It’s not that we haven’t kept up with the row over the Miley Cyrus photographs taken by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair, which sexualize the teenage star, but I have to draw the line somewhere when it comes to news coverage.
   There are quarters in fashion publishing which would deem these photographs appropriate and artistic, just as Leibovitz claimed, and we ourselves have featured teens in and even on the cover of Lucire, looking probably older than they really are.
   But if a subject comes to me and tells me that she is embarrassed by a series of photographs, and for a cover decision she may well be in the know, then that’s good enough reason for me to have a meeting or a big office poll about it.
   And that’s just what Cyrus, star of the beloved Hannah Montana series, has said of her half-naked bedroom shot.
   In normal circumstances, this matter would be worked out privately between the Cyrus family and Vanity Fair’s publishers.
   Which makes this all rather odd: has the crisis surrounding these images been manufactured? One commenter on a Murdoch Press website seems to think so and, knowing how cover decisions are made, especially those that are potentially controversial, I am seriously tempted to agree.
   Reports suggest that Cyrus’s father, singer Billy Ray Cyrus, was present through most of the shoot.
   What I do know is that the modelling agencies we would work with are protective of their talent and we agree on many aspects of the shoot prior to starting when it involves a young girl—and that means overt sexualization is out.

For once many of the press have taken a moral high ground and that is, at least, pleasing to see, even if I have questions on their consistency. The Fairfax Press noted:

Every artist wants to subvert hypocrisy and artifice. And childhood, after all, is the ultimate artificial construction. It exists only because responsible adults deliberately set out to protect children from predators and situations their young brains are not yet wired to deal with.
   But in an era in which all taboos must be broken, the reigning philosophy is that every truth must be told, every emotion liberated, no matter how destructive, or unreasonable, because there is nothing worse than repression.
   Well—news flash—yes, there are worse things: child neglect, sexual abuse, childhoods cut short, depression, eating disorders, academic failure, violence against women, and all other manifestations of the premature sexualisation and objectification of girls in our culture.

   Interestingly, the op-ed in the Fairfax Press touches on similar subjects to a blog comment that I wrote in discussion with William Shepherd, a marketing expert based in California—one of those smart netizens who reminds me of the days in the 1990s when most people on the ’net were of a certain intellectual level.
   He wrote, on the topic of pornography in Brazil:

However, I find it hard to imagine that Brazil has an issue with porn. They should have a concern with AIDS, the cheap sex and underage labor that Brazil offers to Sex Industry. …
   [W]ill blocking wordpress sites stop white slavery, sexual abuse towards young children, men from going to Brazil to engage in power driven sex events that hurt the fiber of global culture, and humanity? …
   Sex is what it has always been. Yet, the online media has tried to make porn a staple of global culture and economics.

   When I think about these words today, it’s not just the online media, as Vanity Fair and others have shown us.
   I do, after all, see the irony of citing the Murdoch Press when it popularized the page-three girl and sensationalist stories founded in sex.
   At the risk of offending fans of certain TV shows, I responded:

The sex economy, the fixation on sex, are not good things for us to be so focused on, yet I don’t like it being constantly propagated even through prime-time shows such as the old Friends or Desperate Housewives.
   I do not regard myself a prude but you are right: there are more pressing things to be concerned about, and I’m far too busy to find double-entendres in every sitcom appealing.

   While sex is as woven in to Desperate Housewives as it was into Benny Hill, and those watching it at its late hour (past the watershed?) know what to expect, it gets an awful lot of publicity in TV promos with their share of suggestive imagery at other times. OK, it wasn’t the best example of a TV show (which I watched at one point), but the old Friends certainly was. I think it’s difficult to disagree that we have become too obsessed with sex in our society and those early seasons of Friends depended less on characterization and more on innuendo, not often that subtle.
   At the idealistic level there is nothing wrong with this when it comes to showing behaviour between consenting adults—it’s less objectionable than seeing the extreme violence that has now made it on to prime-time television—but we now face the danger of it going further and further into promoting promiscuity among the young. Expand sex’s reach, and you arouse greater curiosity in our youngest citizens at an earlier age. It’s like lowering the drinking age to 18, as had happened in New Zealand: now it’s not 17-year-olds sneaking in three years before they are legal, but 14-year-olds with fake IDs.
   That curiosity around sex has always been there with those who are 11 or 12, as any of you reading this will know, but the signals are telling us that as adults we need to give more guidance, and we need to take a stand against marketing that encourages sex at a time when mentally, young people are not prepared for the consequences.
   And it was interesting to read that I am not alone in my assessment; in fact mine seems ill-educated alongside that of an author who has devoted a book to the subject. Fairfax again:

