I mean, there’s Vogue India, Vogue UK, Vogue US and of course French  and Italian Vogue! Why, just to be sure you’re tapping into your full market potential in every culture? If that’s the case how good at it are they?

Vogue India just made an ass of itself with the whole putting expensive stuff on poor people photo-shoot. An upgrade on the traditional colonial chic concept. Of course the editor doesn’t get what the fuss is about, doh mind she ent bother to identify her subjects, cause dey too poor nah.

And Vogue Brazil decided to emulate Vogue Italia’s all black issue and cater to 54% of their population with this cover. 40% of Brazil’s population is Mulatto (mixed white and black), hopefully things are a bit more balanced inside, but I doubt it.

Stupid photo-shoots aside, I still like magazines. That may be changing though, but I digress. I like reading English Vogue as opposed to the American edition, the only edition available in Trinidad and Tobago. I guess because they (the English) colonized us, there are elements in their culture that I recognise as our own.

But I wish we would get Vogue India and its never ending parade of Bollywood covers instead, because it’s more reflective of our majority ethnic groups. I think our ethnic make-up is 40% East Indian, 40% African 20% mixed, white, other. And as a Trinidadian, I identify with East Indian culture in a way that amazes me…it’s like oooh, that’s why we do that!

It’s possible that I’m too silly to recognise what a blessing that is. US Vogue in it’s present incarnation has been described as an overinflated catalogue of things I can’t even afford to dream about. Some of the women they profile are so shockingly vapid and callous about their wealth and need for material things it’s disgusting.

But for the most part I think Vogue is funny. I read the articles and think, well clearly they aren’t being serious, so it doesn’t faze me. I love Pulm Skyes articles, like her novels, they are acutely aware of their own silliness. I think that awareness suggests their  behaviour isn’t ideal, so that’s the message I get from them. I look at their parade of $2000 hangbags and $500 shoes and think, well it’s lovely, but I ent buying it. I don’t even really fantasize about the stuff they have in Vogue, because they are so out of reach.

Some circles are putting the blame for the magazine’s demise squarely on Nuclear Wintour’s shoulders. They say her edition is the least daring of the Vogue powerhouses: the French, Italian and British editions of the mag. Maybe she should read this article on how to improve her magazine’s covers. And considering Vogue India’s recent scandal, maybe I should be grateful that edition isn’t sold here.

The magazine’s demise is ironic, because people have such strong reactions to the magazine. This graphic artist created this exhibit of faux Vogue covers titled: How I’d Sink American Vogue.

It’s kind of hard though, like Wendy Felton of Glossed Over says about her relationship with magazines, “I don’t hate them. I’m disappointed by them”. Regardless I feel if we must get Vogue in Trinidad, why we can’t pick the one that’s more like us?