The mind-numbing slush that is Cosmo.
I am a self professed magazine whore. If someone I adore is on the cover, I’m buying it. If there are enough features or articles that look interesting to me, I’ll likely get it. The amount of magazines I have in my home are insane. I never throw them out, no matter how old they are. I look at them as history, a “sign of the times.” As much of a “magazine whore” as I am, I’ve recently developed a beef with a lot of women’s magazines. I noticed that when you look at some of the magazine covers, most of the headlines have something to do with beauty or sex/relationships. I find it agitating that MEDIA MADE FOR US narrows us down to blush and dick. It’s like really? That’s all we are?? Sure, style and relationships are elements in the average woman’s life, and there’s nothing wrong with it being covered in the magazine, but other things should accompany style and relationships. The average woman’s magazine cover has 0-1 headlines about personal growth and development. These same magazines praise certain celebrity women for being strong, smart or groundbreaking, but the overall material they print doesn’t encourage or foster the same characteristics in their readers. It’s contradictory and annoying. Now, there are definitely some great women’s magazines that have the perfect blend of beauty, relationships, life and personal growth; they’re just in the minority.
There was one particular instance where my beef went into overdrive. In fall of 2008, Beyonce` was getting ready to release her album “I Am…Sasha Fierce” and a film, “Cadillac Records,” in which she was playing music great, Etta James. Beyonce` also had finished filming another movie, “Obsessed.” Despite all of these projects, most of the magazines she covered during that time focused on her nuptials to rapper/entrepreneur Jay-Z earlier that year. One magazine did a 5pg article on her, and spent most of the interview probing her for wedding details. Beyonce` has always been quite private, so the probing was a waste of time in my opinion, but that’s beside the point. Anyhow, one cover read “Beyonce` on playing Etta, her new marriage and baby plans with Jay-Z.” Beyonce` was not pregnant at the time (and isn’t pregnant now as far as I know), so they could have deleted the baby line and mentioned her album. But noooooo……Another read “Beyonce’s world tour!: she much rather be in bed with Jay-Z.” I guess now that she’s married, she’s not a real person anymore. Jay-Z, however still is. When Jay-z graced men’s magazine covers in the fall of 2009 to promote his latest project the “Blueprint 3,” the headlines were quite different: “The personal success issue: insights and advice on making it now from Tommy Hilfiger and Jay-Z.”
“Now 14 albums deep, with over 30 million records sold, plus rocawear, roc nation, fragrances, the nets, 40/40 and Beyonce`, is Jay-Z bigger than hip-hop?”
“Jay-Z: Music Mogul”
Notice how Beyonce` was only mentioned in one headline, and at the end at that. With the exception of magazines like Maxim and FHM, most men’s magazines feature multiple cover headlines in regard to music, movies, politics, money/business, style, sports and leisure IN ADDITION to headlines about women. Who would’ve thought that men’s magazines would be more multi-dimensional than women’s? Ladies, make sure you’re absorbing some more productive material outside of magazines, and if you DO pick up a mag, pick one that’s more well-rounded.
There was one particular instance where my beef went into overdrive. In fall of 2008, Beyonce` was getting ready to release her album “I Am…Sasha Fierce” and a film, “Cadillac Records,” in which she was playing music great, Etta James. Beyonce` also had finished filming another movie, “Obsessed.” Despite all of these projects, most of the magazines she covered during that time focused on her nuptials to rapper/entrepreneur Jay-Z earlier that year. One magazine did a 5pg article on her, and spent most of the interview probing her for wedding details. Beyonce` has always been quite private, so the probing was a waste of time in my opinion, but that’s beside the point. Anyhow, one cover read “Beyonce` on playing Etta, her new marriage and baby plans with Jay-Z.” Beyonce` was not pregnant at the time (and isn’t pregnant now as far as I know), so they could have deleted the baby line and mentioned her album. But noooooo……Another read “Beyonce’s world tour!: she much rather be in bed with Jay-Z.” I guess now that she’s married, she’s not a real person anymore. Jay-Z, however still is. When Jay-z graced men’s magazine covers in the fall of 2009 to promote his latest project the “Blueprint 3,” the headlines were quite different: “The personal success issue: insights and advice on making it now from Tommy Hilfiger and Jay-Z.”
“Now 14 albums deep, with over 30 million records sold, plus rocawear, roc nation, fragrances, the nets, 40/40 and Beyonce`, is Jay-Z bigger than hip-hop?”
“Jay-Z: Music Mogul”
Notice how Beyonce` was only mentioned in one headline, and at the end at that. With the exception of magazines like Maxim and FHM, most men’s magazines feature multiple cover headlines in regard to music, movies, politics, money/business, style, sports and leisure IN ADDITION to headlines about women. Who would’ve thought that men’s magazines would be more multi-dimensional than women’s? Ladies, make sure you’re absorbing some more productive material outside of magazines, and if you DO pick up a mag, pick one that’s more well-rounded.
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