ELLE In Time: Reflecting Women

Revisiting this march forward against the magazine's benchmark is astounding. ELLE is first and foremost a fabulous feminine framework that encompasses wom­en's rights and the evolution of morals and Society. One does not exist without the other. But not necessarily at the same pace. From the frigidity evoked "without taboos" in our pages, to the hashtag #tasjoui ("did you come?"), Have we spanned ten centuries? No, barely eight decades. But it took many struggles to gain independence through work and control of their bodies. A multitude of battles to achieve the promised equality and freedom. At every stage, ELLE is always there to anticipate or accompany, first in France, then in the USA, England, Spain, Italy, China, Poland, Greece and elsewhere. All injustices towards women have been denounced by the power of the pen, whether passive or militant, ironic or angry. All female intellectuals have expressed their thoughts on these subjects in the magazine. None of the great debates: abortion, par­ity or the hijab have been forgotten. 

A crazy mix between fashion pages and the beauty section? It's been said a lot. But not by the readers. In eighty years, ELLE has touched thousands of women all over the world, from all walks of life and all generations, happy to find each week, or each month, what outrages them, what drives them, what makes them move. Evidently, this emancipation has been a roller­coaster ride. After the timid demands of the 40s to 60s, the frenzy of the 70s, the Superwomen of the 80s, there seems to have been both resignation and backlash. One step forward, two steps back. For if the words change to describe them, the malice often remains the same. That was until the 2010s, when the claims escalated and reached their peak in October 2017, after the Weinstein affair. The new wave post #MeToo is radical, unruly, fierce. The Gisele Pelicot affair in France reveals atrocious chemical marital rape with 50 aggressors chosen by her own husband. Through websites, blogs, podcasts, hashtags, and social networks, young women no longer want any promises. Never have the words "feminism" or "female empowerment" been used as much in our 50 editions of ELLE as they have been in the last ten years. Let's bet they will be used for a long time to come. 

1945-1955 - They Snicker

33% of French women work, as they do almost everywhere in Europe at this time. It will reach 75% in 2020. "Working is not just about earning a living, it's a bolt opening a door to the world," wrote Frarnçoise Giroud, man­aging editor, in 1946. And a little later: "Earning a living is the only real guar­antee of independence." But in 1954, the future, according to a survey, is still marriage. Reconciling work and home? Married, working women offered their solutions: more flexible working hours, one free day a week - Thursdays in France - holidays to match those of the children.

In 1945, the French went to the polling stations. Françoise Giroud urged them: "Ladies, don't stay at home, vote!". Italians also had the vote, followed by the Spanish - but only those who were married. The Americans and the English had been voting since the 1920s. Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish and Bulgarian women obtained the right to vote even earlier, while New Zealanders (1893) and Australians (1902) were the pioneers in this field! Simone de Beauvoir shakes the world with her novel The Second Sex and becomes one of the magazine's icons.

On the moral front, we're fumbling around." Are you for or against sex edu­cation?" asks the magazine in 1949. 50% of them are frigid? The 'ELLE doctor' is adamant: "Economic and social emanci­pation will ensure them a better sexual balance." And elsewhere? How do the Australians, Americans or Portuguese live? No better than the French. 

1956-1967- They Rebel 

In 1956, the emancipation of women is the number one issue of our time. But the road ahead is long! "Only one husband in a hundred is happy that his wife has a job." Patience. In 1965, the law finally allowed the French to work without marital authorisation and to open a bank account in their own name. A report in a factory, another in a hos­pital, have (already) enshrined these "modern-day heroines": female work­ers and nurses.

A third report tells the story of the suburban mothers who are doing "four hours of transport a day" like the eponymous best-seller. "I'm 32 years old. I'm expecting my sixth baby. I'm desperate." This heartfelt cry from a reader dates from 1961, six years before the Neuwirth Act, which author­ized the contraceptive pill, lagging far behind British and American legisla­tion. That same year, the first family planning centre opened in France. Does it go against "public health, morals, religion, birth rate, society?" No and no, answers ELLE. Seen from abroad, "Should we envy the free Danish?" two women of power ask each other, Golda Meir, "statesman" and Indira Gandhi, who gets annoyed when asked about "feminine fragility". 

1968-1980 - They Campaign

May '68 is the big jolt. The magazine, contested by the editorial staff, almost didn't get published! The journalists are wearing trousers to work. On the cover of a black-and-white, news-report-style issue, demonstrators march. Society is changing at breakneck speed, and it's the same all over the world. The tone of the mectia is hardening. "Why all this hatred around the subject of abortion?' In England and the United States, it had recently been legal­ised. In France, nearly a million people would have an abortion every year, risking their lives. Until the Veil Law was passed in 1975, ELLE didn't let up the pressure.

