Why?

What has this world come to? Why is it that magazines can be so graphic? It truly baffles me how this is so accepted by society.  I was just looking at a Cosmo Magaizne for fun, and even by the cover I knew what I was getting myself into, but I suddenly came across a whole article on “the sexiest way to strip him down” with nothing but half naked pictures of, I won’t deny it, beautiful men.

Obviously this article, with its 4 gorgeous pictures of hunky men, would stop any woman from continuing to flip the page.  Coincidence? I think not.  Cosmo put this article in purposefully to make women read it.  I just don’t understand why it is that it is only bare chested men that draw women’s attention rather than an actually interesting article.

On another point, I know that it is difficult for many families to talk about sex together, yet why is it that magazine can be so upfront about it in such a public way? Half the time when I read a provocative article, I feel I have to hide what I am reading from anyone who sees me.  America has definitely changed thoughout the years and it seems clear that sex is not such taboo anymore.  Is this a good change?  I am not really sure, but it is a little disturbing how sex has become such a seemingly integral part of life; or at least that is what the magazines want us to think.

Weightloss Women

Today I sat down on the couch to watch some television when a Women’s Health magazine caught my eye.  There was a large heading that read “Burn More Fat Without Dieting” and I quickly snatch up the magazine to read the article.  I reached the article hoping for some ground breaking information on how to lose weight, and unfortunately that is not what I found.

The article simply told its readers to lift weights.  That was it.  I know they are correct that building muscle helps one burn more calories throughout the day, however, I already knew this.  The information was pointless to me.  So why did I jump so suddenly to read the article?

The publishers of Women’s Health know what women want to know and that is how to loose weight! I am a clear example.  I saw a heading that seemed to answer my prayers, so I open the magazine, or maybe if I saw it at the grocery store I could have purchased the magazine.  The media is extremely clever.  They know what sells, and for Women’s Health Magazine, it is definitely supposed weight loss secrets.  I fell for it, and I am positive so many other women do, too.

Vampire Love

I went grocery shopping the other day, and as I was standing in the check out line a Vanity Fair magazine caught my eye.  On the cover was a dashing picture of the hot new teenage heart throb Robert Pattinson who plays the vampire Edward Cullen in the hit seried Twilight.  Before I could even think I picked up the magazine and threw it into my cart when I never get Vanity Fair magazines and I really didnt need to purchase a magazine at that time.  Just in time, I thought to myself that I didn’t need to buy it, so I saved myself about four dollars.

Then I started thinking, why are so many girls so obsessive over this actor who is nothing like the perfect vampire he plays in the movie?  Somehow he has risen to be this teenage icon, putting into young girls minds false illustrations of what a real boyfriend and relationships are like.  I myself have fallen into the trap expecting too much from my boyfriend because I have been brainwashed by the magnificent guys that I stare at on the big screen with their unlimited funds and ability to do whatever they want.

I also started thinking how Vanity Fair was extremely clever in putting Robert Pattinson on its cover.  I almost bought the magazine before I caught myself, but I am sure there are so many other women who didn’t think twice and simply threw it in their cart.  It really matters what magazines put on their covers.  It can make it sell or it can make it sit on the shelf.  I know I would have chosen Robert Pattinson over any other female actress simply because he is such a dreamy guy, and of course I want to read about his life over some other beautiful female actress who will just make me feel bad about myself.

Thus, magazines put a lot of thought into who gets to be on their cover so don’t let it fool you, and movies aren’t real; it gives young women false hope in fake romance.

Why Do We Care??

The other day I found myself purchasing a “Life & Style” magazine not because I am an avid reader of “Life & Style” but because the cover caught my attention.  On the cover was a big picture of the pregnant Kourtney Kardashian with the bold heading “I love being pregnant!”  To be honest, once I flipped through the magazine, I did not even stop to read the article about Kourtney’s feelings about her pregnancy.  So my question is, why on earth did I buy the magazine!?

The interesting thing is, I was not the only one who was mesmorized by the flashy cover.  I was hanging out with some of my friends one night and two of my guy friends stopped once they saw my magazine lying on the ground.  Both immediately said, “You love being pregnant?” closely followed by “I dont want to even open the magazine but I cannot seem to stop staring at this!” 

