When I heard that there was another magazine on the market for women, I was sceptical. Why add to the celebrity-driven nonsense already being circulated on newsagents’ shelves? Womankind, however, doesn’t compare. Simone de Beauvoir’s face graces the front cover, painted by thousands of butterflies. Flicking through the pages, I was caught by an article…
Read more
When Elle announced their campaign to “rebrand” feminism, it was met with mixed feelings. Many expressed gratification and pleasant surprise that such a high-profile magazine should deign to take notice of a little old campaign for gender equality like feminism, taking the view that the only thing better than publicity is free publicity on a…
Read more
As she lay in bed at night reading the latest Girlfriend or Dolly magazine, pre-pubescent Jess Planner always dreamt of her first date. It would be perfect. He would pick her up and they would go to a movie. He would buy her dinner and soon enough, he would introduce her to his parents before…
Read more
In pop culture, plotlines are awash with strong male friendships. We are bombarded with “buddy movies”, bromances, and J.D. & Turk style “guy love” in everything from Superbad to Supernatural. While equivalent female relationships are not exactly in short supply – Lena Dunham’s Girls has been one of the most successful programs of 2013 – there is a disproportionately abundant representation…
Read more
Iconic women’s magazine Cleo has been relaunched, minus the traditional mentions of sex on the cover. The magazine has been around for 40 years, frequently raising eyebrows for its covers that promise advice on how to have (apparently) the best sex ever. This next edition heralds a move in a new direction for the glossy…
Read more
It goes like this: A glossy lifestyle mag interviews a swish “It” girl. She’s at the top of her field. She’s worked hard to get there, and has plenty of tips for goal setting, confidence and “keeping calm, carrying on”. The journalist fawns over this success, and asks if maybe the equal rights movement had…
Read more
I was the fat kid. The token ‘Fatty Boomba’ at primary school. I relished tucking into a meal more than an excavation of the sandpit. I avoided the monkey bars because lifting my weight was a struggle. I was always the first chosen for trivia, yet the last for a game of kickball. Although aesthetically,…
Read more
Men’s magazines aren’t generally known for fostering positive attitudes towards women, if at all. However, a recent study conducted by psychologists in the UK has revealed that most participants in the study could not readily distinguish comments made in popular men’s magazines from quotes from interviews with convicted rapists. Men between the ages of 18…
Read more
I was reading a magazine I don’t usually read a few weeks ago. I was on a plane and needed some light reading – I can never read my books on planes, I tend to get extremely nauseated. Apart from the usual pages of mostly-unattainable-fashion and “must have!” tips and titbits, there were articles on…
Read more
Everyone from Cindy Crawford to Christina Aguillera has done it. Ever since Demi Moore appeared naked and seven months pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991, it’s been a common trend for celebrities to pose for nude photos when they’re expecting. This week, Miranda Kerr has joined the hall of fame and stripped…
Read more
The fashion industry is bored with its own air-brushed perfectionism. Now, gap-toothed models are all the rage, moving away from traditional ideals of beauty to celebrate the authentic and quirky. Open up a recent issue of Vogue, and you’re likely to see Georgia May Jagger, the full-lipped, goddess-haired daughter of Mick, flashing her gap-toothed smile….
Read more
Recently, some cast members of Fox TV show, Glee have posed for racy photographs for GQ magazine. For the assumedly very few who don’t know, Glee is a comedy/drama set in an American high school. The characters in the ‘glee club’ are often unpopular so they use the club to find friends, and presumably find…
Read more
Dolly and Seventeen are both magazines aimed at teenage girls. Dolly though, is sold to girls in Australia and Seventeen is sold to American girls. I thought it would be interesting to compare the two, as a way to see the disparities in American and Australian media. Curious, and enticed by the extremely low sales…
Read more
From news.com.au: “CELEBRITIES could keep embarrassing personal details and candid photos away from the public gaze, under proposed laws. Media outlets that rely on unauthorised photographs and news about celebrities may be forced to tone down their content under a new privacy regime being considered by the Federal Government. This could be a heavy blow to gossip mags such…
Read more
