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Christine Jones can’t see much difference between the old and new-look

Elle

When I got the new-look Elle, I went through it from the front to the

back, from the back to the front, from the middle to the back and from

the front to the middle and it was...er...no different. A new-look Elle,

without a new look.

All that hype and brouhaha about revising the editorial policy, hiring a

new editor and creative director and setting more aggressive marketing

objectives. It’s like a person who redecorates their home for the first

time in years and paints it exactly the same colour.

September’s editorial nakedly attempts to become even more populist by

targeting men. Why else would they have Naomi Campbell in her birthday

suit on the cover? Give me Brad Pitt in a Commes des Garons suit any

day.

As for the rest, one article features a guy talking about his experience

with women’s bras (bad news, girls: men are only interested in the

clasp). Another is about mens’ sexual regrets - what a surprise, they

don’t have any. And there’s the age-old one about strippers. But no

matter how often we moan about another ‘How to satisfy men’ article or

the ‘Will he leave her for me?’ story, we still lap it up word for word:

we love it.

Personally, I’m glad it hasn’t changed much. The way for Elle to

increase its rapidly declining market isn’t for it to become much more

More!, it’s to become much more Elle. Tell me something I didn’t know

about men. Expand its already great travel section, excellent fashion

and promotions and keep Dear Lowri alive as long as her everlasting

cigarette.

Oh, before I forget, there was one thing that was different. It costs an

extra 10 pence. But what the Elle, I’ll still buy it next month.

Christine Jones is an art director at GGT