Essentials magazine drops cover models for 'real women'

IPC Media's Essentials will no longer feature models or celebrities on its front cover after a survey of readers suggested they preferred to see "real women". The October edition of the monthly is entirely model- and celebrity-free and is the climax of a social media campaign to find 10 real women to put on its front cover. The magazine claimed it was a "UK media first for women's glossies". Essentials' editor, Jules Barton-Breck, said: "So many of these women look, and are, amazing that we wanted to celebrate them. In our recent reader survey 70% told us that they would rather see a real woman on the cover of a magazine than a celebrity, so we're excited to be the first magazine in the UK to do this every month." Essentials was the biggest climber among the mainstream women's monthlies in the first half of this year, with an average circulation of 115,432. Ilka Schmitt, the magazine's publisher, said: "Celebrating our readers by putting them on the cover is a brave move, but it just feels right for Essentials. Essentials is a woman's magazine that offers something different and more and more women are discovering that. Seven consecutive year-on-year ABC increases do not lie." • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".