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In one of Condé Nast's most read stories of 2025, Elon Musk's estranged daughter Vivian Wilson talks trans youth, online identity, and RuPaul. The media conglomerate's exclusive, however, didn't come from the prestigious pages of Vogue or the New Yorker. It came from Teen Vogue. As of this week, the magazine will cease to exist, folding into Vogue.com, in new Vogue editor Chloe Malle's first major move. Meanwhile, the youth publication's news and politics editor Lex McMenamin— who championed the Wilson issue — has been laid off alongside other staff members. The shuttering of Teen Vogue comes at a time when the 100-year-old brand is fighting the fate of a fading industry. "Vogue is in a position where, perhaps more acutely than at any other time in history, it has to work out a way to reinvent itself," Lauren Rosewarne, an associate professor and pop culture expert at the University of Melbourne puts it. But for readers, it's left one question: how will we be heard now? Glitz to government: Teen Vogue's shifting point Starting out as the Skipper to Vogue's big sister Barbie, Teen Vogue quickly asserted itself in a world of glossy pages. Through the early 2000s, it helped champion some of the era's rising stars long before their blockbuster hits, thanks in part to its Young Hollywood series. Ansel Elgort featured in Teen Vogue's 2009 issue five years before The Fault in Our Stars made him a teen heart-throb. It also gained notoriety when reality TV star Lauren Conrad interned at the magazine. Then in 2016, amid the first Trump administration, the magazine made a noticeable shift. Op-ed "Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America" made headlines globally, surprising some who had believed the magazine was no more than sweet-16 style guides and lip gloss ads. At the time, digital editorial director Phillip Picardi said there was a "responsibility to do right" by its "millions" of young readers in dissecting the post-election fallout. Rebecca Johinke, an associate professor and magazine industry expert at the University of Melbourne, still uses the article as a case study for her students and says it was "was ahead of its time". She also attributes some of its initial shock waves to society's long-documented disregard of teenage phenomena. "I think society has traditionally dismissed the views of young people and young women, in particular," she says. She said Teen Vogue was a surprising source of some high-quality journalism about issues like politics, violence towards women, through #MeToo, and racism, through #BLM. Dr Rosewarne says it's a underestimation that may have played into Teen Vogue's closure. "For people who don't follow this stuff, Teen Vogue is disposable," she says. "And it gets lost because people are very quick to dismiss young teen girl stuff and fashion. "That the teen female market is seen as somewhat disposable —or at least able to move to the main Vogue without complaint — is also part of seeing this as an audience of consumers, as opposed to an audience of politically-savvy well-informed young people." It is understood no remaining staff members will explicitly cover politics. Cuts have also "disproportionately" impacted marginalised employees, according to the unions NewsGuild of New York and Condé United. "Nearly all of these staffers identify as LGBTQ," they said in a statement. "Only one woman of colour remains on the editorial staff at Teen Vogue." Dr Rosewarne likened the situation to the closure of Buzzfeed's Pulitzer-winning newsroom. "These journalists don't go away, but it is harder for them to get access to the Vogue or BuzzFeed-sized audience when they leave that brand," she says. Wintour heir makes her mark The changes are some of the first major moves from Anna Wintour heir, Chloe Malle. Malle — whose mother is actor Candice Bergen — took over as Vogue's head of editorial content in September. Part of her pitch was a "less is more" approach and a "joyful points of view on things", as she told the New York Times. Examples included a wedding spread for Lauren Sánchez Bezos. She also declined to answer whether she would ever put Melania Trump on the cover. Vogue's announcement assured readers Teen Vogue would remain "a distinct editorial property, with its own identity and mission". But it's difficult to see how the two could sit comfortably under the same umbrella. For example, Teen Vogue chose Nancy Regan's death as an opportunity to highlight her poor HIV/AIDS legacy while Vogue wrote of Reagan's "generally faultless American high style". "Vogue has always been about selling a lifestyle to people," Dr Rosewarne says. "This is really sharply in contrast with the Vogue messaging. "I mean you can't have the 'eat the rich' stories in Teen Vogue and then have a multi-page spread on the Bezos wedding. It doesn't make sense to people." Editor-in-chief Versha Sharma is among Teen Vogue's mass departures. Her background is in political journalism. Speaking soon after the Wilson cover, Sharma attributed its success to Teen Vogue's intrepid political coverage. "[After 2016] Teen Vogue really stepped up as an unapologetic, truth-telling voice and platform for young people," she told journalism students in April. But in a time where Vogue no longer holds the cultural influence it once did, Malle will do what it takes to remain "financially viable", Dr Rosewarne predicts. "I'm speculating, but moving away from politics in a hugely politically sensitive time may seem to be the way of broadest appeal and ensure that the magazine can stay in print." Ignoring youth voices at 'our peril' After the death of publications such as Australia's Dolly, Cosmo and Cleo, Teen Vogue was one of last sanctuaries of the teenage voice — even as it reverted to online-only coverage in 2017. It's a potential loss in point of view the Roosevelt Institute says "we are all worse off without". While initiatives like the Vogue Fashion Summer School and the Teen Vogue Summit will continue, other ventures remain uncertain. For example, the outlet gave student journalists the opportunity to contribute to 2024 election coverage. Dr Johinke says the value of those views cannot be understated. "I work with young, smart and politically-engaged students every day and I respect and admire them so much," she says. While she hopes the Teen Vogue brand is strong enough to "live on in some form or another", it also speaks to the death of the broad interest magazine. According to new research, Dr Johinke says only "special interest and niche" publications can survive the current market. "Apart from the 'digital disruption' that caused 'the death of the magazine', publishing is now under even more pressure from AI-produced content which is threatening jobs in journalism," she says. For Dr Rosewarne, the platform does not go away for teens, but Teen Vogue's cache will. "Anyone who's got a phone basically can have access to a platform," she says. "What they don't have is the reach.
