I’ve spent the last couple of days looking over the next Lucire, and pondered whether to let the f word go through uncensored. It’s in an excellent by Fiona Ralph about fashion label Wheels & Dollbaby. In the context, it is appropriate, and it was a direct quotation within another direct quotation—but eventually I stuck with (our) tradition and replaced the uck with asterisks. Perhaps the act of doing so can be called uckstarring.
   It’s my magazine; it has to reflect my values, and I generally don’t cuss. There are some people I want to get aggro about, and yes, I have used the word, but only in extreme circumstances. If I used it all the time, I would lose a good word for exclamation (how does Samuel L. Jackson cope with those snakes on that motherf***ing plane? Shall we invent a more serious word—like snicklebock—and position it as even more coarse?). My decision may look quaint today, and may look even more quaint in ten years’ time. But one rule of founder-run businesses is true: they retain the personality of that founder.
   Further, Lucire is a brand that has a decency about it, and if the f word is not good enough for network television here before 9 p.m., then I don’t want the censor—who actually taught my first class in law school—breathing down my neck. I would prefer the magazine to be dignified, even if all its other dealings are transparent, honest and reflective of the world we live in. It tries to be productive as a magazine, which is why we reach some passionate, globally minded consumers. It tries to reshape its world to how I would like to see it by being more positive and inspiring. Foul language just doesn’t seem to go with that brand. I leave the cursing to my competitors. (So, can you say the f word in Vogue?) Posted by Jack Yan, 08:54  permalink

comments

Post a Comment  Links to this post