I would be lying if I claimed to have combed through every women’s magazine known to huamnkind. However, I am going to go ahead and make the premature assumption that I hate magazines that are geared towards women. In my adolescent days, I will admit to looking through the glossy pages for makeup tips, hairstyle ideas, and quizzes that were supposed to inform me whether or not my crush liked me back. But now, with all of my nineteen years of wisdom and world experience, I can barely look in their direction.
The next time you come across a newsstand, take a look at the magazines being displayed. You will more than likely see headlines including, “Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days!” and, “Have Better Sex Tonight!” and perhaps, “Best Exercise for Flat Abs!” You’ll probably find a recipe for “guilt-free” chocolate cake, and a complete guide to a bikini body (these pop up right after the holidays). If I was a betting woman, I would be willing to wager that the woman on the cover is picture perfect; blonde hair, glistening white teeth, flawless complexion, and half naked to show off her toned physique. The woman on the cover probably doesn’t look like the actual woman on the cover, but that’s a whole other story.
The amazing part of this is that thousands of women are still reading these magazines, regardless of the fact that each headline is a slight variation of last month’s headlines. How many times can one person possibly read about how to lose x amount of weight in an impossible time frame? Do we think that this month’s methods are so much more groundbreaking than last months, or that our relationship can be salvaged by using the sex tips that are so minutely different than the ones from the prior issue?
I think we are all beginning to see the problems at hand here. Women across the country are buying into this charade, this idea that our lives should revolve around having a flawless appearance and perfect relationship. We as a gender are trained to be obsessed with bettering ourselves aesthetically (are there any magazines out there that publish monthly tips for being a better member of society?) and the magazine companies take full advantage of that. Publishers keep putting out this recycled material, but we continue to buy it.They know we will buy into this month's weight loss plan and tips for the perfect smokey eye, so they would be silly to not write these articles; wouldn't they? Once they are published, we can't keep our hands off them. What if, instead of teaching us how to achieve something superficial, magazines give advice on things that actually matter? Perhaps we could immerse ourselves in articles about maintaining healthy relationships, or relevant world events, or finding a new hobby. I'm tired of stories about how to get my “best butt ever” when there are so many other useful topics I could be immersing myself in.
I wish there was a simple way to stop this epidemic, this marketing scheme that preys on women and their insecurities. I think the first step to turning this ship around is to raise awareness of the ploy that we are apart of. And always remember:
