In recent weeks, Vogue, a famous American fashion and commentary magazine, released a string of articles sparking controversy with the general public. These articles, calling boyfriends “embarassing” and theorizing women have become embarrassed of their male counterparts, have caused significant online discourse. However, after decades of the magazine’s dominance in the fashion industry, these articles might reveal Vogue is on the decline, and even the latest fashion passé.
Online discourse over Vogue magazine began when Chanté Joseph, an opinion writer for Vogue, released an article titled “Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?” The article, which focused on the cultural shift away from females publicly sharing their relationships, as well as shift of distaste towards women who do share their lives by a general audience. The article became a viral controversy overnight, with thousands of social media users calling out the article for its distasteful view of relationships. The article overnight garnered views of criticism, from calling it “fundamentally uncool to be a boyfriend-girl” to singleness “a desirable and coveted status.” The article, while the title poses a question, clearly suggests that there is a cultural shift praising being single, and condemning any evidence of a relationship.
“To me, it feels like the result of women wanting to straddle two worlds: one where they can receive the social benefits of having a partner, but also not appear so boyfriend-obsessed that they come across as quite culturally loser-ish,” writes Joseph.
The article sparked controversy online, as Joseph’s TikTok soared to 5.7 million views. While some agreed with Joseph, stating that they themselves have moved away from the dating scene, many more thought Joseph’s stance is too cynical of a view on the modern dating scene.
“Articles like these do nothing more than reassure and support the emotions of people who can’t create happy relationships,” wrote one Tiktoker.
After two weeks of controversy, Joseph responded with a second article; one that cemented her opinion on relationships and women. In her new article, titled “My Story Asking if Boyfriends Were Embarrassing Went Viral. Here’s What That Says About the State of Heterosexual Dating,” Joseph states that the harsh criticism also came with overwhelming agreement. She also reiterates her stance, stating that the viral response only affirmed her belief that women are shifting towards singleness and foregoing the dating scene altogether.
“As much as we think we’re living in relatively progressive times, there appears to be a widespread reluctance to take a closer or more nuanced look at heterosexual dynamics, and the ways in which they may not exactly be serving us,” wrote Joseph.
This controversy began to spark debate about the Vogue magazine itself, and whether it is still the main mogul in the fashion industry, a title it’s held for decades. Though the magazine’s claim to fame is its fashion-forward focus, and consistently setting the newest trends, many are feeling as though the company is becoming outdated. This also comes as the Teen Vogue subsidiary recently shut down, and fully incorporated itself back into the Vogue magazine. Teen Vogue’s dissolution represents a shift away from Vogue’s total fashion dominance, moving towards a place of possible irrelevance. Though physical media is making a resurgence in 2026, it is possible that Vogue is becoming too focused on topics that disinterest the general public, and will not be a part of the resurgence.