by MediaSlut (@MediaSlut) Oscar Pistorius is on everyone’s lips and too many newspaper front pages to even keep track of, but he’s also had a history of some other brilliant magazine covers, pre- and post-14 February 2013.
Today, Barry Roux will start presenting his case, and everyone is waiting to see if Pistorius will be testifying himself. So, in light of this, we’ve curated some of Pistorius’s previous and most current covers, which all tell a story…
- INSIG, May 2005
- NewsNow/NuusNou, 10 September 2011
- The New York Times Magazine, 22 January 2012
- FT Weekend Magazine, 26 May 2012
- Men’s Health South Africa, August 2012
- SARIE, February 2013
- Huisgenoot/YOU, 28 February 2013
- TIME, 11 March 2013
- Business Day Sport Monthly, April 2013
INSIG, May 2005
A fresh-faced Pistorius came onto the scene early in the new millenium, with INSIG magazine (now closed) being one of the first titles to feature him when he was still relatively unknown. “Die man met ses paar bene”, it wrote on its cover (“The man with six pairs of legs”)
It also featured some great (and unique) photography with the article, which may be viewed here.
(Apologies for poor quality, but pictures were taken of the actual magazine).
NewsNow/NuusNou, 10 September 2011
“Not so Fast, Oscar!”, NewsNow and NuusNou blasted on this very creative (and second cover after launching), which, of course, featured Pistorius.
And everyone knew whom it was, even though his face wasn’t published, because he was so top of mind as the athlete went through processes to become the first paraplegic runner to participate with able-bodied athletes in the 2012 Olympics.
The New York Times Magazine, 22 January 2012
His brand just got bigger and bigger, with everyone wanting a piece of the Oscar-Pie.
The New York Times Magazines featured his “need for speed” with a brilliant article and Oscar-cover with the signature no-smile…
Read the full article and view the extra pictures here.
FT Weekend Magazine, 26 May 2012
Continuing the Oscar-on-prosthetics trend was FT Weekend Magazine, with a bold cover line featuring his speed in seconds, based on the 400m track he runs.
Men’s Health South Africa, August 2012
Personally, one of my favourite Oscar Pistorius (and Men’s Health South Africa) covers, focusing on the person, not the blades — and the man is oh so fit and attractive!
The colour combination screams Oscar-Gold to me, too.
This issue was published just before the 2012 London Olympics started.
SARIE, February 2013
The much-spoken-about SARIE-cover…
- Reason no. 1: Because this issue was on shelf at the time the shooting happened on 14 February 2013. (It was on shelf for another week afterwards, I think.)
- Reason no. 2: It’s one of the few covers in which he actually smiles (a bit), and he and his sister Aimée both look stunning.
- Reason no. 3: A paragraph of this exclusive article was used against Pistorius when he applied for bail, as he talks in the article about a house in Gemona (Italy), which he didn’t declare earlier.
Read more about the article, and the story surrounding it, here.
Huisgenoot/YOU, 28 February 2013
Just more than a week after the fateful morning of 14 February 2013, YOU and Huisgenoot both showed why they are so popular in South Africa, and why they are the best at doing what they do:
They didn’t only have one of the most striking images and covers of Pistorius; their extensive coverage inside was just mind-blowing.
View examples of their coverage here.
TIME, 11 March 2013
Probably the most talked about Oscar-cover, as it spread like wild-fire after it was released.
And why not? It captures everything just perfectly at that moment: “Man. Superman. Gunman”.
The article is an interesting read (and investigates our gun-culture in South Africa); view it here.
Business Day Sport Monthly, April 2013
Business Day Sport Monthly showed that Pistorius has “nowhere to hide”, and featured a court room image with the “O” of “SPORT” very strategically placed to symbolise a halo.
Boy, how the mighty have fallen…
Find a cover we should know about? Tweet us at @Marklives and @MediaSlut. Want to view all the covers at a glance? See our MagLove Pinboard!
MagLove by @MediaSlut is a regular slot featuring the best local and international magazine covers every week, recognising well thought-out, powerful and interesting (and hopefully all three-in-one) covers and celebrating the mix of pragmatism, creativity and personal taste that created each of them. The (for now anonymous) blogger behind MediaSlut knows way too much for his own good about media in South Africa, magazines in particular. His mission is to show when SA magazines fail but, most importantly, also when they succeed. If you’re looking for a library about SA magazines and news, this is your one-stop pitstop.
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