Thursday, September 13, 2007

In Fairness To Glamour Magazine

Ok, I'm stunned. I've got to admit. Now, there's this bruhaha going on about the editor and her comments about black hair - and I was so offended, that I blogged about it. All of my friends have been threatening to boycott the magazine forever. I too was about to get on that bus when lo and behold a comment appeared on my blog. I thought it important enough (on balance) to place it front and center, as opposed to just leaving it at the bottom of the page in a link. Here's the comment left on the blog:

"I read your post about a Glamour editor’s comments on hairstyles for work, and I’d like to share with you our thoughts. First, we regret the comments were made. The employee, a junior staffer, not a beauty editor, spoke to a small group of lawyers at a private luncheon without her supervisor’s knowledge or approval, and her comment — that Afros are not work appropriate — does not represent Glamour's point of view.

Secondly, immediately upon learning of it, we sought to rectify the situation. The editor has been dealt with in a very serious manner, and the entire staff has been reminded of the magazine’s policies and procedures for making public appearances.

Glamour is proud of its diverse readership and celebrates the beauty of ALL women. We have responded directly and openly with readers to assure them of this fact. We have also apologized to the law firm, and we extend the same apology to you.

If you know others who were offended by this incident, To ask you to please pass along this letter. So they, too, know how sorry we are."

Sincerely,
Cindi Leive
Editor-in-Chief, Glamour


Seems like Glamour has an active campaign to fix this before it gets too far out of the box. And again, on balance, I cannot hold the magazine responsible for the actions of one employee. So, if the comment on the blog is authentic (me, ever the cynic), then perhaps we need to not crucify the organization. However, would someone please leak the name of the ignorant junior staffer who made this ginormous racial faux pax?

2 comments:

patrice said...

I too am cynical about the authentcity of the editor's comments. However for the sake of argument, it's real. I hope Glamour will print her apology in it's next issue. To respond to a blog is one thing. To place it in print on magazine stands is another. I hope the dipstick who made the comment was sent to a sensitivity training course and demoted to file clerk. There are two things this numbskull will learn. Don't mess with a sista's man or her hair!

patrice said...

I am also skeptical of the authenticity of the editor's comments. However, for the sake of argument, it's real. I hope that Cindi Lieve is willing to publish her apology in the next issue of Glamour. That will be the real test of her sincerity. Also I hope Glamour mag sent that numbskull to a sensitivity training tune-up and demoted her to file clerk status. The afro hate'n, demoted file clerk just learned lesson number two of the "sista's handbook". "Ya don't mess with a sista's hair!" Lesson number one of course is," Don't mess with a sista's man!" I hope she never go's there!