 In 1972, the principle of equal pay was voted in. The actual application of this policy would take a few more decades. "The day when domestic tasks are shared out fairly, the problem of women in the workplace will have changed its face." In Sweden, however, there are "real men, who wash dishes and nurse babies." When American feminist Betty Friedan's essay The Mystified Woman was published, one columnist had this heartfelt plea: "It's become too difficult to be a woman!" Everywhere, they are struggling to stay afloat, and to top it all off, "High school girls lack ambition." We fight against rape, "the law of silence." Marriage, what for? The question is asked. In 1970, the Italians finally had the right to divorce! The Spanish won't get it until 1981. All the articles make a bitter assessment that feminine issues carry little weight in politics. It's hard to make your mark in a macho world. And it's the same everywhere.

In 1978, ELLE visits the post-Franco Spanish women; the following year, feminist Kate Millet, expelled from Iran, bears witness to the stories of Iranian women. There's work to be done there, too. However, in the nine EU countries, "Happiness and their zest for life are woven from the same joys".

1980-1990 - They Strut

It's the era of the fighters," the ones who have it all." An illusion? It's true that inroads are being made everywhere, and that the number of female entrepreneurs is increas­ing. We are striving for professional equality. Certainly, certainly ... because they are also disillusioned. They often work "for a husband or a colleague, 70 hours a week". The Superwoman's rage? How do you educate girls? And boys? The family is evolving, breaking up and reunited, single-parenting appears, and same-sex parents too. At 75% "it's the wives who ask for divorce". They claim the right to adultery: "The lover, the glue of the couple?" We wonder about orgasm, desire and pleasure. But the "backlash" is at work, according to the American feminist Susan Faludi. She would express her views a few years later in the columns of ELLE USA, which was launched in 1986.

In 1990, an editorial stated: "Back to the drawing board'' and an article posed the question: "Feminism, should we take up arms again?" Elsewhere, it's a debacle: acid attacks in Iran, female infanticide in China, honour killings in Jordan, excisions in Africa ... Run for your lives! Meanwhile, American women join the Marines, and Benazir Bhutto takes power in Pakistan. Two new editions of ELLE, one in Spain (1986), the other in Italy (1987), increase the number of female voices on these issues. 

1990-2000 - They Grimace

With the multiple humiliations denounced by numerous surveys, the rea­sons to fight are abundant, with parity at the top of the list. In 1997, two editorials set out the pros and cons. Others will follow, always with the same chant: "Parity, not charity!" What about the mother's salary, that age-old problem? Sending them back home is not a solution to unemploy­ment, the editorialists retort. But working when you have children remains a nightmare. 

A 1999 survey shows that only 17% of mothers interviewed have no difficulty juggling the two. Others are still waiting for the divi­sion of labour. And abortion "is still a struggle." Sexual harassment is the new hobbyhorse. Economic independence and birth planning: young girls' dreams "are no longer sexy". Well, at least Prince Charming's gone. There's neo-machismo in the air, sexist ads, domestic violence and violence in general. Yet morals are changing at a rapid pace. Articles on bisexual­ity, solo life, swinging, the G-spot, "homosexuality, pornography and sex toys, confirm a freedom that is now going without saying.

The ELLE Italy cover is entitled "Nuove Donne, la guerra, d'indipendenza" (New Women, the War of Independence) and ELLE Spain: "Revolución". But alas, not for the rest of the world. Burqas in Kabul, forced marriages in Africa, war rapes in Kosovo and DRC, stonings in Nigeria, abortion ban in Ireland, abuse is eve­rywhere. 75% of the victims of armed conflicts are women, according to the UN Security Council. 

ELLE Thailand, founded in 1994, takes a stand against sexual tourism, the scourge of the country. In India, in the new edition of ELLE (1996), the editors fight for their rights and autonomy. Hope at last? Interviewed at the White House in 1996, Hillary Clinton was already dream­ing of a female President of the United States. Four years later, ELLE USA asked: "Who out of Bush or Gore will be the best President for women?" 

2000 - 2010 - They Advance

Or are they going backwards? How can we break the glass ceiling? Equality at what price? Wages: the injustice inflicted upon women. Why don't girls choose sci­ence? Should we feminise professional ti­tles? And abusive men are in the hot seat? ELLE condemns violence and supports causes. But in politics, it's still under­whelming. "Where are the female minis­ters or Presidents?". Aside from Theresa May, head of the British Conservative Party in 2002, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany in 2005, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Argentina in 2007 and Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil in 2010, there are few female minis­ters or presidents. Has feminism become old-fashioned in 2009? Not really.

From Kabul to Riyadh, from Iran to Indonesia, the Muslim world reflects images of female oppression. In 2001, on a landmark cover, a woman wearing a tchadariher daughter embodied the martyrdom of Afghan women under the Taliban; ELLE hosted a delegation for them in the European Parliament. ln 2003 the Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi was the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Beautiful and dedicated, Angelina Jolie is interviewed, the new UN Goodwill Ambassador in ELLE USA.

