In the latest issue of Vanity Fair, something is missing amidst the mass of beautiful up-and-comers. For starters, there’s a lack of color here.
 
For years, magazines have taken pride in calling the shots – whose careers are bound to skyrocket, whose star quality will burn brightly before they fade back into obscurity – and sometimes they make great calls. And though Vanity Fair is home to high standards and particularly careful planning, their annual “New Hollywood” issue really puts a strain on that reputation. The young women on their latest cover are very thin and needless to say – very white. With the exception of a single redhead, their spread is hugely lacking in diversity.
 
The cover of the March issue features Kristen Stewart, Carey Mulligan, Abbie Cornish, Rebecca Hall, Amanda Seyfried, Mia Wasikowska, Emma Stone, Anna Kendrick, and Evan Rachel Wood. While all of these women are deserving of the coveted cover spot, you have to wonder just how limited the magazine’s scope is.
 
Evan Rachel Wood was first renowned for her role in “Thirteen,” and more recently the subject of scandal for her engagement to goth-rocker Marilyn Manson. Amanda Seyfriend was catapulted into the spotlight after “Mamma Mia!” The “Twilight” series made Kristen Stewart famous, while “Up in the Air” did the same for her co-star, Anna Kendrick. But what about women like Zoe Saldana of “Star Trek” and “Avatar”? How about Freida Pinto of “Slumdog Millionaire”? One could certainly make a case for one buzz-worthy new starlet: Gabourey Sidibe of “Precious” fame.
 
Vanity Fair already had both Kristen Stewart and Amanda Seyfried on an August 2008 cover featuring “Hollywood’s New Wave.” And that was also an all-white cover. In both cases, it’s disappointing to see that the effort wasn’t made to find a more varied set of women.
 
To make matters worse, Vanity Fair writer Evgenia Peretz celebrates the cover girls for these features: “button nose,” “downy-soft cheeks,” “patrician looks and celebrated pedigree,” “dewy, wide-eyed loveliness” – and my personal favorite – “Ivory-soap-girl features.”
 
The magazine has yet to comment on the issue in question.