US Elle October 2020 : BLACKPINK by Kim Hee June

[LostInNJ]

I don't understand the distaste for having them on the cover. They are a K-Pop phenomenon and are connected to fashion. Each one of them linked to a different brand. Actresses get covers all the time, it's publicity for them to plug a movie or a project. The same for recording artists that have a new album.

I say kudos to Elle for doing something a little different (considering they aren't necessarily known in America like Britney was in her heyday). It's no different than the Spice Girls getting a Vogue cover at the height of their fame. We all say we want diversity and something new, but even when the attempt is made, all anyone can do is pick it apart and moan.

Personally, I think the covers are fine, for this particular magazine.

 

[JPineapple]

It was about time that this cover happened. I’m not a huge fan of kpop but these girls are becoming a cultural phenomenon and they deserve the credit that the industry is giving them.

I’m surprised of people complaining about musicians getting fashion covers, like we’ve never seen this before. The fact is that USA doesn’t rule the music industry anymore and magazines know that, that’s why we see these girls, Rosalia, Maluma or Bad Bunny frequently on international magazines.

 

[Benn98]

It's no different than the Spice Girls getting a Vogue cover at the height of their fame.

Not the wisest example to use considering Anna herself admitted it is one the covers she's least proud of.

Quite frankly I couldn't give a stuff about these girls or their tacky autotune sounds, it's the type of return to docile, cutesy, infantalising feminity that's so off-putting.

 

[MulletProof]

"The Biggest Girl Group in the World" is such a western thing to say.

IKR , measured to what...

@crmsnsnwflks makes a good point, we get to see diversity from a normal, pop music-meets-fashion approach, not 'here's the actress and part-time activist and she has a movie coming out but we promise you she's here to talk about the discrimination she's experienced in Hollywood, how she's breaking barriers and how this cover means that if there is one thing we love more than fashion and skincare, that is being an outlet for social causes!'.

I feel too old to question the popularity of the group, I really don't care. But I agree with Benn about some of the adult fans, it's a bit puzzling. A former assistant (white, American, in her mid 20s) was a huge BTS fan, and by huge, I mean showing up to the venue where they would be performing 12 hours later to hang out with other fans, all dressed up in costumes. It's cute to do that.. when you're 10-12 and aren't even sure where your hormones will take you in life, but at 26? lol.. I could've asked more to understand more but a simple question usually meant being subjected to 6 BTS videos in a row.....

I like the Jisoo cover, but not sure which one that is in the main cover, they're all styled too similar, like twin dolls (cause it's for kids I guess).

 

[Urban Stylin]

Wardrobe is a little generic but it still is a good cover.

 

[KoV]

Wake me up when all this is over.
I wonder if the cover will sell for Elle. It's not the like 10/20 years ago when tweens still collected magazines purely for their scrapbooks. Everything is online, including the full editorial eventually. So would their Gen Z fanbase rush to buy hard copies? Maybe if they add a poster, I'm sure.

I was reading recently that Twilight stans essentially kept Entertainment Weekly afloat for years, as the fans would faithfully collect the (many) covers. While the adult segment of their readership b!tched and moaned about how many covers Twilight got, it was the Twi-hards that were putting their money where their mouth was and they were consistently the best-selling issues. I think the last of those movies came out like 7-8 years ago, and the market for print has shrunken since, but I imagine K-pop stans are more dedicated to buying/collecting magazines than Gaga/Beyoncé/Cardi B/Adele/etc. fans.

 

[Handbag Queen]

I love this color! Have heard of them, but don't really know who they are -- but the cover is outstanding!!! this looks like a fall cover!

 

[aracic]

I'm just glad it's not pastel. They look cute!

 

[Serend1pity]

If you’re over the age of 14 are they relevant at all?

 

[chaneltae]

They have a really big fan base in Asia but not so much in the states so I’m really confused as to why they’re covering a US magazine and why Nina thought they would sell. We’re talking like a really small fan base in the states btw

 

[MulletProof]

not so much in the states

I'm not sure about that... I don't know how it is in other cities but my experience in LA (which admittedly has a huge Korean community that makes access to all things Korean so much easier) was that a ton of white/latino/black young people devour all things k-pop, they would camp outside venues for days. I remember working for a few hours with a k-pop band (whose name I will honestly never be able to remember!) and teenagers (korean, white, latino) hanging outside hyperventilating and recognizing even the agent and the choreographer .. it's clear it's a phenomenon... at least among teens (or young adults)?. Just found this on spotify, too, streams being more indicative than charts these days..

