One Giant Step Forward - But were not there yet

Essence magazine came in at a time when the presence of black women was not just lacking from the covers of magazines, it was non existent. In 1970 the magazine was created to give "a voice to black women" and to be an alternative to mainstream media. Following the riots in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Junior the founders of Essence Inc. felt it was time for black enterprise to make its imprint in the media world. They were a group of aspiring entrepreneurs with a mission. They were able to get a loan from a local black owned bank to start the magazine. Back then their circulation was about 50,000 monthly and currently they find themselves with a circulation over 1 million copies monthly, going from alternative to mainstream. With this great success it was inevitable that other larger media corporations would show interest in buying the magazine. So, in 2000 Time,inc. bought Essence communications.

Despite the change of ownership, Essence magazine has been able, in certain respects, to remain true to its original mission. Throughout the years the position of Editor in Chief has always been held by a strong African-American Woman. Today, it is led by Hampton University Alum, Angela Burt-Murray. The success of magazine has allowed it to branch off into other mediums like the Essence Music Festival, which is an annual festival "celebrating African-American music and culture.

This magazine has done a lot of good for the female black community. It's success showed that catering to the black woman demographic can be very lucrative. Thus, it paved the way for other black magazines. It forced advertisers to find ways to address black women and girls directly. As Barbara Weiner mentions in her article that "it is very important that girls experience how their points of view matter in a larger context than their small support group" and Essence did exactly that. It became a home for black female writers and safe place for them to share what was important to them. It told young black girls that their beauty was good enough to grace the covers of fashion magazines. In addition to all of this the magazine often features great articles about the trials and successes of black women around the world to educate and inspire our community.With all that said we must also look at the damage the magazine has created for the black female image. Instead of marching to the beat of its own drum, the magazine has followed in footsteps of its counterparts in white culture. I ask myself, is this what the founders had in mind? Did they want Essence to be a black version of Vogue or Cosmopolitan? Who is the black woman? Is she the "mama" we see in old movies and every time we have pancakes for breakfast? Or is she just a white woman with darker skin?

Having black women on the cover of a respected fashion magazine is huge. Having a magazine that caters to us is amazing. So yes, the presence of Essence Magazine is a giant step forward. But the message being given in the pages of the magazine needs to be our message, a positive message. The beautiful black women on these covers should not be made to look like there a few sizes smaller than they really are. They shouldn't have to take off their clothes to showcase their figures when their intelligence alone speaks volumes. The imperfections that make them perfect should never be airbrushed off.

I do feel that some progress is being made. From time to time we get to see women like Jill Scott & Queen Latifah on the cover, embracing their size and flaunting it. But with their recent hiring of white fashion director their motives are being questioned. Clearly, we still have a long way to go.


Image Sources - http://www.roc4life.com/profiles/blogs/essence-magazine-hires-white
http://www.shabooty.com/2010/06/09/jada-pinkett-smith-naked-on-essence- magazine-cover.php
http://info2know.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/jill-scott-on-the-new-cover-of-essence/
http://www.jillnelson.com/news.html