It is shocking how the media has made us so captivated and engaged by celebrities.  What is really so special about them?  Knowing about their evey move and every issue for some strange reason brings joy to so many.  How is it that magazines, television, movies, newpapers, and advertising has caused us to fawn over these supposed “stars?”  I do not know the answer but I know for a fact that the media has almost everything to do with it.  Somehow, they have made these people’s lives seem so glamourous to us, which they are, and make us want to almost live it vicariously thourgh reading about it in some form of media.  But I still come back to the same question, why do we care, and unfortunately, we may never really know.

The Audience Based on the Advertising

As I was flipping through a People Style Watch magazine the other day, I started to notice something about the advertisements they had throughout the magazine.  The first striking one I came across was for Bank of America that read “Bank of America had 3 exclusive ways to help you get the most out of everyday purchases.”  I soon realized that People was clearly putting in this sort of advertisement in their magazine because people are trying to manage their money better.  Even all the new styles that are showcases in the magazine, People tried to find the cheapest clothing to make the new look for fall.

Another advertisement that I found interesting was one for Walmart.  I had assumed before that those who read people magazine were more middle class or upper middle class women, and I also assumed that those women do not usually shop at Walmant.  However, Walmart was able to get an eight page spread for an advertisement on all their reasonably priced merchandise.  Once again, I feel this is hinting at how much people are trying to manage their money nowadays.

Finally, I found an advertisement in this article that hinted at the type of audience that People magazine caters to.  There was an advertisement for breast cancer research.  Clearly this type of advertisement would hit certain women who have battled breast cancer or who have a loved one who has suffered from breast cancer.

Thus, from the many advertisements throughout People magazine, it was easy to tell what type of audience it targets.  That audience is clearly middle to upper class women, who now are starting to become more and more frugal with their money.

I am a bit confused

Perfume advertisements always baffle me.  I never understand the point they are trying to make with all the models in the pictures.  Are they really trying to sell the perfume or are they trying to say or sell something else as well?

I came across this confusion yet again when I was looking through an In Style magazine; actually, it was on the very first page of the magazine.  It was an advertisement for Giorgio Armani’s IDOLE  perfume.  The ad took up two pages.  On the right page was a large picture of the perfume bottle, and on the left page there was a close up picture of a beautiful woman.  The woman had her eyes closed in a very sensual manner and underneath her face was written “This is my idol.”

What really is this trying to say? Obviously they were trying to say something about the perfume.  Maybe they are suggesting that the scent of the perfume is rather erotic?  I really do not know.  I am even confused as to whether or not it is perfume or cologne because for a woman to think it is her idol then maybe the scent is for a man.  Whatever the product actually is, the ad is very persuasive.  A man or a woman would definitely stop and stare at it contemplating actually purchasing the fragrance in order to make them smell divine or have a significant other think they smell fantastic.  Because the advertisement is so large and takes up so much space it is very enticing and definitely makes people stop a stare: excellent strategy there.

Even though I am left confused as to what the actual message Armani is trying to send, I still feel the advertisement is done extremely well in that it will definitely catch the eye of the readers of In Style magazine.

The Skinny On What Makes a Woman Beautiful

In the November 2009 issue of Glamour Magazine I was pleasantly surprised to find an article about what makes a female body beautiful.  Under the title “Oh. wow. these bodies are beautiful” it says “who says supermodels have to be super thin?”  The article starts by telling of a picture Glamour had put in an earlier issue.  The picture was of the plus-size model Lizzie Miller; she was nude, confident and clearly unconcerned about the little belly over-hang she had.  Tons of people commented on the photograph saying how beautiful it was and how that is what a model is supposed to look like, that is what women are meant to look like.

I found it surprising that Glamour would actually print a picture like that only because it is so unconventional for a fashion magazine to print pictures of plus-size models.  However, I support Glamour one hundred percent! It was a beautiful picture! I questioned though as to why so many people might have commented on the photograph.  A possible reason could be that the recessions has everone in a “back-to basics” and “tell-it-like-it-is” mood, so realer images of women’s bodies seem appropriate now.  Throughout the rest of the magazine, celebrities like Kate Winslet, Jessica Simpson and Scarlett Johansson spoke out against a culture that nitpicks a woman’s every thing dimple.

I have found that this trend of finding curvier women more attractive is really taking flight now-a-days.  Take First Lady Michelle Obama for example.  She dresses to accentuate rather than camouflage her curves and everyone absolutely loves her for it!

It is really great that a fashion magazine that is so widely read by young women who more than likely think they are too fat (when they probably are not) in comparison to the stick thin models would go so far as to print a lengthy article emphasizing how important it is just to be healthy not to be skinny.  Hopefully the article will help millions of women to see how beautiful they are just the way they are and that being a twig is really quite disgusting.

