In the February issue of Vogue, editor in chief Anna Wintour scolds Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton for blowing off a photo shoot because of a "fear of looking too feminine," or so the former woman was told by campaign brass. The idea that Mrs. Clinton "must look mannish in order to be taken seriously as a seeker of power," Ms. Wintour wrote, "is frankly dismaying."
Well, then! With the fashion czarina's opinion in the public domain, and Super Tuesday around the corner, Off the Record wondered: Would major women's magazines--which have historically enjoyed quite a cozy relationship with first ladies--take a stand and endorse Mrs. Clinton for president?
Five of the half-dozen surviving "Seven Sisters" publications--Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, Good Housekeeping and Woman's Day--all said no.
"Just because she's running this year we wouldn't change our tack and endorse her because she's a woman," said Linda Fears, the editor in chief of Family Circle, which published Mrs. Clinton's rolled-oats-laced chocolate-chip confection recipe after her 1992 homemaker-offending gaffe about how she "could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas" instead of becoming a hotshot lawyer (it trounced Barbara Bush's submission). "We wouldn't endorse along party lines for any reason--it's not something we do."