It’s not penis envy I have, it’s magazine envy….
We have a grotesquely large T.V. in our house that is not set up to watch T.V. except on DVD. Consequently, my partner and I spend a lot of time lying on the couch reading together from the internet on the giant screen. The other day we were reading a remarkably composed article about the Iranian hostage crisis, and it was only when I reached the end of the article that I realized that it was in GQ. “Isn’t GQ a men’s fashion magazine?” I asked.
“No, it’s a men’s magazine,” hubby replied, and explained to me that all men’s magazines offer not just fashion, but tech, culture, politics, how-tos, and even short fiction. “Short fiction! What the hell is wrong with women’s magazines?” I said, before remembering that even Playboy has those famous articles that everyone reads for, and some of my favourite authors got started publishing short fiction in those sticky pages.
Women’s magazines, by comparison, are terribly dull. The model is simple:
1. fashion and style component (I enjoy “dressing with irony”[read: making fashion fauxpas with vigour], and I cut my own hair)
2. How to please your man/Parenting advice, depending on which demographic it’s targeting (I’m a selfish lover with no kids)
3. Heath/diet advice (I refuse to exercise or stop eating chocolate every day at 3pm)
4. General wellness advice–how to be happy, more organized, and more fiscally responsible (my clutter has a ’system’, and I solve the other two by not buying the clothes/haircuts/purses I should, and eating chocolate every day at 3pm)
5. Awesome recipes. I can’t argue with that one, and I’ve stolen many of my mother’s mags for these. But I have the internet, and those awesome recipes are primarily there to mock me since I decided to go vegetarian.
Men’s magazines also have a significant “women” component, but women’s magazines glorify Angelina as much as men’s magazines do, just for the size of her family instead of the size of her breasts. Honestly, I almost prefer the picture of women* that men’s magazines paint: strong, confident, and way too hot to fret over how to please a man. And frankly, the interviews are more interesting.
Who decided that women were so boring? I want to read about politics. I want to read engaging short fiction. I want to read about building my own biodiesel generator. And damnit, I want to read about flowers that can kill me, and not how to arrange them. Does this make me less of a woman?
*as long as they’re not photoshopped to look like skeletons. I love hips!
Share the love!
Subscribe
Authors
Categories
Links
I know exactly what you mean.
Cosmopolitan Magazine: reselling the same collection of sex tips for over forty years!
Great point! Wanting to read intelligent and interesting content should not make anyone less feminine or masculine. Did you happen to notice if the article of interest was written by a male or female? With that asked, do men’s magazines only publish the interesting articles and short fiction written by men? hmmmm If I were to submit something under a male pseudonym, would I have a better chance of publication in a men’s magazine? Sounds like some research is coming
.
Stay inspired!
Michelle
The article was a brilliantly composed compilation of interviews woven together to make a coherent and compelling narrative… By a fellow named Nate Penn.
My trick is not to use a male pseudonym when sending submissions, but to use an initial instead of a name and let them draw their own conclusions about my gender. I think people tend to assume that initials stand for men’s names under any circumstances, unless corrected. That said, I know that Maxim is mostly written by women, and even Playboy publishes short stories by women.
Excellent post, Melissa! I don’t think we’re any less feminine for being bored by these ‘women’s mags’. Though I am interested in some of those topics on your list, I am rather insulted by the spectrum – all the things that aren’t on it that I’m interested in. Also, because it’s a spectrum, no individual item gets truly in-depth coverage. The odd time I forget my ipod, I read these mags in waiting rooms, etc and the effect is always a bit dizzying. Much of it doesn’t apply to me and what does, there’s not enough of it.
The day somebody makes a mag that’s one part Vogue and two parts New Yorker, I’m all set.