The (Sub)field of Fashion Media: An American Vogue Case Study

Abstract

There are twenty-seven international editions of Vogue magazine, with its original American edition—self-described as “thought-provoking, relevant and always influential” and defining “the culture of fashion”—boasts a monthly print readership of eight million (Condé Nast). One hundred and thirty years since its first edition was published, Vogue epitomizes legacy fashion media. Employing Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory, this project is a critical rereading of Agnès Rocamora’s discussion of field theory and fashion with an eye to feminist and critical race theories. Using an updated and intersectional theoretical framework and maintaining a critical lens, this project uses Glossy: The Inside Story of Vogue by Nina Sophia-Miralles as a starting point in a descriptive case study of American Vogue. This project contributes to the sociological study of fashion media and positions Vogue as a valuable subject of social and cultural study.