1960's Magazine Article

            As I began my search for a magazine article to write about, I wanted to find a magazine that I am actually interested in and, perhaps, something that read today. Once I came across Vogue magazine, I knew that was the place I was going to begin. I flipped through a September 15, 1964 issue of Vogue and found an article on Jane Asher: an actress, entrepreneur, and long-time girlfriend of Beatle, Paul McCartney.

            The article was entitled British Beauty: The New Confidence That’s Catching. It begins explaining how women of that time (and still in our time, I think) are so obsessed with their looks that they practically do their makeup with a magnifying mirror to make it perfect. It also observed that if women are having a “light-makeup” day, all they do is complain and feel self-conscious.

            Contrary to the norm, the article states that Jane Asher just doesn’t care. When asked to describe her look, she says, “I don’t,” an answer the press is not used to hearing. Unlike many women would act, when she began dating Paul McCartney, her look remained exactly the same. When the article speaks on her looks, it says that it remained “pre-Beatle,” which is very shocking because it would be so easy to change and become society’s perfect celebrity.  She didn’t let the world, the press, or the spotlight change who she really was and Vogue (and I) was thoroughly impressed by that. Asher had long, straight, red hair and wore it with pride, although she looked different than the norm. She even had a short brown wig that she wore just for kicks. Asher wore minimal makeup and was still radiant as anyone.

            I would consider this a coming of age article because it takes a kind of maturity to “go against the grain” and be yourself. She was thrust under the spotlight at 18 as an actress, a very formative time in her life, but didn’t let the views of the world change who she was. She had a good sense of who she was from such a young age and was not about to let that go, just to conform to the norm.

            Coming of age is a step in the forward direction in one’s life which oftentimes takes courage, confidence, and faith. I think that Asher exhibited all of these qualities in her decision to remain true to herself and not let society tell her who she should be. Obviously, based on the praises that Vogue gives her, everyone accepted her uniqueness and admired her ability to be herself in such a tough situation. This article, along with the whole magazine, was so interesting to read and compare to today’s Vogue, where, rather than being praised, women who go against the grain and are seen without makeup are highly criticized.