I was never a fanatic but I do remember crying over not being able to go to Backstreet Boys concerts and buying magazines an 11 year old wouldn't normally buy (like Hello! lol) just because it had a feature on them. I guess Elle knows what it's doing: surviving 2020 like all of us.

 

[LostInNJ]

Not the wisest example to use considering Anna herself admitted it is one the covers she's least proud of.

Quite frankly I couldn't give a stuff about these girls or their tacky autotune sounds, it's the type of return to docile, cutesy, infantalising feminity that's so off-putting.

The point is still made; they are relevant, thus they were put on the cover of the magazine. Anna not being proud of her cover has nothing to do with a cover Elle has put out over 20 years later.

I think we get it tho, you don't like them. Therefore, you don't think they deserve a fashion magazine cover. However, there is an entire demographic that does and for the brands as well, it is a win.

 

[vogue28]

I have zero interest in Blackpink, couldn't tell you a single song title but I am very pleasantly surprised at how much I like this. I too can appreciate the absence of pastel and the more mature styling @[B]aracic[/B] - and that solo cover of Jennie wearing Chanel is utterly divine.

 

[dodencebt]

I think people who are questioning their popularity just don’t read about pop culture at large outside of their preferred artists, which is fine. Blackpink really is a phenomenon, and kudos to Nina for being the first one to give them a mainstream fashion cover in the US. And let’s not talk about how much sense a mainstream fashion cover makes given their contracts with Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent and Celine.

 

[Serend1pity]

I think people who are questioning their popularity just don’t read about pop culture at large outside of their preferred artists, which is fine. Blackpink really is a phenomenon, and kudos to Nina for being the first one to give them a mainstream fashion cover in the US. And let’s not talk about how much sense a mainstream fashion cover makes given their contracts with Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent and Celine.

Yes but it’s a phenomenon with teens which is the reason it seems odd for Elle

 

[KoV]

I think K-pop is far more popular and reaches a broader demographic than some users here realize. Blackpink gets mainstream radio AirPlay , and I know many people in their 20s who are k-pop stans. This isn’t just a fad and it’s not just teens. K-pop has been growing in popularity for several years. I’m pretty sure Blackpink could sell out arenas in some major American cities and clearly major brands think they’re valuable ambassadors, considering the endorsement deals they’re given.

 

[Ken Doll Jenner]

Yes but it’s a phenomenon with teens which is the reason it seems odd for Elle

Not really. A friend of mine, who is 29 like me, is a huge K-Pop stan and she never buys a magazine except for anything that features K-Pop stars. She collected Vogue Korea issues that has Exo, Bigbang, and well, Blackpink on the cover. She would even purchase a magazine that does a feature on them even if they’re not on the cover like that Time Magazine’s Person of the Year Issue in which BTS was included.

My point is, don’t create a preconceived notion that these groups are only adored by teens. There are adults with buying power who would also purchase anything related to them, particulary outside of US. Personally, they’re not my cup of tea either. But for anyone who asks to be woken up once this zeitgeist is over, well, you may have to sleep longer than expected.

 

[aracic]

For all of you questioning the power of k-pop, Blackpink's most recent song featuring Selena Gomez garnered nearly 80 million views in the first 24 hours of its release. I personally don't like k-pop music at all, but try naming one western pop-star that holds such power. Most pop stars' fanbases are mostly teens and young adults anyway, so I don't understand how that makes Blackpink not eligible for an Elle cover. It's not like Elle is a particularly serious magazine that appeals to older women and adults only - every pop star, from Ariana Grande to Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello and Dula Peep, has a cover to their name.
I wouldn't even say Ariana's fans are that much different (age-wise) from Blackpink's, but I don't think we'd be having these discussion if she was on the cover here.

 

[JPineapple]

I think K-pop is far more popular and reaches a broader demographic than some users here realize. Blackpink gets mainstream radio AirPlay , and I know many people in their 20s who are k-pop stans.

Exactly!

I remember when Billie Eilish got Vogue and Elle, people dragged her just because she is 18 years... but I don't think people did the same when Britney got her Vogue cover at 20 or Emma Watson and Kirsten Stewart got the same just because of their roles in teenage movies. So, I don't think questioning the cover subject just because of the age of most of its public is the fairest thing to do.

 

[Benn98]

But for anyone who asks to be woken up once this zeitgeist is over, well, you may have to sleep longer than expected.

Trust me, I've lived through enough it-girls/artists/actresses to know that the hype will pass.