Marie Claire
Jean Prouvost and Marcelle Auclair launched Marie Claire in 1937. The first issue appeared that same year, marking the start of a French international monthly women's fashion magazine. Prouvost lived from 1885 to 1978 while Auclair lived from 1899 to 1983. Their partnership drew inspiration from American magazines to create a new kind of publication for women. In 1976, Jean Prouvost retired from his role as founder. His daughter Évelyne took over the magazine operations after his departure. She brought L'Oréal Group into the company structure during her leadership period. This early phase established the foundation for what would become a global brand spanning multiple decades.
Marie Claire has expanded to 31 editions worldwide across many countries and languages. The Japanese edition arrived in 1982 as the first international version published outside French-speaking territories. It was also the first non-European edition to launch globally. Japan saw its initial run end on July 9th when the September issue went on sale in 2009 due partly to economic downturn conditions. A relaunch occurred in 2012 under the name Marie Claire Style distributed through Yomiuri Shimbun supplements. South Korea received its first edition in March 1993 through MCK Publishing. Since 2012, that region hosts an annual Marie Claire Film Festival. Argentina began operations in March 2019 with Perfil publishing house handling distribution there. Mexico returned to publication status in 2021 while Colombia resumed activity in 2024 after previous closures.
Joanna Coles served as editor-in-chief of the United States edition before Anne Fulenwider took over from 2012 to 2020. On the 9th of December 2019, Hearst Magazines announced Fulenwider would leave her position at year's end. Aya Kanai became the new editor starting January 2020 after serving as chief fashion director for Hearst. She left just nine months later to join Pinterest, surprising executives at the company. Sally Holmes assumed leadership in September following Kanai's departure. During the pandemic period, Hearst reduced print frequency from eleven issues down to seven annually in 2020. They launched their first digital issue featuring Janet Mock on the cover during this transition phase. Future US acquired the American edition from Hearst in May 2021 and has published it since June 2021. The Summer 2021 issue marked the final monthly print edition for subscribers who received Harper's Bazaar instead that same year.
Hearst Corporation based in New York City started the U.S. edition of Marie Claire in 1994. The company maintains branch offices across France, Italy, Detroit, the West Coast, New England, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the Southeast regions. Lagardère sold its forty-two percent stake back to the Prouvost family in 2018. Groupe Marie Claire also owned La Revue du vin de France after acquiring it in 2004 as part of their portfolio expansion. Future US acquired the American edition from Hearst in May 2021 and has published it continuously since June 2021. Future Publishing acquired TI Media in 2020 while simultaneously owning Marie Claire US since 2021. Are Media runs the Australian magazine after acquiring Pacific Magazines in 2020. These corporate transitions reflect broader industry shifts toward consolidation and digital-first strategies among major publishing groups operating globally.
Blog writer Maura Kelly posted an article titled Should Fatties Get A Room on the 10th of October 2010 expressing disgust at overweight character portrayals on television sitcoms
like Mike and Molly. Her statements included claims about being grossed out watching characters with rolls kissing each other or walking across rooms aesthetically displeasingly. She advised readers that obesity represents something most people control through mental effort alone. Thousands of comments flooded the website following her post which received massive backlash from readers. Several news outlets including CBS, The Today Show, Forbes, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal reported extensively on the controversy. Kelly later published another blog post regretting how much her comments upset people. She explained her extreme reaction might have grown from personal body issues stemming from past anorexia experiences. Editor-in-chief Joanna Coles defended Kelly as a provocative blogger who felt strongly about this subject given her own history. As of 2024, both original posts remain unavailable within Kelly's archive on marieclaire.com.
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Common questions
Who founded Marie Claire magazine and when was it launched?
Jean Prouvost and Marcelle Auclair launched Marie Claire in 1937. The first issue appeared that same year, marking the start of a French international monthly women's fashion magazine.
When did the Japanese edition of Marie Claire end its initial run and why?
Japan saw its initial run end on July 9th when the September issue went on sale in 2009 due partly to economic downturn conditions. A relaunch occurred in 2012 under the name Marie Claire Style distributed through Yomiuri Shimbun supplements.
Which company acquired the American edition of Marie Claire in May 2021?
Future US acquired the American edition from Hearst in May 2021 and has published it since June 2021. Future Publishing acquired TI Media in 2020 while simultaneously owning Marie Claire US since 2021.
What happened to Joanna Coles editorship at Marie Claire United States in December 2019?
On the 9th of December 2019, Hearst Magazines announced Anne Fulenwider would leave her position at year's end. Aya Kanai became the new editor starting January 2020 after serving as chief fashion director for Hearst.
Why was Maura Kelly blog post controversial in October 2010?
Blog writer Maura Kelly posted an article titled Should Fatties Get A Room on the 10th of October 2010 expressing disgust at overweight character portrayals on television sitcoms like Mike and Molly. Thousands of comments flooded the website following her post which received massive backlash from readers.