Do you still read print magazines?
Beautiful With Brains says: I used to read a lot of magazines but now I stopped for several reasons: there are too many adverts and too few articles, by the time I get them I already read the information online (months before!), the pictures are way too photoshopped and make women look like plastic dolls instead than human beings and they almost always show sticky thin women (which I don’t really think are attractive unless that’s their natural body shape of course but you rarely see those ladies in mags), the content is often influenced by the advertisers and most items promoted are insanely expensive and most people could never afford them unless they go into debt for them.
But the main reason why I dislike most magazines (I still read Vanity Fair 
) is that they are full of crap articles like how to dress or what to say to attract men (how about just being yourself instead?), how to lose several pounds in a week (which is just dangerous and could lead to health problems), how aging is the worst thing that could happen to you and you need to do anything you can to avoid it (I’d love to stay young for as long as possible and am using sunscreen and good skincare products hoping that’ll help, but aging is a natural process and I’d rather look like Rita Levi Montalcini than Cher when I’m old), and how you need to be a size zero and wear designer clothes to be happy (cause if you’re a US size 10 and buy unbranded clothes from a market stall then you’re worth nothing and will always be a loser. Oh right, you can’t hear the sarcasm in my voice).
I know not everything written in magazines is to be taken seriously but unfortunately there are people that don’t know how to use their critical minds and are influenced by what magazines write. And besides, wouldn’t it be better for everyone if magazines stopped giving silly advice trying to make us all look and act the same and started promoting a healthier and more natural type of beauty and that personality is more important than looks?
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
I do, but instead of the 4-6 magazines a month, I trimmed it down to 1 magazine a month!
.-= Nikki´s last blog ..AMW Reviews: Revlon PhotoReady Make Up =-.
I still buy mags…But instead of buying 5 mags every month AND finish reading em by the 2nd week, I buy only what I feel is worth my money.
I couldn’t agree more with you here Gio. It’s annoying to be constantly fed with tips on how to please your men *cough,cough,COSMO* (hey, what about pleasing me?) Plus, it’s insulting that some mags assume that all the career girls out there are either working in marketing/accounts dept. Oiy, teachers and dentist do love makeups too u know?
Nonetheless, I still buy female. Just love looking at those prettily-photoshopped pictures. I think it’s okay to read mags, but while doing so, use a little brain to decide what’s worthy of your time and what is not.
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Whoops sorry for the double-posting! Please delete the first one (posted 2.51pm)
btw, is that you in the pic?
.-= HaNNa´s last blog ..HaNNa’s Life Update =-.
I totally agree with you. Most magazines now are just plain full of adverts. Even the articles are advertorials and everything looks awfully fake.
I’ve given up on most English magazines. The only ones that I think are worth buying now are Taiwanese magazines. I can’t read the chinese characters but even then there are loads of information (product comparisons, step-by-step, style guides, etc.) and pictures that I can actually spend hours looking at
.-= Connie´s last blog ..Reviews: Sue Devitt Marine Skin Care and Make Up =-.
Yes, I still read them. Not so much for the content, though sometimes, there are some interesting and even inspiring articles…
But the main reason is, I am from the ”old school”. When I read something, I still prefer to hold something in my hand instead of just one finger clicking or scrolling down with my mouse. Not the most environmentally-friendly and storing them pose a problem too.
For example, when I read an e-book, I don’t find the thrill or fun of reading. But the same book in printed form is a different story…Oppss….going off topic…..
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I’ve never really been into paper magazines but I wouldn’t buy them exactly for the reasons you mentioned. When I look at the front covers on the shelves, none of the articles are interesting to me. Celebrity news/gossip? Not interested. Fashion/make-up advice? I can get that online for free and from a much more diverse range of sources. Articles on what to do/not do in the bedroom? Well, I’m asexual, so no thanks =P The photoshopped pictures are annoying, and those ‘real life stories’ magazines seem to be aimed at very bored people with a reading age of about 10 years old. Blah blah blah.
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Nikki, well done! That’ll save you lots of money and ensure you only read the best one.
Hanna, I agree with you. I wouldn’t stop buying magazines entirely (I love Vanity Fair and the Female copy you sent me was pretty good too), but I think we should be more selective of what we read cos honestly most mags are just full of crap and not worth one penny.
Women aren’t born to please men and we’re not all stinking rich. Most of the advertisers in those mags are high-end brands and I can’t help but wonder how they don’t realize most people don’t have the money to buy their stuff, however pretty and luxurious it is. They should save the money (buying ads in mags ain’t cheap and it’s just another factor that determines the price of a product us customers buy) and use it in a better way cos if I don’t have the cash I’m not gonna buy their items cos I’ve seen them in a mag. Not to mention, mags should advertise what their readers want and CAN afford.
Don’t worry about the double posting, it happens.
And no, that’s not me. It’s a pix I found on flickr and thought it was very appropriate for this post.
