I boycotted all fashion magazines in 2006. I even refuse to leaf through one while I’m sitting at the salon or waiting in a doctor’s office. If you want to know why, see the article I wrote.
Just because I don’t like the agenda of most fashion magazines doesn’t mean I stopped liking clothes, colorful pictures and interesting stories. I was doing some browsing around at magazines.com about current magazines and here’s what I discovered:
Oprah Magazine is now on sale for only $18.00 which is a 66% savings from cover price. I know Oprah is a safe bet when it comes to providing content that inspires and empowers but I wanted to see what else was available.
I discovered a few titles that sounded like they were off the beaten path of your typical women’s magazine and that made me kinda happy.
Take for example Hybrid Mom. I’m not sure why they had to limit it to mom’s. Several of my child-free friends would likely be down with a magazine that describes itself like this (replace the word mom with woman/people): “Moms across the nation are redefining themselves everyday. They are part: mom, business woman, spouse, volunteer, community worker, teacher and entrepreneur…completely a Hybrid Mom. An Incredible magazine for today’s mom.” Hybrid Mom does indeed sound quite different from Better Homes and Gardens or Woman’s Day.
Pink magazine is one that pounced on right after my fashion magazine boycott began. I love their overall mission statement and the reason they decided to call their magazine Pink. I even subscribed for a year. But to me, reading that magazine was only slightly less defeating than looking at fashion magazines.
I did take away one quote from business owner Kathleen Plate that I enjoyed, “People think success only begins at $1 million and working crazy hours. But running a business is completely doable. This is a consumer driven society. People are dying to buy something, who why not from you?” Plate supposedly works 8 hours a day and takes off 6 weeks a year. I think she’s got the right idea.
Other than that I felt like this: if women’s magazines make you think you’re too fat, too old or don’t have enough money, Pink magazine makes you feel like unless you’re a millionaire or a corporate executive, you don’t really have a “career”.
Positively Green is “the magazine for today’s woman who is interested in living a greener, healthier life without sacrificing comfort or style. With a focus on solutions, we feature today’s eco products, how-to tips and celebrity interviews in the areas of fashion, beauty, food and much more.” That sounds pretty positive.
Do you subscribe to a magazine or blog for women that makes you feel better about yourself once you’ve reached the back cover? If so, please do tell.
