Here’s Our ‘Vogue Challenge’: Focus on Women’s Talents, Not Beauty

Three Indian students in UAE took it upon themselves to change portrayals of women in fashion magazines.

UAE based students defy beauty stereotypes.

(Photo Courtesy: Shuchita Bahl /Newsstand/ Altered by The Quint)

Video Producer: Saradha Natarajan
Video Editor: Abishek Sharma

We started the initiative Newsstand, aiming to defy stereotypical beauty standards portrayed in fashion magazines worldwide. There is so much more to a woman than just her looks; like her talents and her ambitions. Unrealistic trends set by fashion magazines tend to affect the psyche of teenage women who consume them. We tired to counter this narrative through our initiative.

While in quarantine, we saw this trend on TikTok where people were posting their photos on the Vogue cover. This stuck with us – a magazine like Vogue is something so special that everybody wants to be in it.

Riya Singh, Model, Newsstand.(Photo Courtesy: Shuchita Bahl /Newsstand)

The three of us came up with a plan in a couple of months to showcase teenage girls in Dubai and edit them on cover pages of famous fashion magazines.

We had two main objectives. One, to promote the idea of self-love. We wanted all the girls we were targeting to feel that they are beautiful in whatever form or body type. Second, that anybody could be in the cover of a fashion magazine. It is not an unachievable feat as is portrayed by the media and fashion industry,

Jia Choudhary, Model, Newsstand.(Photo Courtesy: Shuchita Bahl/Newsstand)

For a few weeks, we went around and took pictures of different girls of different body types.

After finishing the photo shoot, we interviewed the girls and asked them to speak about their talents and their achievements in a particular field. Once the photoshoots were done, photos and interviews were edited. Then, we’d transcribe the interviews and create statements and slogans for the girls on the cover page. Kevin, our graphic designer, would then create the finished product.

After all the cover pages were complete, we consolidated all of this material into a virtual exhibition where we displayed the pictures of all the girls and the magazine cover that was designed.

It really went on a from being a project that we had conceptualised based out of TikTok into a real movement which we had called #changeournewsstand, as a call to other fashion magazines to change their outlook in choosing models and reorienting focus to women’s talents and ambitions.

We are now done with the first edition of Newsstand. After displaying pictures of teenage girls, we are now going to approach older women, working mothers, teachers, support staff at school and showcase them on our platform.

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