One of my friends had a fashion magazine lying in her locker, actually she had two - i was bored out of my skull and wanted to pass the time and there was nothing else to read so i thought i would read one of those mags. Both turned out to be Cosmopolitan.
i was really puzzled by some of the stuff i saw in there. i don’t know what the average age is of these magazines’ readers - but almost every other page was something along the lines of:
“10 ways to get a guy and hold onto him”
“How to make him jealous”
“Desperate for guy advice? Check this out”
“5 beauty tips guaranteed to make him fall in love with you”
“Dazzle him with these Christmas 'dos”
You get the gist. The magazine itself must have been around 50 pages, it was a regular edition of Cosmopolitan, not a Christmas special or anything of that nature. Almost every other page had guy advice or something to do with guys. And yeah i know there is nothing wrong with that per se, but i was really curious - is that it to life for women? Guy advice? How to make him “jealous”? Is that the be-all and end-all of a woman’s existence? Why couldn’t they have included something about, say, an informative article about some other issue - i checked the Contents for their ‘news’ section, and the two news articles they had in there were about stalking and abuse. They were informative articles, with some common-sense safety tips but really, that’s like four pages for the two news articles out of some 50 pages of ‘make him fall in love with you’ crap.
i know i’ll be accused of being an old fuddy duddy, but really - the average age for Cosmopolitan readers must be around 18 or 16. Is that the sort of message that we want to send out to North American female teens ? That having a guy validates your existence? No article about studies, about cultures, about travel, about the internet, nothing - it was ALL about guys and how to snag one so he’d “love” you for life.
i know, i know, if i wanted to read ‘news’ or about ‘cultures’, i should have picked up The Economist or National Geographic. i just wanted a more balanced message being sent across - it was disgusting to see every other page include an ad for some sort of cosmetics product without which, you were destined to a life of spinsterhood.
Is it just me or is society becoming just more shallow ???
Glamour magazine is a bit more balanced. It usually provides articles on women's issues and occassionally, there will be articles on life for women in other cultures. Also, they always have more "normal" looking women featured inside their magazine unlike the "supermodel" type featured in Cosmo .... things 98% of women can relate to.
I used to buy Cosmo every month between the ages of 16-18. Then I just got fed up of it. Now I don't buy magazines at all cause they are damn expensive! Occassionally, I will get Vanity Fair or In Style magazines .... very rarely though.
Cosmo is known as the 'modern girls mag about sex and love'...maybe back in the sixties when it was revolutionary for women to discuss such issues. But now women have been so brainwashed into believing that they must fit into a certain mold, or play certain tricks to snag a man. I agree those magazines just feed into the insecurities that young women have. They want to believe there is a magic formula to having a perfect life (ie. having a man). I used to read YM and Seventeen when I was in highschool, until I discovered Sassy which is not in production anymore. But Sassy was so different because it was about life and real issues. It wasn't about guys, or diets, or 'how do you know he likes you' quizes. My teenage eyes were opened after reading Sassy because it was an alternative to the typical stuff and I could relate to it. I don't know if there are any mags like that out right now for teens????
the glossies run on advertisement revenues. Advertisers need to sell stuff. In order to sell their stuff they have to first make the consumer want to buy stuff and that's where all the 'impress him' and 'make him say wow' stuff comes in.. they've always gotta tell you there's something missing and you can be 'complete' if you get that extra thingy.. and it's all bullcrap!
as a guy. seriously.. we're happy if you just show up.
as a guy. seriously.. we're happy if you just show up.
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Haha, yeah my husband just wants me to wear t-shirt, jeans and my hair in a ponytail. That's me when i'm cleaning the house. He really doesn't care for all the made-up, phony stuff most women take hours perfecting.
Good topic Nadia. I was actually thinking the other day about how my husband and I buy far too many magazines. No wonder our newsagent drives a porsche!
At the moment I have subscriptions to; Vogue, Elle, Harpers & Queens, Tatler, Glamour, Instyle, Asian Woman, Asian Bride (why??? I've married for ages) Practical Parenting, Mother & Child.
I also get the magazines from work at teh end of the month which include Marie Claire, Cosmo, Cosmo Health & Beauty, Allure, Personal Trainer, Workout. Don't usually bother with the french ones.
Adam has subscriptions to; Top Gear, Drivetime, GQ, FHM, Mens Health and gets several car magazines free from work.
Phew looking at it all written down makes me realise how excessive it all is. But have definetely decided that when my current subscriptions end I will drastically cut down and save a few rainforests into the bargain.
Mehnaz, i have never read Glamour unfortunately but it sounds way better than this crap.
SaimaNYC, i think you stated it well - those magazines just feed into the insecurities that young women have. This may sound over the top, but for me it’s mass consumerism, commercialism, and targeting of low self-esteem compressed into one glossy publication and delivered to your doorstep. i don’t want to sound crass and i hope i don’t insult anyone, but in my opinion basically they are selling sex - i am not certain how else to comprehend the junk that’s in their magazine. i just went over to their website and it confirms my last statement (in my opinion at least).
Shahreen, wow those are a lot of magazines Eons and eons ago my dad used to subscribe to some business magazines and National Geographic, and we used to get the regular “Weekend” women’s magazine that used to come with Khaleej Times in the UAE (it’s still around today). In retrospect, “Weekend” seems like nothing compared to this sort of stuff that’s selling these days.
lol :k: Yeah good idea to save on the rainforests:D
Eons and eons ago my dad used to subscribe to some business magazines and National Geographic, and we used to get the regular “Weekend” women’s magazine that used to come with Khaleej Times in the UAE (it’s still around today). In retrospect, “Weekend” seems like nothing compared to this sort of stuff that’s selling these days.