Behind the Scenes: Fashion Magazine Productions
words & photos by Annie Bi
Have you ever thought about working as an editor in a fashion magazine company? Dressing up prettily, attending myriad press conferences, and being friends with celebrities are typical impressions that most people have about this job; they consider being an editor as an easy position and overlook its value.
“The hidden truths and unimaginable efforts an editor put behind the scene can largely blow your mind,” said Annie Bi, the intern editor of Hearst Media Group, COSMOPOLITAN Taiwan, “The duty of an editor consists of writing independent articles, compiling relevant information for specific issues, revising each unpublished article, searching for suitable materials embedded in the article.” All the sequences of editing processes can strip a fashion magazine editor’s sleeping time by causing biological clock disorders.
“Before you finish drafting an article for this big event and send it to the chief for checking, the countless rejected manuscripts and revisioned versions you receive are not a surprise──” Annie said, “You must make each article flawless enough to be published on social media platform to avoid severe criticisms from the public.”
All these tasks an editor needs to get through occupy most of their work time, which is contrary outsiders image of a fashion editor as “a trophy wife,” a person who only cares about how beautiful she is attending special occasions. For example, as every major media outlet racks its brains writing attractive articles and news in order to increase media exposure as much as possible during the “Golden Horse Awards,” the annual event for all the actors and movie production teams, so do all the fashion magazine editors.
A fashion magazine cannot simply describe the rundown of this big event or record the special situations that occur on that day. Therefore, dragging readers’ attentions to each conventioneer’s clothing design, makeup, hairdo, and overall trends of fashion style will be an editor’s priority. To be the first fashion magazine to news concerning the Golden Horse Awards, the editors need to stay up all night collecting trivial information, including each celebrity’s personal background, recent news, and his or her style of clothing to make sure the news can be published right after the event. “The research overnight ensures us to compile an abundant article and even write something appealing enough to readers,” said Annie, as a participant in the Golden Horse Awards project in the company. After the research, picking myriad illustrations and photos to make each piece of news more prolific is necessary.
As she worked in the company as an intern, Annie met Ziggy, a 25-year-old full-time digital editor who became her colleague and friend. On behalf of the entire editorial department, Ziggy is the one responsible for keeping in touch with celebrities who is invited to do online shows. Ziggy needs to supervise the overall rundown and make good contact with the celebrity. She revealed that she once slept one hour per day for an entire month of heavy work, finally making her become seriously ill.
“Sometimes in order to increase our page views, we often make up several parts of the contents of the article to publish, because it is impossible to spend so much time collecting every single piece of information,” said Ziggy. “People never know how difficult and exhausting it is for an editor to provide readers with a hodgepodge of news to see, particularly nowadays magazine readers when are getting more and more demanding about the content.” She often receives various chances to participate in press conferences and interview famous celebrities face to face in her gorgeous dress and luxurious makeup. Nevertheless, right after the party, she has to take off all these colorful outfits, grab a chair and begin writing her articles till daybreak.
To ensure the progress of each press conference, an editor is also required to contact interviewees and corporative firms. Nesha, the editor-in-chief, revealed that in the peak period, the total number of articles could be up to 500 a week, which is a stunning workload for her to accomplish. “It occurs really frequently that some interviewees are extremely hard to please and always picky about every single thing, but you still need to be thick-skinned even if you already expect a cold shoulder from them. It’s really embarrassing,” said Nesha, with an awkward facial expression. She hopes to unveil the hidden facts of what a magazine editor is actually experiencing during their work time: Whatever you think of being an editor in a magazine company, you can never undermine all the endeavors they invest in this job.
An editor is a gatekeeper who decides what kind of news readers are going to read. Being a fashion magazine editor requires indescribable blood and sweat. This article attempts to reveal the truths and conditions of being an editor and asks people to respect the job: never judge a job from its appearances; what an editor does behind the scenes deserves respect as well.
“The hidden truths and unimaginable efforts an editor put behind the scene can largely blow your mind,” said Annie Bi, the intern editor of Hearst Media Group, COSMOPOLITAN Taiwan, “The duty of an editor consists of writing independent articles, compiling relevant information for specific issues, revising each unpublished article, searching for suitable materials embedded in the article.” All the sequences of editing processes can strip a fashion magazine editor’s sleeping time by causing biological clock disorders.
“Before you finish drafting an article for this big event and send it to the chief for checking, the countless rejected manuscripts and revisioned versions you receive are not a surprise──” Annie said, “You must make each article flawless enough to be published on social media platform to avoid severe criticisms from the public.”
All these tasks an editor needs to get through occupy most of their work time, which is contrary outsiders image of a fashion editor as “a trophy wife,” a person who only cares about how beautiful she is attending special occasions. For example, as every major media outlet racks its brains writing attractive articles and news in order to increase media exposure as much as possible during the “Golden Horse Awards,” the annual event for all the actors and movie production teams, so do all the fashion magazine editors.
A fashion magazine cannot simply describe the rundown of this big event or record the special situations that occur on that day. Therefore, dragging readers’ attentions to each conventioneer’s clothing design, makeup, hairdo, and overall trends of fashion style will be an editor’s priority. To be the first fashion magazine to news concerning the Golden Horse Awards, the editors need to stay up all night collecting trivial information, including each celebrity’s personal background, recent news, and his or her style of clothing to make sure the news can be published right after the event. “The research overnight ensures us to compile an abundant article and even write something appealing enough to readers,” said Annie, as a participant in the Golden Horse Awards project in the company. After the research, picking myriad illustrations and photos to make each piece of news more prolific is necessary.
As she worked in the company as an intern, Annie met Ziggy, a 25-year-old full-time digital editor who became her colleague and friend. On behalf of the entire editorial department, Ziggy is the one responsible for keeping in touch with celebrities who is invited to do online shows. Ziggy needs to supervise the overall rundown and make good contact with the celebrity. She revealed that she once slept one hour per day for an entire month of heavy work, finally making her become seriously ill.
“Sometimes in order to increase our page views, we often make up several parts of the contents of the article to publish, because it is impossible to spend so much time collecting every single piece of information,” said Ziggy. “People never know how difficult and exhausting it is for an editor to provide readers with a hodgepodge of news to see, particularly nowadays magazine readers when are getting more and more demanding about the content.” She often receives various chances to participate in press conferences and interview famous celebrities face to face in her gorgeous dress and luxurious makeup. Nevertheless, right after the party, she has to take off all these colorful outfits, grab a chair and begin writing her articles till daybreak.
To ensure the progress of each press conference, an editor is also required to contact interviewees and corporative firms. Nesha, the editor-in-chief, revealed that in the peak period, the total number of articles could be up to 500 a week, which is a stunning workload for her to accomplish. “It occurs really frequently that some interviewees are extremely hard to please and always picky about every single thing, but you still need to be thick-skinned even if you already expect a cold shoulder from them. It’s really embarrassing,” said Nesha, with an awkward facial expression. She hopes to unveil the hidden facts of what a magazine editor is actually experiencing during their work time: Whatever you think of being an editor in a magazine company, you can never undermine all the endeavors they invest in this job.
An editor is a gatekeeper who decides what kind of news readers are going to read. Being a fashion magazine editor requires indescribable blood and sweat. This article attempts to reveal the truths and conditions of being an editor and asks people to respect the job: never judge a job from its appearances; what an editor does behind the scenes deserves respect as well.