''Annabelle'' is a Swiss women's fashion magazine published in

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

. The magazine also covers feminist issues and initiated several campaigns about improving women's social status. It is called the ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...

'' of Switzerland. Its headquarters is in Zurich.

History and profile

''Annabelle'' was established in 1938, and the first issue was published on 1 March 1938. The idea to launch ''Annabelle'' was developed by the

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

s Karl von Schumacher and Manuel Gasser. The founder and the launching editor was Mabel Zuppinger, an Austrian woman living in Zurich. She edited the magazine until 1959. The magazine was part of and published by

Tamedia TX Group AG (formerly Tamedia AG) is a media company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Through a portfolio of daily and weekly newspapers, magazines and digital platforms, as well as own printing facilities, it is the largest Mass media, med ...

until October 2019 when it was sold to Medienart. It was published monthly, later increasing its frequency to weekly. The target audience of the magazine is women living in

German-speaking Switzerland The German-speaking part of Switzerland (german: Deutschschweiz, french: Suisse alémanique, it, Svizzera tedesca, rm, Svizra tudestga) comprises about 65 percent of Switzerland (North Western Switzerland, Eastern Switzerland, Central Switze ...

. Although ''Annabelle'' is a women's fashion magazine, it also has a long history of covering political and social issues, including

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. Initially, the magazine was a regular publication for housewives. During the 1940s and 1960s it covered articles on the growing consumer industry and at the same time it supported the

education of girls Female education is a catch-all term of a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...

. In the next decade it extensively featured articles related to the problems of

working women Since the industrial revolution, participation of women in the workforce outside the home has increased in industrialized nations, with particularly large growth seen in the 20th century. Largely seen as a boon for industrial society, women in ...

as well as divorce and sex-related problems. In the 1980s the magazine specifically targeted young, active, and energetic women who were emancipated, but feminine. ''Annabelle'' also deals with the status of women living in other regions, featuring articles concerning the

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

of women in the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

and

honour killing An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of t ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. In 2006 the magazine launched a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

, "No weapons at home", to support for a ban on

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...

s at home. The magazine campaigned for a 30 percent increase in the number of women in the

boardroom A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

s of Swiss companies in 2013. The same year Tamedia, the parent company of the magazine, banned it from reporting political events, such as the

emancipation of women Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, that might cause social unrest. The magazine also publishes interviews with significant figures, including

Federal Councillor The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governm ...

Simonetta Sommaruga Simonetta Myriam Sommaruga (born 14 May 1960) is a Swiss politician who has served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2010. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), she was President of the Swiss Confederation in 2015 and 202 ...

. From 2004 to 2013 Lisa Feldmann was the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''Annabelle''. She was replaced by Silvia Binggeli in the post. Since July 2019 Jacqueline Krause-Blouin assumes the editor-in-chief position. ''Annabelle'' has a travel supplement, ''ReiseNews'', which is published five times a year.

Circulation

''Annabelle'' had a circulation of 71,292 copies in 2010, 71,445 copies in 2011 and 70,178 copies in 2012. In 2015 the magazine sold 66,121 copies. The 2016 circulation of the magazine decreased to 51,255 copies.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Annabelle 1938 establishments in Switzerland Feminism in Switzerland Feminist magazines German-language magazines Magazines established in 1938 Magazines published in Zürich Monthly magazines published in Switzerland Political magazines published in Switzerland Weekly magazines published in Switzerland Women's fashion magazines Women's magazines published in Switzerland