{"id":1784274,"date":"2026-02-13T15:59:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T12:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1784274"},"modified":"2026-02-13T15:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T12:59:34","slug":"love-story-an-oral-history-of-george-jfk-jr-s-political-magazine-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1784274","title":{"rendered":"Love Story: An Oral History of George, JFK Jr.\u2019s Political Magazine Launch"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/assets.vogue.com\/photos\/698f426332956e9fd93f2f09\/16:9\/w_1280,c_limit\/George%20magazine_Lilah.png”]<\/p>\n

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Culture<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Meet George<\/em>: An Oral History of JFK Jr.\u2019s Political Magazine Launch<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Lilah Ramzi<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Collage by Vogue<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In early episodes of the new FX series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,<\/em> JFK Jr. is seen shopping around his new magazine concept, George<\/em>. During one power lunch at Michael\u2019s in Midtown, he produces a mocked-up cover image of a woman dressed as George Washington.<\/p>\n

In reality, that never quite happened. Yes, Kennedy and George<\/em> cofounder Michael Berman hit the pavement pitching the idea for a political magazine to publishers. But the now-iconic first cover of George<\/em>\u2014Cindy Crawford in a powdered wig, her midriff bared, shot by Herb Ritts\u2014was so tightly guarded that not even the entire George<\/em> staff knew what it would be. It was only revealed on launch day, when Kennedy held a press conference at Federal Hall\u2014where George Washington took the oath of office in 1789\u2014and pulled the covering off an oversize mounted version of the cover, declaring: \u201cMeet George.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo: \u00a9Herb Ritts Foundation \/ Trunk Archive<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The issue itself was no less surprising. It included a sprawling Q&A with George Wallace, conducted by Kennedy himself\u2014a bold editorial decision, given Wallace\u2019s segregationist politics and history as an antagonist of Kennedy\u2019s father. Elsewhere, Chris Matthews penned \u201cFast Times at Congress High,\u201d illustrated by Sean Kelly, which imagined Capitol Hill as a high school cafeteria. Julia Roberts appeared in a reported piece on her UNICEF work in Haiti. Cindy Crawford resurfaced with Isaac Mizrahi in \u201cTo Tell the Truth,\u201d a fashion column that delivered unvarnished, catty observations about political style\u2014including dry banter on the unfortunate conspicuousness of nude hosiery. And under the heading \u201cIf I Were President,\u201d Madonna mused about banning handguns, raising teachers\u2019 salaries (\u201cTeachers should be paid more than professional athletes\u201d), and seeing the entire military \u201ccome out of the closet.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Cindy Crawford and Isaac Mizrahi in George\u2019s<\/em> catty fashion column \u201cto tell the truth.\u201d<\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Todd Eberle<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cPolitics has been, and remains, the most important arena of civic life. But for many Americans it has become remote, dull, and disconnected from everyday concerns,\u201d Kennedy wrote in his first editor\u2019s letter. \u201cWe hope to make politics accessible and engaging, without sacrificing substance.\u201d George<\/em>, he suggested, would be \u201ca place where serious issues are examined in a lively way.\u201d<\/p>\n

That spirit\u2014serious but lively\u2014animated every page. Even the advertisements felt in dialogue with the editorial mood: a spare Tiffany & Co. diamond ring resting against its blue box; a Movado watch presented like modern sculpture; Giorgio Armani tailoring in moody monochrome. This wasn\u2019t a civics textbook; it was mid-\u201990s Manhattan distilled.<\/p>\n