Connie, too many adverts in magazines is something that really annoys me. I understand mags need the money cos publishing a paper is expensive but when they are full of them and there are barely any articles.. why should I waste my money on them?
Those Taiwanese mags seem to have quite a lot of interesting and useful information. I’d probably buy those. I’m not a fan of English mags either but I’m sad to say that Italian mags are even worse.
Vonvon, I agree with you there. I love reading and books and I’d rather have the real thing in my hand, turning the pages, smelling the paper… It’s a much more enjoyable experience. That’s the reason why I don’t like ebooks but mags are a different story for me. I feel like books are valuable, they make me learn things and broaden my mind, whereas mags are just well crappy these days. But if I find a magazine’s worth reading, I enjoy that a lot more than reading something in front of a computer.
Simone, I totally agree with you. Whenever I go to a newsagents I buy my Vanity Fair copy and don’t pay attention to anything else. I can’t stand celebrity gossip since most of it is made up and they only seem to feature the likes of Jordan or Kerry Katona and who could possibly be interested in them? And those articles about how to lose weight fast, plastic surgery, how to please men in the bedroom and out are even worse. Why would I buy a mag that tells me the whole purpose of my life is to look beautiful so that I can get my dream job, my dream guy, my dream life when in actual fact looking pretty won’t give you all that. Hard work will.
And I hate those real life story. Apparently most of the times it’s the magazines that come up with the story and then they just look for women who went through want they want to talk about. And of course, the woman has to look gorgeous, cos if they don’t think a woman is pretty enough they’ll just keep looking for someone else. Disgusting, really.
Yeah, you’re absolutely right! Glossy mags convey a weird and pathological image of being a woman. I loved to read the glamour mag some years ago but I stopped with it because those news about celebrities are monotone and tiresome. No glossies anymore! I can’t identify myself with it. If there would be a mag which fulfills my criterias I expect from it I’d start reading it immediately. But maybe I’m too mad for this world… Who knows…
No, honestly, I prefer reading a good book (at the moment I try to understand William Blake *lol*) or some good blogs concerning the beauty section.
.-= Mylanqolia´s last blog ..Mylanqolia’s Review on Primark Make Up VI =-.
I read Elle sometimes, because I love looking at the fashion spreads, and the articles can be fun to read when I’m bored. I used to get Cosmo occasionally too, if they interviewed someone I was interested in, but I stopped reading it because of one of the points you mention – SO many of the articles in that magazine and lots of others are all about how you should act/look to score a guy or “please your man” or whatever. It just got aggravating – if you have to change for a guy then he’s not worth your time. Duh!
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Mylanqolia, it’s not you that’s too mad, it’s those mags that are too boring and want us all to dress/look/think the same. They want us to look skinny and perfect all the time, do our best to please men and have no opinions about anything. Who would want to be like that? It’s about time those mags start writing TO not DOWN to women and focus on important things. As much as I love fashion and beauty, I have lots of other interests as does every woman. I’m with you, books are much better. I studies Blake at school and loved his work. But now I’m finishing the Dragonlance books. I’m in a fantasy phase at the moment.
Rebecca, I like looking at fashion spreads too but I stopped buying mags like Elle or Vogue because their Italian editions (hopefully they are better in the US) contain mostly ads and very few articles. Not really worth my money, which is a shame.
I agree with you, you should be with a guy that loves you for who you really are, not change to please him. Besides, even if you act or look different to win him, he’ll soon realise that the girl he fell for is different from what she pretended to be and dump her. So, what’s the point? Just be yourself. If he likes you well, if not it’s his loss.
I LOVE magazines with close looks(and the list of products that were used) but there are very few of them. I also like to look at the beautiful makeup, clothes, bags etc. I never read articles that you’ve mentioned
.-= Marina(Makeup4All)´s last blog ..Makeup4All Magazine:Everything You Need to Know About Spring 2010 Beauty Trends =-.
Thank you so much for this post.
I have been feeling like this for a long time (maybe because I’m getting older…).
I do not care reading about how to orgasm better or steal my way to free buffet or the-new-torn-jeans/supernaturally-high-stillettos/half-shaved-head fads. (Neither get flatter abs even if I do 2000 push-ups a day). I am a real woman and not a clown.
So I’ve cancelled most of my subscriptions and signed up to a magazine for traditional/religious women (being an atheist myself) that does not preach but rather brings beautiful, sane, modern but not “bimbo-ish” fashion, more mosest and not super-short.
Marina, good for you for not reading all those crappy articles. I like all the things that you mentioned, but not many magazine have those features, at least not here, so it’s not worth buying them for me.
“…honestly most mags are just full of crap and not worth one penny.” Now this why I love reading your blog.
it’s good to see that there are actually a handful of smart, sensible women here. Honestly, it kinda worries me to see how too many girls easily fell for those craps in mags. “Ohh…see that new Burberry ad on mag A? Love that jacket Emma Watson wears, I want!” “I need SKII, mag B says it’s the best investment for your skin!”
