When Tosca asked me to write a few words for her fans on how we go about selecting a cover for Oxygen, I jumped at the chance. I can’t tell you how many times a week I’m asked the exact same question. Let me take you through it.
First and foremost, no one is ever “promised” a cover. No matter how many times we’ve shot a model, every shoot we do is always a “cover try” – meaning, we hope to get a cover out of the shoot, but there are no guarantees, Tosca included. Being married to the boss doesn’t carry any weight in this process.
So many factors go into who we decide to shoot for a “cover try”. Are they in shape? Have they been on the cover in the past and has the issue sold well? Can readers relate to or identify with them? Are they going to grab someone’s attention when they walk by the newsstand? In Tosca’s case, it's a unanimous yes to all of the above.
Once the shoot is complete, we go back to headquarters and review the cover shots.
At that point, if we decide that we do in fact want one of these for the cover, we go through the hundreds of shots from the shoot (the model wears at least four or five different looks, from bathing suits to fitness outfits). Our team then narrows it down to about 50 shots, which we narrow down even further to about 10. We then go to Bob Kennedy and present him with the batch. As a group, we select the best of the bunch, and then add coverlines. Choice of complimentary colors adds to the cover image, along with the typography (how the text looks) and styling. When all of the pieces come together, the cover comes to life!
It certainly isn't an easy process, but that isn't any reason not to strive for your goals. Start out by sending in photos for Future of Fitness. We are looking for toned and fit models with a proportionate amount of feminine muscle obtained through resistance training and clean eating. The models we feature have a variety of different physiques and we always recommend that people flip through the issues as a gauge to see what we are looking for. Remember, it's all about embodying a true Oxygen girl!
Want to know more about what goes into the magazine? Check this out!
Thanks for sharing this, Tosca I think you are amazing, you are a true ambassador of health, you promote a lifestyle and not simply a look, however, you do look amazing! The cover of Oxygen is one of my top goals as wbff pro and holistic health practitioner, I'm thrilled to be in this months issue of Oxygen in the Future of Fitness and so very humbled by the emails I received. I'm a raw food vegan and many women wrote to me expressing their gratitude for me sharing that, I'm ever grateful to have had the opportunity to share and educate women on why I live that lifestyle and to show women it is still possible to have muscle tone and not eat meat. I felt so much encouragement and support from these women, Oxygen readers really are amazing women! Tosca I hope to inspire women like you do to take responsibility for their heath and to eat clean, and to engage in fun fitness programs, I hope to see you on mnay more covers, you are a true role model someone whom I will forever look up to:)
ReplyDeleteIn Health and Happiness,
Channa Serenity Bromley
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ReplyDeleteI had an amazing cover try last September. I am definitely looking forward to trying for the cover again and contributing what I can to Oxygen magazine. Thank you for being your inspirational!!
ReplyDeletePauline Mitchell