What happens backstage, doesn't stay backstage. Here's your all access pass to some fun facts about Vogue Portugal's The Innocence Issue.
Blank canvas, rewind versionIn 1953, artist Robert Rauschenberg erased a canvas by Willem de Kooning. Erased de Kooning Drawing was an experiment by Rauschenberg, who wanted to understand whether an erased drawing by a renowned artist could continue to be considered a work of art, as a creative intervention, at a time when the abstract movement reigned - and what could be more abstract than completely erasing content from a canvas? Why are we talking about this? Because if a blank canvas can signify innocence, this Erased de Kooning Drawing could symbolize the loss of innocence and then its recovery. Is it, indeed, possible, to recover from loss of innocence? Or even interesting to do so? We tried, in part, to answer the question in Article 11, on page 168, about what is this age of innocence, what defines it and what harms it.
Guilty as charge?There are faults that are completely innocent and most guilty pleasures are. Guilty pleasures are understood to be those that are seen by society as reprehensible (in the sense that they are not “cool” and not in the sense of illegality), and which, therefore, harm noone. Do you like that “uber-pop” song that your friends are always sneering at? Turn it up. Love pimple popping videos? Binge-watch to relax instead of going out on a Friday night. Having the most childish cereal instead of a balanced dinner? There are great things about being an adult, it's not all bills to pay. Enjoy your “guilty” pleasures without the guilt. As long as it doesn't interfere with the pleasure of others, it's not worth playing the innocent.

Flower PowerFlowers are, in general, because of their delicacy and romanticism, somewhat connoted with innocence - perhaps excepting red roses, those seductresses, symbols of passion and love. But it is said that gerberas (similar to daisies) mean innocence and purity. Available in a multitude of shades and whatever their meaning, a boutuet in your favorite color goes well with this edition.
Why rice?Ever heard of the Rice Purity Test? It is a 100-question test developed in the 1980s by Rice University, Houston, which tests an individual's level of innocence (meaning, life experience in matters of sexuality and ciminality). With questions like “Have you ever masturbated?” or “participated in an orgy?”, this “test of innocence” has recently gained resurgence with Gen Z, which, despite the dated questionnaire in context (there are questions like “Have you ever danced without leaving room for Jesus?”) and not at all updated for the parameters of 2023, which has been happy to tick (or not) the items on this list. The test is available at ricepuritytest.com - although the internet has made a spin-off with a list thought of for the 20th century, emojis included -, and Vogue advises to do it as it should be understood: for fun, a fait divers, and not as proof or judgment of anything. Nobody is more or less pure, more or less innocent, based on the results of this test.
Translated from the original on Vogue Portugal's The Innocence Issue, published February 2023.Full story and credits on the print issue.
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