[Melbourne child psychologist, Michael Carr-Gregg] said internet porn, with hardcore sites available to children at a mouseclick, “has completely changed the sexual behaviour of young women, [particularly] the obsession with oral sex.” Young girls, he said, have been encouraged to behave “almost as predators, as if [a boy] is some sort of game animal they want to bag”.
   Again, he blamed parents for creating “a culture of entitlement and indulgence [in which they] are hesitant to set limits around sleep or internet use. Democracy doesn’t work in families. You have to have a benign dictatorship.”
   In a new book, Prude: How The Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls, Carol Platt Liebau writes that “an incremental but aggressive sexualising of [our] culture … [has created] a status quo in which almost everything seems focused on what’s going on ‘below the waist’.”

   As long as we sit back, tut-tut when the items make the news but fall back on not caring at other times, then we have lost yet another value. Add that to a huge list in the west—and the east—since the end of World War II.
   If certain institutions are being so aggressive as Liebau writes, then adults need to be as aggressive. ‘Benign dictatorship’, in the words of Carr-Gregg, probably describes the families many of us had—and we turned out all right.
   It was a sort-of democracy in my household because my parents involved me in every family-affecting major decision and I earned their trust so I never had a curfew. But that was earned—and I was probably lucky I had a good conscience or spirit guide, or something directing me.
   Not everyone is so fortunate, and in this day and age, it’s not a bad idea to be strongly involved in our children’s lives because that moral compass no longer comes from those cohesive, homogeneous communities of old, nor does it come from the media, at least not regularly or consistently. We, the regular people, are the last and possibly only resort in our respective families.

Click on centre of image to play

World-renowned burlesque performer Dita von Teese and Cointreau, the famous French orange liqueur, hosted a lavish debut party in New York for their first collaborative effort, the Be Cointreauversial Show at the Angel Orensanz Foundation at 172 Norfolk Street.
   Over 500 guests turned out including Jason Lewis, Russell Simmons and Porschla Coleman, Nacho Figueras, Andrew Buckler, Adam Lippes, Liz Goldwyn, Hope Atherton, Tara Subkoff, Dylan Lauren, Catherine Malandrino, Nicole Miller, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Kelly Killoren, Aimée Mullins, Simon Hammerstein, Jill Zarin, Countess Luann de Lesseps, Jazleen, RuPaul, Zaldy, Kai Kühne, Casey Spooner, Susanne Bartsch, Traver Rains, and Richie Rich.
   Party revellers sipped Cointreaupolitans and Cointreau margaritas before being treated to the highlight of the night, the reveal of the Be Cointreauversial Show. Strutting on stage in her crystal-encrusted costume, designed by Catherine D’Lish (made of 350,000 Swarovski crystals and weighing approximately 75 lb) she posed and pranced before plunging into a Martini glass. She dazzled the crowd with a performance that proved to be a dizzying blend of grace, wit and pure femininity. The show ended in a brilliant blaze of violet light as Dita took a sip of the new cocktail, the Cointreau Teese, and winked at the crowd. Waiters then made their way into the crowd with trays of the new violet coloured cocktail.
   The show was conceived by Dita as an evocation of the Cointreau world. Cointreau and its unique ‘French touch’ has thrived for more than 160 years without changing anything, from the shape of its legendary bottle to its delicate and instantly recognizable orange flavour. It was only natural to join the iconic image of Cointreau to the world of Dita von Teese and her carefully crafted character, a blend of retro and modernity mixed in with the ultimate feminine freedom of thought.
   ‘With this performance, I wanted to express the sensual and delicious first sip of a Cointreau cocktail while sparkling with the essence of the Parisian history of the liqueur,’ said von Teese.

