Yes! Magazine is awesome! Full of real people doing things that are important to civilized societies, like forming communities, bartering their skills, and finding simpler ways to find fulfillment. Every month, I drop what I'm doing and read it ... And always come away feeling just a little better about being a human being.
I've never heard of "YES" magazine. I'll have to check that one out!
I buy magazines to read on the stair machine or while I'm traveling (I really need to get an E-reader, but I digress) so I'll just pick whatever looks decent.
Generally I stick to fitness type magazines, but there are only a few I actually get any good information from; Muscle and Fitness Hers, FitnessRX and Oxygen (though it is a bit fluffy).
I actually keep those three aforemetnioned ones and look back at them for recipes and workout ideas.
I do like Glamour as well because of the way it balances high-fashion and somewhat of a more relatable content. Vogue is way to frou-frou for me to enjoy.
Reading Cosmo makes me think that magazine reporters must think women are complete idiots. Are there women out there in their 20s and 30s that sincerely don't know how their lady bits work?
Yes, a lot of them are brainwashed by their culture/religious doctrine to be blank slates who don't masturbate because it's impure or whatever...but they're not the ones reading those magazines, so I agree haha.
My big beef (this probably breaks the Politics and Twinkies rule) with mainstream magazine coverage on sex is that they basically tell you (1) everyone has multiple orgasms and you suck at sex if you can't and (2) sex is ONLY about orgasms
Yes, a lot of them are brainwashed by their culture/religious doctrine to be blank slates who don't masturbate because it's impure or whatever...but they're not the ones reading those magazines, so I agree haha.
My big beef (this probably breaks the Politics and Twinkies rule) with mainstream magazine coverage on sex is that they basically tell you (1) everyone has multiple orgasms and you suck at sex if you can't and (2) sex is ONLY about orgasms
Well, sometimes I'm seeing the same stuff I see in Seventeen magazine about periods & stuff; I mean, I guess I can understand not knowing the sexual bit, but you should at least know how your period works by the time you're 20!
I was flipping through Glamour today while I was getting my oil changed, and there was actually a decent article about a girl who came from 4 generations of prostitution. I thought that was pretty interesting!
I stopped reading and subscribing regularly in about 2003. I had saved magazines (because you know that mentality "I might want to refer back to this") and realized 99% of the material was the same articles over and over. How many "bootcamp" workouts can one do or how differently between 1987 and 2003? Not many. And I did work in advertising for a bit so I knew the models THEN were photo shopped so I could ignore those to a point--as technology got "better" they were missing limbs or bones, you know the usual But I think aside from the recycling of articles and the waste of paper, was the ads. Not just the sheer amount, but the ones pretending to be articles or the articles that WERE ads (i.e., Prevention does this as did Oxygen when I read it). It wasn't about some new scientific finding, it was about a new diet, exercise program, or whatever that they just happened to be selling. So basically I felt I was paying money to read about how to spend more money? Nah.
I never read things like The National Enquirier, except for like at the doctor's or dentist's office...and I still do that because I find it to be like junk food for my mind.
That said I buy 2-3 different crosswords every month...and don't foresee that changing.
This makes me glad we don't get a single fluff magazine subscription. Answers magazine, America's First Freedom, and a political commentary newsletter are all that come into this house, and both subscriptions were my husband's when I married him. Solid, thought provoking content and no trashy junk like women's magazines.
We'll see if even mentioning these somehow breaks the politics rule, though. There's never been a mag I've wanted to subscribe to that in any way fits the template of what sits by the cash register in a grocery store. Interweave Knits is the closest!
Last edited by Arctic Mama; 08-15-2012 at 04:46 PM.
Cosmo taught me some valuable stuff at 18 years old cuz I indeed did NOT know how my lady bits worked (religious upbringing, spot on Krampus). That being said, at just 2 weeks away from being 30 now I find most mags silly, well most of the women's mags anyway.
I haven't bought a magazine in years. If I pick one up it's usually a body building or running magazine I'll read while in the store (is that stealing??? LOL). Although I'm happy to pick up a People when in the Dr's office.
My favorite part about Woman's World magazine and the like is that they always have insanely unhealthy (albeit DELICIOUS) sounding recipes right next to the latest fad diet!
I would define my relationship with Cosmo as love/hate. I'd love to say I can't stand Cosmo, but it's definitely a guilty pleasure! I did just read a great article over on jezebel.com (one of my favorite blog sites!) about how Helen Gurley Brown, a progressive feminist editor just died at the age of 90. While they were quick to make critique the Cosmo of today for many of the same things we're pointing out on this thread, they also made note that the magazine and have done amazing things for changing attitudes about single women and sex. There was a similarly interesting story about her over on NPR. Pretty cool!
I stopped reading and subscribing regularly in about 2003. I had saved magazines (because you know that mentality "I might want to refer back to this") and realized 99% of the material was the same articles over and over. How many "bootcamp" workouts can one do or how differently between 1987 and 2003? Not many. And I did work in advertising for a bit so I knew the models THEN were photo shopped so I could ignore those to a point--as technology got "better" they were missing limbs or bones, you know the usual But I think aside from the recycling of articles and the waste of paper, was the ads. Not just the sheer amount, but the ones pretending to be articles or the articles that WERE ads (i.e., Prevention does this as did Oxygen when I read it). It wasn't about some new scientific finding, it was about a new diet, exercise program, or whatever that they just happened to be selling.
This nails it!!
I was in the doc office waiting room yesterday & picked up a "Ladies Home Journal" .... did you know that 64% of the women polled would rather be 10 lb thinner (for life) than get $1000 tax free???? Idiots.
Yeah I got sick of the redundancy of the "6 week shape up plan" like that would do anything for someone who has more than 10 lbs to lose.
Although, I ended up sitting for a long time in my doc's office and picked up a copy of Oxygen and it's totally changed the way I see women's fitness. I noticed the lack of photoshopping and that piqued a real interest. I found it promotes lifting weights with cardio and fueling your body to perform instead of dieting to lose weight. I loved it so much I ditched my other subscriptions to subscribe to it and it's sister magazine Clean Eating.
Yeah, I never understood Cosmo and similar mags. It's amazing how they never seem to run out of sex and style tips.
I don't subscribe to any magazines (other than what I receive from the professional organizations I'm a member of), but I do occasionally like to pick up magazines from grocery stores or bookstores. I especially like National Geographic, Scientific American Mind, and Mother Earth News. Sometimes Backpacker Magazine has interesting articles, but I can't afford most of the trips or gear they feature, so it usually seems like a waste of paper/money to buy it. I used to subscribe to Weight Watchers Magazine and occasionally still buy issues if they look interesting or have a lot of good recipes, but I've never felt like I really fit the demographic they aim for with that publication, and the pervasive ads for WW products and other processed foodstuffs annoy me slightly. OTOH, their issue a few months ago encouraging people to try new physical activities that they might not have considered before did get me to do just that - and I'm glad I did!
But I think aside from the recycling of articles and the waste of paper, was the ads. Not just the sheer amount, but the ones pretending to be articles or the articles that WERE ads (i.e., Prevention does this as did Oxygen when I read it). It wasn't about some new scientific finding, it was about a new diet, exercise program, or whatever that they just happened to be selling. So basically I felt I was paying money to read about how to spend more money? Nah. 
did you know that 64% of the women polled would rather be 10 lb thinner (for life) than get $1000 tax free???? Idiots. 
Yeah, I never understood Cosmo and similar mags. It's amazing how they never seem to run out of sex and style tips.
