Design Context: Initial Research

Magazines influence on society

She will change the way a women think

At that time in post WWII Europe, in France, one person launched a magazine that greatly changed the way women think, speak, and perceive themselves. It was Helene Gordon Lazareff and her Elle (French for “she”) magazine was launched in 1945. Weekly Elle instructed French women how to be attractive and nice. The success of the magazine was huge and many have identified Helene and Elle, and the readers identified with Helen – what was good for Helen, was good for her readers.

One of her talents was that she was able to find the right person at the right time, she knew how to create a star. In 1947 Helen promoted unknown designer Dior and his New Look, in 1950 she put on the cover, then unknown Brigitte Bardot, in 1952 she employed Francoise Giroud, a feminist who later runs the famous French political weekly L’Express. In 1958 she promoted the return of Coco Chanel, although at that time the French press did not favor famous Mademoiselle.

Elle in 1965 promoted the futuristic vision in white by designer Courreges, and from week to week Ellewas written by Simone de Beauvoir, Marguerite Duras, Colette and Françoise Dolto. Number of sold copies reached one million in 1960, when one out of six French women regularly reads Elle.

In the history of the publishing no editor had such a lasting impact on its magazine as it was Helene. She left the magazine in 1972 when the sold circulation was around a million copies. In the year 1988, when dying of Alzheimer’s disease, circulation of Elle dropped to barely 370 000 sold copies.

Source: http://www.magazinedesigning.com/history-of-the-magazines/

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