What did he do?

In the LA Times online on October 14, there was an article titled “Nobel panalists defend award to Obama.”  Right under the bold article, it reads, “Four of the five Norwegian Nobel committee members speak out on an award they say was merited and unanimous.  One notes Obama’s seeming unhappiness; another calls critics of the choice patronizing.”  The article proceeds to talk about how Obama was the only deserving candidate for the award, however my question still remains unanswered after reading the article: what did he do to deserve it?

There is only one line that is close to answering the question but still far off.  It says, “He singled out Obama’s efforts to heal the divide between the West and the Muslim world and scale down a Bush-era proposal for a missile shield in Europe.”  To be honest, I have not heard anything about Obama’s efforts to “heal” divides, only that he is still fighting two wars: that in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Additionally, of course he scaled down a Bush-era simply by becoming president; Bush is not president anymore so there is no more Bush-era.  Any president after Bush would have made that exact same accomplishment. 

The Nobel committee memebers say ”Who has dome more for that (contributing the most to the development of peace in the previous yest) than Barack Obama?” I say, a lot of people! Obama may have done something by being courageous and being the first black man to run for president and then actually win, but he did not accomplish that on his own.  It was the voters of America who actually voted for him that helped further peace between blacks and whites.  Also, Obama’s election has not fully ended the racial segregation that still goes on today; in contrast, his election has probably heightened racism against blacks. 

Therefore, although I understand that the LA Times is a completely liberal newspaper whose audience probably voted for and loves Barack Obama, they still need to stop omitting facts and tell the truth.  Obama did not really deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, and of course the Nobel committee members are going to defend their decision, but what does the rest of the country have to say about it? That is what I would like to know.

Dr. Oz and His Ladies

The other day I was exercising at the gym and I was channel surfing trying to find something good to watch.  Unfortunately, I did not find anything that I usually enjoy watching; however, I decided to watch an episode of Dr. Oz.  I had never watched him before, so I wanted to check it out. 

I found the show really intersting.  It was all about nutrition and health, and I enjoy the sciences so I enjoyed it.  I thought it rather funny, although not surprising, that the entire audience of the show was late 30s-late 40s upper middle class women.  I would say the video audience was a perfect represenation of the viewers outside the studio.  A show about health and nutrition, with a very attractive and easy to understand doctor as the host: I expected nothing less. 

The show was also capitvating in the fact that it was talking about all the types of bacteria and viruses that get into all types of food, and how the next thing you serve your family for dinner could easily cause food poisoning, or even death.  Clearly the producers thought it smart to scare the mothers in the audience half to death so that they make sure they purchase the right types of foods, and clean their foods like they are preparing for sugery before they put anything on the table.  But it worked!  They had me scared, and by having the former president of the FDA confirming everything that was said about how bacteria and other bugs get into the food and make you sick.  They even had a female guest come on the show whose toddler son died from food poisoning talk about how scary it was. and how horrible she feels that it was food she had given to him that killed him.

All the information on the show seemed to be factual and important.  I simply found it really interesting how the show was obviously geared towards a specific audience, and they even showed the demographics of the audience on the show.

Go Organic!

My mother, a health and nutrition nut, is a subscriber to Health Magazine.  Just the other day I decided to take a look through it and see what kind of articles it had.  I came across a short article titled “Is Organic Food Really Better for You?”  It goes on to say that yes organic food is better because it contains fewer pesticides and additives.

I found it really interesting that this article was published in Health Magazine.  Not that I found it odd, but that I found it brilliant.  The audience of Health Magazine are, like my own mother, housewives in the late 30s to late 40s who are both concerned about their own health and weight, as well as the health and well being of their families.  This article is perfect for its readers! Of course mothers and women in general want to know wether or not organic food is really better for us.  Additionally, they want to know if the organic food is worth their money, which the article blatantly tells them it is.

This article was also very smart to publish in Health Magazine because of its message that people should spend their money on the organic foods.  I assume that many organic companies and grocery store, like Whole Foods, might be sponsors, donators, or just carriers of the magazine.  Obviously, these stores would not want a health magazine they support to be telling its readers not to spend their money on organic foods.  Thus, the publishers clearly thought that by printing this article  #1 people would hopefully buy more organic foods despite their economic situation and #2 the organic grocery stores would be simply be happy the magazine was giving them more business, and the magazine would receive more business in return.

I know I am convinced by the article to still go organic!