Sam Norton
A&E Editor
329,371—that’s how many copies sold of Taylor Swift’s Vogue cover. However, this number pales in comparison to Lady Gaga’s 602,000 copies. But is it who’s on the cover of these magazines or is it the wording present on the covers that entices the public to pick up the newest copy of Vogue or Elle magazine?
Magazines always promise something we don’t know: an inside peek into the lives of the celebrities we swoon after.
But each article we read is equivalent to the rest–they repeat what we know and don’t tell us what we don’t.
Despite knowing that the article we will read will be like the rest, we still purchase magazines. Maybe it’s because we stay loyal to our celebrities.
Ryan Soderlin / AP Photo
Entertainer Taylor Swift performs during the opening night of her “Red” tour Wednesday, March 13, 2013 in Omaha, Neb. Swift’s newest album has been popular among the public; however, as a cover model Swift’s image is one that does not sell as well in comparison to other celebrities.
According to the article “Best and Worst Sellers at the Newsstand” published by Women’s Wear Daily, “One takeaway for the fashion glossies is that singers do well at the newsstand, just perhaps not those who have been overexposed. And the thickest months, March and September, continue to be reliable sellers.”
Swift graced the cover of Glamour magazine in November, selling over 443,000 copies; however, reality TV star Lauren Conrad sold over 500,000 copies in their May issue, making her the best-selling celebrity.
According to the article “Taylor Swift Magazine Covers Not Selling Strongly on Newsstands” published by the Huffington Post, “So does Swift’s newsstand success mirror her love life — flashy new developments at every turn that flop just as quickly as they began? Glamour’s editor-in-chief Cindi Leive actually draws a connection between Swift’s cover failures and her revolving door of boyfriends.”
However, the types of magazines that celebrities are posing for may also help determine the projected sales.
In December, Swift was booked for the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine when Joanna Coles became the new editor in chief of the sex-and-makeup monthly.
Swift’s cover was the weakest issue of the year, selling a little over a million copies, falling 20 percent below the six-month average, Women’s Wear Daily reports. Even actress Zooey Deschanel sold more copies than Swift.
Who these magazine publishing companies choose to put on the cover is almost as important as what is in the issue. In Cosmopolitan’s defense, sex sells—but Swift doesn’t.
Women’s Wear Daily states, “What worked for Cosmo? Scarlett Johansson took the top prize, with 1.5 million copies, but the August cover with Ashley Greene was ranked second, selling about 1.4 million. Was it the ‘Twilight’ connection or the promise of ‘52 sex tips inspired by ‘Fifty Shades of Grey?’”
But what really sells a magazine is the popularity of a given celebrity, especially in a specific time frame.
Their current status will dictate how many copies are sold, because if they’re not in the spotlight, why spend the money?
“Vampires are the meme of the moment. Understood. So obviously a ‘Best Vampire’ cover category is created—look, the magazine industry is still hip! As big of a groan as the mere existence of this category elicits [these awards are meant to celebrate quality journalism, not fads of the moment], the nominees, pardon the pun—or don’t—suck. Five of the six covers are of Robert Pattinson promoting Twilight.
Wouldn’t the creation of a separate category for a topic imply that there were enough options in that category to yield a varied, quality list of nominees? In this case, no. It appears to be a shameless PR ploy, and an uninteresting one at that,” The Atlantic states.
However, it’s not just who’s on the cover—it’s the design that holds weight as well. The Atlantic reports that it’s the design of a cover that appeals to the readers and not necessarily the cover model.
“Wired’s design wins awards left and right. The reason: their design is nearly perfect. Their covers are flashy, but not too busy; create the perfect synergy between fantastic ground-breaking cover stories and art to proactively illustrate them; their use of celebrities are as surprising and unexpected as their unconventional cover ideas are bold.”
It’s not just the fashion magazines that sells, it’s also the controversial ones, the ones that make a statement.
The Atlantic states that, “Whether it’s turning the concept of the celebrity cover on its head [sometimes literally] or perfectly combining headline and image to encapsulate controversial news, New York magazine produced the most visually stimulating, debate-sparking, and refreshingly clever covers this year—a consistency in quality that’s all the more impressive because it’s a weekly publication.”
We are creatures of habit, so if we see our favorite celebrity on a cover of a popular magazine, we will purchase it.
Not because we know we are going to get an inside look into their lives; rather we purchase magazines because we are loyal fans.
But magazines can’t solely rely on their cover models to sell their product, no matter how popular they are, as Taylor Swift has proven.
Sam Norton can be contacted at
snorton@keene-equinox.com