Q&A with Aspasia Karras
Aspasia Karras, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire South Africa. Photo: Facebook
Aspasia Karras is the editor-in-chief of Marie Claire. Wits Vuvuzela spoke to Karras about this months “Naked Edition” of Marie Claire which is a yearly publication whose proceeds are donated to charity.
What are some of the difficulties that come with being an editor for a monthly women’s publication?
I wouldn’t say difficulties. Because it’s a monthly publication, what you put in the magazine has to be carefully considered, edited and curated. As media we are very fortunate because when you curate a brand like Marie Claire you have a website and Twitter that allow us to communicate things all the time for our readers which gives them a 24/7 experience of what’s happening and that can keep us very busy.
What are the origins behind the “Naked Issue” of Marie Claire?
The “Naked Issue” was started nine years ago. At the time doing a naked edition of a magazine was pretty dramatic stuff. I mean now you see celebrities like Helena Bonham Carter naked with a fish. This shows that naked has become a popular means of drawing attention to a particular cause. And that was the idea with the naked edition then and it still is the focus now.
What charity was used for this year’s edition and why?
This year’s campaign was for Blow the Whistle and it draws attention to, essentially, the terrible plague of violence that affects women and children in this country. So we felt that working with Blow the Whistle and getting amazing celebrities with real calibre and integrity to pose in the most vulnerable way really associated themselves with the victims. When you pose naked you are exposed and exposed to the entire nation. You become vulnerable like the victims.
Were you aiming for the same kind of response as last year’s #BoityReaction?
We haven’t had the Boity affect this year. The reason behind this is the seriousness of the campaign. I feel this year people have actually just understood what it was for and so we’re also celebrating this edition as well. The other thing that was moving about this year’s edition is the men who participated. They really exposed themselves and it’s a very brave act. They’ve really embraced the campaign.
