People Magazine this week features a fashion shoot with a difference: local celebs posing as victims of drug abuse in support of Drug Awareness Week. Zuraida Jardine, DJ Zinhle, Amanda du Pont, Vanessa Carreira and Lerato Kganyago have all joined forces to support this worthy cause.
Fashion editor, Suzy Mukendi, says the concept of the initiative is to raise awareness of the dangers and significant negative physical health effects that can be caused by drug abuse. “The feeling is that the matter has been swept under the carpet,” says Mukendi, “and we felt we had the responsibility to use the full power of the media to educate and enable people to reject drugs. And by using well-known people, the message would be easier to spread and hopefully make a difference.”
All participating celebrities have their own “before-and-after” pictures within the fashion pages of the magazine with a snapshot of their look on the front cover.
Editor Andrea Caknis says the magazine’s sales – 80 000 a week – are due to its mix of real life stories, the best celebrity news and controversial issues.
“Conventional wisdom has it that the glossier your cover or the more you pay for your editorial, the more copies of your magazine you will sell” says Caknis. “However, this is not the case at all, believe me! I’ve been in this publishing industry for a solid 22 years, 18 of which have been at the helm of People Magazine and I still cannot tell you what the recipe for a perfect magazine is, but with our magazine we have a tried and trusted formula. It’s different because we respond to our readers’ needs and wants and offer great content for an affordable title.”
SANCA Drug Awareness Week runs from 25 – 30 July 2014.
