Post #7: EOTO #2 Reaction

After listening to all of the EOTO #2 presentations in class, the history of gossip columns and fashion journalism was so interesting to learn more about.

The term, "gossip," has been around since the beginning of civilization, but the first American gossip column was written by James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald. Bennett wrote stories about the life of commoners, playboys, and the New York's Elite. The column was used to compare European aristocracy to American life. 

The first writer to publish an official gossip column was Walter Winchell who first published his column on Broadway during the rise of Hollywood. He wrote about rumors related to current celebrities at the time. Winchell's development shaped the way other writers created their columns in the 1930's-1940's. 

Hedda Hopper was an actress who ran a gossip column where she published gossip and rumors about her fellow celebrities. Along with this, Louella Parsons, another famous gossip columnist and screenwriter, published articles about other celebrities clothing, relationships, and career choices. Both writers published articles to put celebrities against each other and to grow their readers. 

By the 90's and 2000's, gossip columns transformed into full magazines instead of single columns and were dedicated to spreading celebrity gossip. The magazines covered rumors about relationships, scandals, career declines, and fashion criticisms. Magazines were the main spread of information in the 90's and often spread misinformation using sensationalist style writing. Stories about addiction, party, sex, and scandals were prioritized over celebrities art and reputation. 

Magazines are less popular today as the spread of celebrity gossip is done through social media sites like TikTok and Youtube. 

Moving to the history of fashion journalism, it is a type of journalism that researches and reports everything fashion related. This type of journalism can be found in magazines, newspapers, blogs, television shows, Youtube videos, podcast, and more. A popular blog fashion blog called, "WeWoreWhat" includes fashion trends, links to outfits, and even influencers favorite outfits. 

The first known fashion magazine was in 18th century France and published on November 15, 1785. It wad called Cabinet des Modes ou les Modes Nouvelles which translates to Cabinet of Fashions or New Fashions in English. It was a subscription based magazine and was distributed in France and abroad. 

In 1867, Harper Bazaar was one of the first publications dedicated to looking at the lives of women through the lens of fashion. In 1892, Vogue magazine was created by Arthur Baldwin Turnure, an American businessman. It targeted New York's upper class activities, habits, the places they visited, and the clothing they wore. 

Nowadays, the top ten magazines are People Style, Forbes Life, LA Times Magazine, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Harper Bazaar, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and GQ.