My research on young women’s clothing choices shows that the political right and left are aligned on wearing sexy outfits, but not on what “sexy” means.
No judgment, but the women featured in Evie Magazine—a “conservative Cosmo” for women 18-34—are more likely than not to show off their breasts. In a nod to the tradwife fashion trend, milkmaid dresses with low décolletage are featured on young, voluptuous white women. An article making the case against body positivity and fat acceptance, “The Return of Skinny,” is accompanied by a photo of a busty white woman on a beach wearing a thong bikini. A photo spread of Eva Vlaardingerbroek showcases the Dutch right-wing activist wearing a gold cross necklace—along with her breasts falling out of a low-cut gingham dress.
There’s nothing wrong with wearing revealing clothes, and no one should be slut-shamed for doing so. Yet it’s curious that Evie’s content strategy favors Playboy-esque lingerie over Handmaid’s Tale dresses. After all, this is a publication whose sex columnist presumes everyone seeking advice is married and heterosexual; advises pregnant teenagers that their only option is adoption, not “panic-driven abortion”; steers readers away from birth control and toward rhythm-method fertility tracking apps; and informs readers that “men typically prefer virgins.”
It’s not just at Evie.