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Men not allowed!

Marie Claire international magazine is launched as a tool against moral policing

FOR WOMEN Marie Claire international women's magazine is positioned as the "`thinking women's fashion magazine"

It's out and up for grabs. Making a trademark statement with the tagline `let me be me', the first Indian issue of Marie Claire international women's magazine was launched by the Outlook Group in the Capital this past week. Positioned as the `thinking women's fashion magazine', it intends to present a blend of fashion, glamour and sex with serious and thought-provoking issues.

"Our aim is to create an Indianised Marie Claire while sticking to the international formula. We intend at exploding the myth that women's magazines are dumb," said Editor-in-Chief Vinod Mehta taking a dig at Marie Claire India's counterpart magazines. Flaunting the vivacious actor Preity Zinta on the cover of the first issue, the magazine kick-starts a yearlong campaign against moral policing. "Preity is one among the few who have shown the guts to stand for their convictions. She was thus a logical choice," said Shefalee Vasudev, editor of the magazine. Others who have endorsed the campaign include names like designer Tarun Tahiliani, actor Khushboo, activist Teesta Setalvad and photojournalist Raghu Rai. However the issue is not all about celebrities. It includes features on women from various walks of life who have asserted their right to be.

Targeted at women between the core age group of 25-35, the magazines promises a balanced diet of gorgeous fashion coverage, beauty tips, and cutting edge features stories. For Vinod Mehta who started his journalistic career 25 years earlier, and who also edited `Debonair'- a guys' magazine, life has come a full circle. "I am now editing a female fantasy magazine," he added in a lighter vein. "We will continue this campaign against moral policing for some time. Then we will take up another issues," he said.

The Indian edition is the 26th among those published by the French publishing company Group Marie Claire. With 26 editions in 13 languages across the world, Marie Claire sells over four million copies. The tie-up with the French company is important for the Outlook group as its rival India Today Group already owns two international women's titles, Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping.

"Go through the first two issues before deciding not to buy it," asserted Mehta.

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