It’s been three years since Summer Rayne Oakes first appeared in Lucire, as a feature interviewee rather than a member of the team. Since then, the association between the magazine and Ms Oakes has strengthened, with her taking the acting editor’s role in 2006 and as editor-at-large from 2007. Here are some shots from that April 2005 story, which to our knowledge have not appeared online, in a quick trip down memory lane today. As the United Nations Environment Programme’s first fashion industry partner, Lucire was destined to be in the same world as Summer Rayne. It’s been a great association, and we hope it’ll continue to grow.

From top: Summer Rayne Oakes in Linda Loudermilk V-neck top in sustainable silk, found lace and vintage thread beads embellishment, Linda Loundermilk vintage lace jacket, and her own necklaces. Hand-made embroidered jackets made of recycled materials from Project Alabama, Carasan Designs woollen tweed corset with hand-beaded Swarovski crystals, and beaded choker. Photographed by Sarah McColgan, make-up and hair by Deshawn Hatcher, styled by André Adkins. Summer Rayne Oakes was represented on this shoot by Boss Models.

I know this is a fashion magazine, but through Elyse Glickman and Karen Loftus we cover so much of the Hollywood scene that you sometimes feel you should give a star a send-off. Therefore, today, I want to say goodbye to Charlton Heston, who passed away aged 84 with his wife of 64 years, Lydia, by his side.
   Heston had already bid a farewell to his fans after being diagnosed with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in 2002.
   Born John Charles Carter in 1924, he studied acting and served in the USAF during WWII. He waited for his break after returning to civilian life.
   He had made his reputation playing iconic figures, such as Moses and Ben Hur, in blockbuster films in the 1950s. Scenes in The Ten Commandments, where Heston’s Moses lifted his staff toward the heavens, and the 15-minute chariot race in Ben Hur, are two of cinema’s greatest moments.
   He had also played Andrew Jackson and Michaelangelo.
   Heston might be better remembered for his influence on modern culture, from lines in Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green (‘Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!’ and ‘Soylent Green is people!’).
   Politically, Heston was a supporter of Dr Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights’ Movement. Later in life, he defended the Second Amendment of the US Constitution and was a supporter of the National Rifle Association, which he served as president from 1998 to 2003.
   Earlier, he had served as president of the Screen Actors’ Guild and was chairman of the American Film Institute.
   Farewell, Chuck—you gave us some of the best moments in cinematic history. Thank you.
   A private memorial service will be held.

It’s not the new Knight Rider (which returns on NBC this year), but Max, a talking, black 1964 Volkswagen Käfer—Beetle to Anglophones—which will front a campaign for Volkswagen of America launching today called Das Auto.
   Max will interview, in a talk show setting, supermodel Heidi Klum, TV personality David Hasselhoff—who should have no problems conversing with a black car—actor and director Leonard Nimoy, NASA astronaut Richard Searfoss, music-sharing innovator Shawn Fanning, and former basketball coach Bob Knight.
   Volkswagen wants to stress not its premium image as it has done of late, but its impact on popular culture through the message, ‘It’s what the people want,’ tying in to the origins of its name.
   The campaign breaks on TV, online, and in print, as well as on social media channels.
   Tim Ellis, vice-president of marketing at Volkswagen of America, says, ‘Max personifies Volkswagen’s past, present and vision for the future. Through him, we will reconnect with American consumers and let them know how Volkswagen understands and responds to what the people want.’
   The American public will first meet Max in a series of teaser ads in major market daily newspapers that will seed him and introduce his knowledge of what the people want. To complement the print ads, an interactive polling program will simultaneously roll out on vw.com. A collection of 30-second television spots will follow throughout April.

