Elle (magazine)

Elle is a big magazine from France.

A woman named Hélène started it in 1945. It talks about clothes and beauty. It also tells stories about life.

Many people read it every month. There are fifty different versions around the world. Some versions are just for men.

Other versions talk about homes or food. The magazine even helps people learn about rights. It is a very famous book to read.

Elle is a famous magazine from France.

Hélène Gordon-Lazareff started the magazine in 1945. She wanted to celebrate modern women. At that time, women in France had just won the right to vote. The magazine talked about women's roles in politics. It also covered the feminist movement. This is a way people fight for equal rights.

Elle shares news about fashion and beauty. It also covers lifestyle topics. In the past, it gave out free patterns. This helped regular people make high fashion clothes at home. Today, Elle is very large. It reaches over 250 million people every month. There are 50 international editions around the world.

Some versions focus on special topics. Elle Men is for men. Elle Décoration is about homes. Elle à Table is about food. The magazine also cares about the world. In 2023, all Elle editions stopped using fur. They did this to help animals. Elle also writes about social justice and equal pay. It aims to help people learn about important issues.

Elle is a famous French magazine that focuses on lifestyle. It covers many topics like fashion and beauty.

It also shares news about the world. The magazine is one of the largest in the world. It reaches over 250 million people every month. This is a huge number of readers. It shows how much people care about its stories.

The magazine works by sharing ideas through many different editions. Some editions focus on special interests. For example, Elle Men is for men. Elle Décoration is about home design. Elle à Table is all about food.

There are also many international versions. These versions are made for different countries. They help people see fashion through their own local culture.

Hélène Gordon-Lazareff started Elle in Paris in 1945. She was born in Russia but grew up in France. She wanted to celebrate modern and independent women.

At that time, women in France had just won the right to vote. The first issue came out on 21 November 1945. It featured an actress named Yolande Bloin on the cover. In the past, the magazine even gave out free patterns. This helped regular people make fancy clothes at home.

Elle has a very long history of famous covers. In 1947, it featured the work of Christian Dior.

In 1952, Brigitte Bardot was on the cover at age 17. Grace Kelly appeared on the cover in April 1956. Marilyn Monroe was also featured in July 1956. By the 1960s, the magazine had 800,000 readers in France. It became so famous that people had a special slogan. The slogan was "If she reads, she reads Elle."

Today, the magazine also cares about big world issues. It writes about things like gender equality and social justice.

It helps people learn about equal pay in the workplace. In 2023, all Elle editions decided to stop using fur. They did this to help animal welfare and find new ways to make fashion. The magazine also covers important news like the Black Lives Matter movement. It aims to show many different kinds of people in its pages.

Elle is a major French weekly lifestyle magazine. It is recognized as one of the world's largest fashion and lifestyle publications.

The magazine offers a wide variety of content. This includes fashion, beauty, and general lifestyle topics. It also explores social and political issues. Today, the brand has a massive global reach. It reaches over 250 million people every month. This influence is spread through many different international editions.

The magazine functions through a complex system of global editions and spin-offs. There are 50 international editions currently in operation. These editions allow the brand to reach different cultures. Some versions are specific to certain regions. For example, Elle Hong Kong and Elle Québec serve local audiences. There are also specialized publications called spin-offs. These include Elle Décoration for home design. Elle Men focuses on men's lifestyle. Elle à Table focuses on food.

As of 2026, there are 51 main editions and many more specialized ones.

Elle was founded in Paris in 1945. The founder was Hélène Gordon-Lazareff. She was born in Russia but raised in Paris. She returned from New York City to start the magazine. She wanted to create a publication for a new type of woman. These women were independent, modern, and active. This was a significant time in history. Women in France had just won the right to vote in 1944. The first issue was published on 21 November 1945. It featured actress Yolande Bloin on the cover.

The history of Elle is filled with famous cultural moments. In 1947, the magazine featured the work of Christian Dior. This was only eight months after his debut show. In 1952, Brigitte Bardot appeared on the cover at age 17. The magazine also featured Grace Kelly in April 1956. Marilyn Monroe appeared on the cover in July 1956. By the 1960s, the magazine had 800,000 readers in France. It was so dominant that it had a famous slogan. The slogan was "Si elle lit, elle lit Elle." This means "If she reads, she reads Elle."

Ownership and business deals have shaped the magazine over time. In 1987, the Lagardère Group launched Elle Decoration. In 1995, the magazine's worldwide circulation reached 5 million copies. In 2011, the Hearst Corporation made a €651M deal with Lagardère. This deal allowed Hearst to publish Elle in fifteen countries. These included the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, and Ukraine. Lagardère kept the rights to the French edition. They also remained the guarantor of brand consistency. In 2018, Lagardère sold Elle France to Daniel Křetínský. He owns the company Czech Media Invest.

Elle uses its platform to address serious social topics. It covers gender equality and advocates for equal pay. The magazine has published a "Women in Politics" issue. It also reports on women's health and reproductive rights. The magazine covers social justice issues like racial equality. It has reported on the Black Lives Matter movement. Elle also focuses on inclusivity and representation. In 2021, the magazine made a major environmental decision. All global editions announced a ban on fur. This ban began on 1 January 2023. They wanted to support animal welfare and sustainable fashion.

Many different countries have their own unique Elle stories. Elle China was the first four-color fashion magazine in China. It helped open the Chinese textile market. In 1985, the American and British editions launched. The Brazilian edition was the first to feature a transgender model on its cover. This happened in December 2011 with model Lea T. In 2026, a new edition called Elle Baltic launched for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. There is also a plan for an English-language Elle Afrique Francophone. This will launch at the end of 2026 and cover 23 countries.