‘Celebrity Gossip, Fashion Trends, Hair and Beauty tips’
Are these what the modern young woman is solely interested in? Glamour magazine seems to think so. Cosmopolitan summarises its content under ‘Fashion, Hair & Beauty, Sex and Relationships’. Now, these are things which many of the female population are interested in, and like to read about – the popularity of these magazines speaks for themselves. Most young women aged between 17-30 (the age range which these magazines are aimed at) enjoy a little light-hearted reading, but in these so easily acquired publications (after all, just head to the nearest corner shop to be confronted with a suitably large array) why do they not send clearer, firmer messages about issues which actually matter? They have the power to change the way young women think about themselves physically, they have the power to give confidence and inspire, yet for every article which attempts to do this, we are bombarded with a majority which feed back into the long standing issue of oppressing the modern woman.
On the front of this months Glamour we are advertised ’50 EASY BODY TWEAKS- feel happier, healthier and, yes, hotter’ – clearly what every insecure young woman wants to see; tweak your lifestyle and you WILL be happier and hotter, obviously it’s not possible that you might actually be happy in your own skin… These tweaks consist of ‘Switch your sports drink’ (it’s a given we all have gym memberships or partake in regular sports of some description), ‘Learn a sitting-down workout’ (the female body isn’t born beautiful, it has to be sculpted, clearly…), ‘Six ways to cut calories’ (it’s not even a question, every woman reading wants to lose 1-2lbs a week- the ‘healthy’ way to lose weight, according to Helen Bond, a dietician – cut that daily coffee, daily coca cola, daily digestive biscuits and you’re laughing, apparently..), oh and ‘To boost your self esteem’, pop in to an elderly neighbour for a cup of tea – as if we don’t all lead busy enough lives already?! It sounds like some deluded housewife ideology from the 50’s… Juxtaposed to this very important, life changing article, on the cover is (in considerably smaller font) ”I didn’t realise it was abuse’ The report every woman must read’ – this time, I think we can all agree with the demand that we ‘must read’ – abuse is a serious issue, one which needs to be addressed and discussed; and in what better place than one of the most popular magazines? The article makes informative, interesting reading. Women and their experiences are taken seriously and we are told it is not okay for men to treat us abusively – personal experience stories and helpline numbers are presented – this is a perfect example of what women’s magazines should include in their print.
Crowd pleasing articles on ‘Love your body’, ‘Think Big’ and ‘Hey, Feminism, we’re not done yet!’ are sandwiched between the ever-apparent images of skinny models, ‘This is what 200 cals looks like’ and limited career advice; we are fed enough of what we want to not notice that in the very same publication the control and oppression of women in society is discreetly reinforced. Body image is the most obvious connotation to pick up on through the pages – it’s the age-old debate which is still rife in todays society. Models with perfect faces and expensive clothes, make up tips on ‘…Springs new beauty trend’ which will apparently answer the question we’ve all been wanting to be answered – ‘What’s sexy now?’. Just as rife but perhaps not quite as obvious is the way in which women and their careers are targeted. A quick scan on ‘Mens Health’ website and discovered was the article titled ‘Sometimes a week just isn’t enough – how to negotiate a month off work’ as well as another; ‘Failure breeds success’. Glamour, on the other hand, offers advice on what to do if you’ve been criticised, and Cosmopolitan’s website offers advice aimed at students on how to make yourself ‘more employable’. Okay, so these articles are all very useful on some level, but it’s the difference in ambition the two different sexes are credited with; men are the young professionals who can negotiate a month off work, whereas women are given advice on how to deal with the criticism they receive, how to look as good as possible on paper for prospective employers. The advice appears to be more in the vein of acceptance and toleration for women, whereas men are given the idea they can do anything – one of the ‘steps’ for their time off negotiation is ‘Make your case’ as opposed to females being advised to ‘Win back trust’ or ‘Stay put for 20 minutes’ after having been criticised. The wording speaks for itself.
The stereotypes seem to be firmly in the place they always have been; men are the breadwinners, successful and capable, whereas women are the emotionally intelligent game players. The thing is, there’s nothing wrong with having advice catered to this stereotype – just as long as it’s paired with the confidence boosting and quite rightfully ambitious advice men are given. Women’s magazines may think they are empowering the female population, but they feed straight back into what it is they so proudly claim they’re trying to move away from – the control of women in society. These magazines may make interesting reading with their small nuggets of career, diet and sex advice, the articles on pop culture and pop psychology, the real-life stories and fashion advice – but in the words of Glamour’s feminism article – Hey, oppression, we’re not done yet!
-Annie
ThinkEmpowerment 