should check it out!

  10. Wendi Muse wrote:

    i never knew about/read vibe vixen, but maybe that says something in itself. promotion of pro-WOC publications is limited, unfortunately, and anything geared toward women of color in mainstream magazines, as you pointed out, deals with black women, though in a very oversimplified way (they are all one color, all have the same hair type). black womanhood becomes a beauty m(ini)onolith and all other women of color get ignored.

    and though you didn’t mention it, your article made me further question the lack of south asian, north african, and middle eastern women in the media. besides padma lakshmi as the the other multiracial indian woman on makeup ads (can’t remember her name), i never see south asian women in beauty ads or magazines…and despite the zillions of beauty women from the aforementioned regions, they all remain invisible in the beauty industry in the US.

  11. Wendi Muse wrote:

    zillions of beautiful*

  12. Latoya Peterson wrote:

    Well -

    A little bird (who happens to run Clutch) told me that Suede may be looking for a resurrection…

    All rumors, no facts yet…

  13. Rob wrote:

    Are there any magazines that cater specifically to Latino and Asian men?

  14. Orville wrote:

    Does anyone remember Honey Magazine? It was a magazine for young women of colour it was around I think five years ago?

    I do have to agree with the comment about Essence. Even though Essence is a woman’s magazine yes some black men we do check it out every now and then. I think Essence is a solid magazine but I see what your writer is saying. Essence is definitely geared towards an older demographic.

    What about the Vibe magazine though? Isn’t the regular Vibe geared towards a younger demographic? I think Vibe is supposed to be for both genders right? Vibe has bene around since the early 1990s and its still is very successful. I heard Vibe is thriving actually.

    PS. Has this blog talked about O Magazine? I think that would be a very interesting topic. I know its a totally different topic.

  15. Rachel S. wrote:

    Until I read this post, I had no idea that Vibe Vixen was a women’s magazine. Based on the covers and promotions I saw, I thought it was in the same vein as Smooth and King magazine.

    Now I may be a little too old to be part of their target demographic (I’m 32.), but I saw the pictures and the ads, and I feel like they promoted it like a men’s magazine, which is why I never check it out.

    I also have to admit that I’ve always thought of Vibe as a magazine geared more toward a white or multicultural audience. I never felt that Vibe really connected with African American audiences in the way that an Ebony or Essence did. In fact, I thought of Vibe as Rolling Stone junior.

    Anyways, I think they had really bad marketing. Seriously, how is someone like myself, who is usually astute about this types of things, unaware of the target audience for the magazine.

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