The March 2004 issue embarks on a discussion regarding the solitude experienced by two disconnected African-American female executives in one patriarchal corporate structure.Taylor reminds the women that blacks collectively exist in“two worlds”and“must know the language and landscape of both.”They“could have brought sunlight,support and strategy”to each other.Taylor's direct advice to her readers is to“don our spiritual armor,”“have a plan”[of action in order to learn navigational skills of one's workplace],and“stay connected to the community.”In the February issue Taylor's column assumes a political stance and addresses the absence of America's attention to homeland issues such as homelessness,hunger,suicide rates,the presumed heirs to this country's wealth-young white males,and the mediated portrayals of African Americans.Exceptionally reminiscent of Martin Luther King who urged American citizens seeking cultural and societal affirmation to embrace communalism,Taylor again encourages readers to“Have faith in black people...the forces arrayed against us would wither before a unified,spiritually fortified,determined people,pick an issue,(and)hold a vision of what shall be.”
The positioning of the front-of-book,feature well and back-of-book departments in Essence are strategically calculated to communicate several points.Amidst several middle-to-high-end advertisements,“In the Spirit”is the first department.The popular feature appears before“contents,”“contributors,”“your letters,”“straight talk,”the editor's letter,and the masthead,indicating that black women are multidimensional and their lives must be nurtured on the physical,emotional,intellectual and spiritual level;however,spiritual development is necessary to holistically progress the layers of individual life.Reverting back to the nineteenth century practice of the implementation of religion and spirituality in popular magazines,it is suggested that practicing religion is traditionally natural and“the real test of reader's faith lay in the feeling they brought to their daily activities”(Kitch,2001,p.20).
Following the preliminary introduction to the Essence“spiritual journey,”the next portion of the publication features instructive health,fashion,beauty and lifestyle information,including those articles magnified in the cover blurbs,which instruct readers how to successfully progress to a specific place,be it physical-“Winning at weight loss”(January 2004),spiritual-“Inner peace:How to create‘Me Time'”(January 2004),or economic-money:5 Easy Steps to Credit Repair(February 2004).The testimonial approach attempts to forge a link between the speaker and the audience through the African-American Christian tradition.
“I'm a Survivor,”(March 2004)“Diary of My Weight Loss,”(January,2004)“7 Deadly Dating Sins(#1:Sex too Soon)”(January 2004)and“Healing Heartache”(February,2004)exemplify testimonial rhetoric that insinuates lived experience and implies understanding and triumph.For most African Americans,culture is grounded in spirituality and religion,more specifically,the black church.Therefore,Essence readers find comfort in the testimonial assertiveness of“Godly”or biblical messages.Of primary significance in the January 2004 issue is,“The Seven Deadly Dating Sins.”
The illustration that accompanies this relationship how-to depicts an Afrocentric version of Eve in the Garden of Eden picking the forbidden fruit.Graphic elements are used to visually overdramatize deadly and sins.Interestingly,the cover of the February 2004 and March 2004 issues picture celebrities,an editorial method most mainstream magazines exercise to attract readers.The January 2004 issue,however,is an exception.It features a black female model who is representative of the race,yet does not represent the political overtones of the month of January,Martin Luther King's birthday.The cover image and editorial content,though saturated with highbrow intellectual verse and spiritual innuendo,avoids the social,cultural and political significance of the King holiday.Although Essence does not delegate a significant amount of editorial space to politics directly,the magazine does commonly demonstrate social awareness and makes a visible effort to celebrate African-American accomplishment,most notably in the area of political leadership.
This shift away from traditional celebratory content is also visible in the March 2004 issue,“The Career Issue,”which features an Essence Exclusive on Shoshana Johnson,the first African-American female POW.Editor-in-chief,Diane Weathers makes a direct connection between Johnson and“The Career Issue”in her editor's letter,which is focused primarily on the ex-soldier.“It's fitting that Shoshana's story appear in this issue,the theme of which is work and career.”Weathers says of the woman who presumably represents the true image of Essence.Again,Essence avoids the political significance of Women's History Month and instead of Johnson,readers are greeted by a semi-exposed Eve(Hip-hop artist and actor)on the cover.The cover story,a combination of a fashion spread and Q&A,is titled,“Blonde Ambition.”Uncharacteristically,the phrase is customarily used in a pejorative fashion against Caucasian blonde women who rely on physical appearance for social and professional acceptance.