While Samantha Potes is covering Toronto Fashion Week for Lucire (welcome back, Samantha!), we did receive a release about Kolor Shades from Canada. They’ve just had their opening party in Toronto and sent us some great images from their shoot.
   They’re very youthful and apparently these are the latest styles in eyewear, though older readers may see that it’s a case of the cycle swinging around again, albeit with a late 2000s’ bent. There are more women than men pictured, but Kolor Shades does sell men’s and women’s versions.

I wish that was a joke, but it isn’t.
   I went to preview a New Dowse exhibition on transsexuality, intersexuality and the transgender community with its communications’ officer Mandy Herrick and coincidentally, was told by a friend last night about a situation at a gym in New Zealand.
   They had two intersexual (‘hermaphrodite’) clients. Other patrons petitioned the owner to remove them, otherwise they would not pay their fees.
   Shame on us as New Zealanders.
   We go around saying how open-minded we are, scoff at other nations, point out how we had the world’s first transsexual MP—but no, when we confront intersexual people in our own neighbourhood, we do exactly what pre-US Civil Rights racists did when they hung out ‘Whites Only’ signs.
   For crying out loud, these two clients were born this way—and you’ll be even more shocked to learn that the gym opened itself to a human rights’ violation by cancelling the two people’s memberships.
   Imagine if they were taken to court and how much business they would have lost if word got out.
   Wouldn’t it have been better to have pointed out to the prejudiced clients that if they couldn’t accept the situation, then they could take their business elsewhere?
   Or go so far as to build an extra changing room and encourage more open-minded clients all round?
   I was pretty shocked that this went on. 
   I am not prejudice-free and I will freely admit to thinking, ‘That looks a bit odd’—as I did when I looked at some of the work that the New Dowse will be showing. I don’t know anyone who has told me they are intersex, hence my surprise. Then again, I don’t go around asking. I get over it. I accept that this is part of God’s plan and everyone is created in His own image.
   And there is a clear right and wrong in this case. Hopefully as time goes by more of us will look at this story and equate it to the racism of earlier times.

With all the negative attention that Britney Spears gets, is it a good time to be marketing her Believe fragrance? It’s what we’ve alluded to in our beauty article online today.
   We hope Ms Spears will get well—and that the paparazzi lay off her a little. Unfortunately, the Britney economy is worth hundreds of millions of dollars per annum, thanks to an appetite out there for negative news on the pop star.
   There’s a valid argument to say she brought a lot of this on to herself: driving without restraining her child properly in her car, or going out on the town with an absence of underwear.
   Her family is wise to rein in some of this behaviour: her father, Jamie, for example, is selling some of her seven cars and trying to bring Britney back down to earth.
   It’s a double-edged sword. The quirky, inexplicable behaviours she has engaged in have helped up her profile, and that, in some way, drives the Britney economy. The quieter she gets, the less likely that she stays in the public consciousness.
   The best thing to do is probably to lie low and come out with a comeback single or album, having reinvented herself and finding an image that ties in more accurately to how the public is feeling. History might give hints on where Britney Spears can position herself by the turn of the decade. She can brand herself out of her troubles—and she might just have enough clout with the record labels to do so.
   But, if she lies too low, what happens to products such as Britney Spears Believe, bearing her name? 
   Answer: they might be able to maximize their investment through authenticity. Rather than say that a certain product has been inspired by Britney, go inside her home and show that she is actively working on it during her recuperation.
   ‘Britney gets her act together,’ the headlines might read—and she can slowly begin showing that she is not a victimized pop star but someone prepared to take charge and deal with her problems. Get agreement with her family to do this.
   Make it real—and feed the Britney economy, paparazzi, licensees and the public. By the time she’s ready with her new image and new music, she’ll have based it on two years of more positive press. Her core fans, then older, more sensible themselves, will appreciate a more inspirational Britney.
   In fact, her recent downfall is a good catalyst to this new direction: if there’s one thing the public loves more than a feel-bad story, it’s the turn-your-life-around story.
   Ask Oprah Winfrey. You can do exceptionally well with them.