2010 - 2019 - They Arise 

Valerie Toranian, Editorial Director of ELLE France, organised a new Etats Généraux in May 2010, at Sciences Po. The conclusion: better but not enough. In the process, the ELLE Active forum was created in France. ELLE China, ELLE Italy, ELLE Japan, ELLE Belgium, ELLE Mexico, ELLE Ukraine and ELLE Vietnam follow suit. The goal? To promote women's work, to help them in their job search. ELLE Singapore publishes its "Career on track" special feature. Worldwide, 63% of those aged 15 to 49 use contraception: 4% in Sudan and 88% in Norway. The unequal division of labour becomes known as the mental load. "What does it mean to you to be a feminist?" asks the magazine's readers. The response: the struggle continues.

Young people are campaigning for trans, lesbian, and ethnic minorities, against the culture of rape. Elsewhere, it is a weapon of war against Syrian, Libyan and Yezidi women, and Daesh sex slaves. In 2016, Hillary Clinton will not become president, and the following year, Angela Merkel will be re-elected by a narrow margin. Only 21 female heads of state or government lead in the 200 countries worldwide. Among them are Denmark, Slovakia, Belgium, Greece and Singapore. With each milestone, international editions of ELLE mark the moment with pride. 

And then came a thunderbolt: the hashtag #MeToo movement, which followed the Harvey Weinstein affair, changing the conversation once again. Voices broke free across social media. Female YouTubers, hashtags and podcasts denounce obstetric and sexual violence, feminicides, pedophilia, the grey area of consent and cyberstalking. In November 2019, ELLE France featured a cover dedicated to survivors of domestic violence in a powerful issue. From one country to the next, ELLE remains a steadfast voice in the fight for rights. One year after #MeToo, have mindsets truly changed? 61% of girls aged 15 to 20 say they are feminists - a significant figure, yet the overall picture remains complex. "The hashtag has put into words what women don't dare say."

2020-2025 - They Stand up

In April 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic triggered lockdowns in many countries, once again exposing the deep inequalities and violence within families. Confined within their homes, women found themselves on the frontline. Some endured increased domestic violence, with reports rising by 25% in Argentina and 30% in Singapore, according to UN Women in May, while others succumbed to burnout under the mental strain of juggling work-from-home and homeschooling.

The years following the pandemic brought a mix of progress and set­backs. Numerous women rose to the highest political offices worldwide. In the United States, Kamala Harris was sworn in on January 20, 2021-a historic moment, both for the country and for Harris herself, becoming the first Black and Indian-American female Vice President. She graced the cover of ELLE USA. In New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, who became Prime Minister at 37 and gave birth to one of her two young chil­dren while in office, stepped down in 2023, citing exhaustion. ELLE UK head­lined her departure as "The Importance of Knowing When to Walk Away" In 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum became President of Mexico. Two years later, France became the first country in the world to enshrine the right to abortion in its Constitution. Elsewhere, the landscape darkened.

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, removing abortion as a constitu­tional right. Within two years, 65,000 people in the fourteen states where abortion is banned faced the harrow­ing choice of carrying pregnancies to term following rape. As Poland adopts one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, ELLE Poland joins the fight to defend women's rights. 

In August 2021, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, systemati­cally stripping women of basic rights to education and work and shutting down their beauty salons. They were banned from singing, a clear case of "gender apartheid." In September 2022, the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman tortured for im­properly wearing her hijab, sparked widespread protests in Iran, which were met with violent repression. In June 2024, ELLE France published an interview with Celine Bardet, law­yer and founder of the NGO "We Are Not Weapons of War," who exposed the mass rapes occurring in Ukraine and other war zones. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, an accomplice to Jeffrey Epstein, shed light on extensive sexual exploitation networks.

In India, several gang rape cases reignited debates about women's safety and the slow pace of justice. In France, the Mazan rape case gained worldwide attention, revealing a mas­sive system of sexual violence and chemical submission. At the public trial, held at the insistence of the victim Gisele Pelicot, she stated that "the shame must change sides." A ray of hope on the silver screen? Greta Gerwig's Barbie (2023) became the highest-grossing film ever directed by a woman, earning over $1 billion worldwide. The iconic pink figure featured on the fashion pages of ELLE Sweden, ELLE Italy, and ELLE Taiwan. In March 2024, ELLE France interviewed Justine Triet, director of Anatomy of a Fall, Palme d'Or winner at Cannes 2023 and recipient of multiple awards, including the Oscar for Best Screenplay in Hollywood. Yet less than one in four films worldwide is directed by a woman. 

Meanwhile, ELLE continues to grow, launching editions in Lithuania, Uzbekistan, the Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, and Malaysia- solidifying its position as the largest global network and as a true reflection of women's lives everywhere.

Find ELLE’s latest issue on stands or download your digital copy here.