Investment? I’d rather dump my money on savings account.
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Hanna, thanks, I’m glad you enjoy reading my blog and I agree with you there. I see lots of women, especially young girls, that are really influenced by what these mags write and promote and it’s worrying that they seem to think that to be successful in life you need to be gorgeous, wear designer clothes and always buy the latest new accessories. It’s all about appearances and showing off what you have, which is just so wrong. I do think there are lots of smart women in the world, they just don’t make the news cos they are so busy working hard to achieve their dreams and aspirations and our society doesn’t seem to value that. Not as much as looking like a plastic doll dressed in a designer clothes anyway.
And definitely those expensive creams and clothes aren’t an investment. Of course it’s nice to indulge every now and again, especially if you worked hard to save the money to buy some pricey item you were lemming, but if you waste all your money like that and never save anything, what are you gonna do when you’ll go through some bad times and need the money (you don’t have cos you spent it all on futile things) for important things? I like to shop, but I also make sure I save something for those rainy days.
Anat, you’re welcome and it’s good to know I’m not the only one that feels this way. I do agree with you that those mags are full of shallow articles and they potray such a fake and unhealthy image of women. Real women come in all shapes and sizes and they age, but they are still always beautiful. And they have also have brains and personalities which are, and always will be, more important than looks. It’s high time these mags realised that and wrote articles about what women really want and are interested in and not what they think women should be like. There isn’t just one ideal of beauty and the one magazines promote is neither beautiful nor healthy. I do find it a bit disheartening that an atheist had to sign up to a religious magazine to read something that doesn’t talk about women like they were freaks, but I’m glad you found what you were looking for. That’s the kind of mags that I’d like to see more of.
You’re absolutely right, dear! We need better mags but media doesn’t deliver us.
Really? You’re also into fantasy? How funny! I start to do a fantasy fun look with a dragon but I hardly have time to do it. I love dragons! And it started all with Tolkien and Princess Fantaghiro (with extremely yummy Romualdo and Tarabas*rrrrrrr*).:-)
.-= Mylanqolia´s last blog ..Artistic stuff: The Easter combo *pic heavy* =-.
Mylanqolia, what a shame! Mags complain they don’t sell as much as they used to, yet they refuse to change anything. If they stopped writing all that crap and started promoting all types of beauty in all shapes and sizes, then their sales will very likely pick up. I know I’ll start buying them again for sure.
Yep, it was my boyfriend that introduced me to the fantasty genre. He lent me Lord of the Rings and the Dragonlance books and now I’m hooked. I can’t seem to put these books down once I start them. Although I did love Fantaghiro when I was younger. It’s one of the very few Italian productions that I watched and liked, it was very well done although at times it scared me a bit lol. And you have to finish the dragon look, I can’t wait to see it, I bet it’ll be amazing!
Let’s build an altar and pray to the Goddess Minerva that she gives the journalists wisdom and enlightenment!
Oh, you had a very cool b-friend! Actually it was a school mate who introduced me into the world of dragons, witchmasters and knights. But I discovered Fantaghiro in tv on my own. And you’re absolutely right. It’s the BEST Italian tv series I’ve ever seen. I’d appreciate it if they’d something similiar again. The same thing about “X-files” or “Nowhere Man”. Such good series of the 90′s could be continued these days. As for the dragon fun look: I’ll do it next week – promise. But I can’t say that it’ll turn out to be amazing. Dragons aren’t that easy to paint…
.-= Mylanqolia´s last blog ..Artistic stuff: Moonlight landscape =-.
Mylanqolia, let’s so hope and pray that happens.
He’s still my boyfriend 
and yes he’s very cool lol.
I agree about Fantaghiro, it’s the best Italian series I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot of them lol. Usually I hate Italian programmes, they are boring, unoriginal and full of sterotypes but they did a very good job with that one. I loved X-Files too but I don’t think Nowhere Man was ever shown here.
I’d love if they did more series like that but I’m not sure if continuing the old ones is a good idea. I saw the new Beverly Hills (I used to love the early seasons with Shannen Doherty when I was like 13), but the new one is crap. I haven’t seen many new tv shows that I like recently, but maybe if they did some new fantasy, sci-fi things they’ll turn out good. 
I can’t wait for the dragon look. Yeah, they sound pretty hard to draw, but I’m sure you’ll do a fantastic job nonetheless. I could never draw what you do with makeup. Actually I can’t even draw with pencil and paper lol.
I don´t read female magazines anymore. When I need beauty advices, I read blogs and opinions from real women, and when I want some beauty inspiration, I look at real women on the internet or in the street
Gema, that’s great. I do that too. Magazine set unrealistic standards. Real women are smarter and more beautiful instead.