Related articles
Lucire: ‘Expressing youth’ (2008)
Lucire: ‘At the Crossroads with Britney Spears’ (2002)

I have spotted a rise in the use of illustration in recent months—Lucire commissioned some for issue 25 and I understand there is an entire editorial in issue 26 that has been illustrated, by Steph Prowse.
   Our latest online story on the use of Marimekko prints for an H&M range for April is illustrated by Nyköping-born, Dallas-trained illustrator Lisolette Watkins.
   When done well, I believe illustration has a place in fashion publishing. I was very impressed by Kelly Thompson’s work, which I covered a few months ago when she had an exhibition opening. In addition to being a skilful illustrator, Kelly was the first New Zealander to photograph a retail Lucire cover.
   If there is a trend toward illustration, I shall be interested to see how it develops, particularly with the reliance these days on digital drawing tools such as Adobe Illustrator.

Vogue’s April 2008 cover with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and Gisèle Bündchen has been branded by some as being racist. As noted by the Plain Dealer over in Cleveland, Ohio:

LeBron shares the April cover of Vogue magazine with supermodel Gisele Bundchen. It’s been noted by some that his open-mouthed screaming face and the way he is cradling a blond woman in his left hand has racial overtones in its resemblance to an old movie poster of King Kong and captive Fay Wray. Vogue says it chose the photo because it’s “expressive, fun and upbeat.”

   Once I got over the bad typography, I had to wonder if this cover furthers stereotypes. Being a minority, I personally didn’t make the connection that Margaret Bernstein and Sarah Crump reported on above. If I imagined the races switched, I also didn’t get much of a reaction—except to note that it would have been unusual for Vogue to feature a woman of colour on its cover, let alone a man of any colour.
   However, I wondered: would a black man who isn’t a basketball player have made it? Or one who isn’t dressed as such?
   I don’t think it’s necessarily the pose, but whether there is a stereotype at play here. While Mr James has his own line of clothes—which he is modelling in the cover photograph—would a cover showing him in more conservative attire have been chosen?
   One blogger gave other examples, and reacted to the photograph:

A tuxedoed LeBron James out on the town with a stylish Gisele photo shoot would do. A Lebron on a couch with a magazine full of him and Gisele on the same couch with a magazine full of her; signifiers that they are man and woman at the top of their professions photo shoot would do. Or, the two in full nightclub gear with him watching her trying to dribble in the low light of an empty Quicken Arena. The possibilities are endless.
   And yet LeBron James allowed himself to be captured interminably not as the King James of his profession and rising player in the business world, but as a human King Kong, The Great Nigger whose fame is inextricably tied to how proficiently he puts a leather ball through an iron hoop.

   Others rebutted:

Calling it a modern-day interpretation of King Kong and Fay Wray, Feministe website writer Ali Eteraz referred to the image by Annie Leibovitz as “King James Turned Into King Kong.” She also said the cover “fulfills every racist stereotype in the world: primal screaming, white-girl carrying, black beast.”
   Are they seeing something that has escaped the rest of us? It’s the “Shape Issue,” remember? The contrast of the 6-foot-9 James and 5-foot-11 Bundchen seems like nothing more than an innocent pop culture poke at celebrity. Do we really need to read more into it?
   As for the comparison to poor Fay Wray, does anyone see Bundchen looking remotely stressed in this shot?

   James is the third man to appear on a cover of Vogue (after Richard Gere and George Clooney), and the publisher has defended its choice because it is an issue devoted to size and shape. From the Associated Press:

“Nobody says more about fashion size and shape than Gisele and LeBron,” Vogue spokesman Patrick O’Connell said. “LeBron is an amazing star and athlete that has crossed over into a cultural phenomena.”

   To me (being neither black nor white), the King Kong connection, isn’t obvious—but the idea of “the black American good only on the basketball court” seems to be cemented here. Sad, in a year where Americans could be voting in their first black president.
   Whatever the case, Vogue seems to have benefited hugely from the publicity, from the blogosphere and sports’ fans who might never have commented on the magazine.