I normally buy the Cosmo on the odd occasion when I am in one of those ‘empowered-go-female’ moods. I used to buy it religiously a few years back, flipping through the pages of fashion and reading the ‘How-to-catch-a-man’ features. Either my personal tastes or my thought pattern has changed because I happened to buy one last night for the f*ck of it and I will say that I am utterly disappointed in where it stands today.
Reading the September issue, it was like reading one of the previous magazines that I had bought so many years ago. The same old shit. Nothing new or exciting, just the bright colors and the advertising that helplessly reels us women into buying it. It stands out on the Pick n Pay magazine shelf like a chocolate bar during the peek of our menstrual cycle.
Firstly, I don’t see Kim Kardashian as an inspirational woman. Correct if I am wrong, but she is far from what I would want my daughter to be. She became famous due to her high-powered lawyer father who just happened to get OJ Simpson acquitted back in the D. Had it not been for him, Ms Kardashian wouldn’t be where she was today. Yes, she is attractive for all her Armenian beauty but what else does she exactly have to offer? I can’t think of anything. Recently married to a sports star she probably hasn’t known for more than a year, magazines like this love to highlight the ‘unnecessary’. Yes, I look at all the photos splashed everywhere and think ‘Nice top, I could wear that.’ That’s about it.
Secondly, who actually takes the sex advice (these magazines offer) seriously? I don’t. ‘Your sex life, with a rocket. How to get the fireworks back!’ Really now??? If I was a) having sex at this point in time and b) experiencing difficulties within the bed sheets, do these magazines think I’ll find the answers flipping through the Gucci adverts and the lingerie catalogue? Isn’t that what sex therapy is for? Or trying to communicate with your partner, without a redundant magazine article which gets spruced up and reformatted every couple of months? ‘’Sorry babe, the Cosmo said we shouldn’t argue because it will damage our sex life. BUT they do show us how to do this new kinky sex style….’ I’m not completely ripping these magazines off, they do offer some interesting stuff every now and then, like the amazing giveaways and fashion tips (which are not included in a Mr. Price budget) but it just seems to me that these magazines find their target audience completely incapable of being in control of their own lives. You having sex problems? Check out the sex section where we show you how to please your partner like your first time together. Having weight issues? Check out how Kim Kardashian keeps the figure she has? I know us females need some sort of encouragement every now and then and something to keep our morale and our images on level. Maybe I am not one of those females who will be working while wearing the Calvin Klein’s latest collection or driving home from work in the latest car which Cosmo told me is the best buy of this year.
After doing my course this year, you soon realize what real journalism is. Maybe it’s a good thing, maybe it’s a bad thing but I’d much rather read a feature article on a respected tattoo artist and what her views are on than an article on how to reach a better orgasm. (To be vulgar, I have had no problem reaching my climax in the past, so articles like that make me go to the star sign section instead).
Malema’s disciplinary hearing vs. 10 tips to flirt in the workplace? That’s a rhetorical question for me today.
It wouldn’t have been years ago when all I worried about was myself and how I looked or where I was seen. I guess that’s what these magazines are for. Women who live in a world where they have to look perfect after gym, where they have to be the vixen in the bedroom while maintaining a successful business career without experiencing a nervous breakdown. If most women believe this world exists, I’d like to tally them up and lock them in a room with the Etv News Channel playing for 48 hours. Maybe they will soon realize that their highlights and the latest sparkling Blackberry accessory is not a priority.
I know this blog sounds rather rude and vicious, I didn’t intend it to but it just makes me wonder what anyone can actually walk away with after reading these types of magazines? I must have read about two articles in the entire magazine and flipped through the rest. Nothing caught my attention except for the investigative feature on police brutality in South Africa, which was a good read. I do enjoy reading the other articles sometimes, for the laugh and for the f*ck of it.
So I ask again, Gadaffi’s capture by the rebels vs. 10 Things We Didn’t Know About Liposuction. It’s still a rhetorical question, to me that is.
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