Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Trashy Mags, Thin or Fat

I regularly buy trashy mags, especially when I'm sick and right now I'm home from work with a summer cold. I get to catch up on all the Hollywood goss and check out who's wearing what.

But I'm finding myself more and more disenchanted by how judgemental those magazine are on the topic of a women's weight. Who made the editors of those magazines the be-all and end-all of what a "perfect" weight is? According to the mags, it's a "healthy" weight - but the term "healthy" is also very arbitrary.

Take, for example, the current issue of NW Weekly:

It's all about weight.

So, according to the self-proclaimed experts at NW, Lindsay is too thin and Jessica is too fat. OK, I concede that Lindsay is scary looking here (that weird body suit thing doesn't help) and the angle of the photo and the clothes that Jessica is wearing are not flattering.

But Lindsay has confessed to an eating disorder before, so is printing photos of her at this weight in any way a responsible thing to do? And Jessica is a beautiful woman (who just needs a good stylist!).

What really gets me though, is the article on Mischa Barton. It pokes fun at her for being too thin AND too fat. The article has a photo from when she was heavier, with some jibe about her having a double chin. It then points to current photos of Mischa and declares that this she is too skinny. You can't win!

Too thin, too fat, too much!

No wonder young women are developing eating disorders and many women are obsessive about their weight.

Even I'm starting to get paranoid about my little pot-belly. And I'm a 180cm, size 10 (US size 6?) who cycles 8km per day!

I'm considering banning the trashy mags and buying only Marie Claire, which at least publishes stories on a vaguely intellectual level.

7 comments:

  1. Yeah I went through that phase too. But being a hostie, it's inherent in our systems to be addicted to reading trash!!

    I'm trying to just skim thru them at Coles rather than buying, or try to buy Heath &Fitness or similar.

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  2. Too thin, too fat, too much - too true.

    But anything that plays on a woman's insecurities makes for less spade work - so I can't complain!

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  3. Bin them all I say, the wife picks them up some times and as they are lying around I obviously read them, but they contain so much bitching in them. You need a bloke mag, no words just pictures!

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  4. Tray: Yeah, I need to wean myself off them.

    Lerm: Exploitation! ;)

    Stu: I think there's a niche market in there somewhere. A girls' version of a bloke mag!

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  5. hehe Its amazing how these pieces of trash can drag us into their trivial word. What gets me is they are so full of made up lies! IF you follow the tripe they go about in regards to say Jolie and Pitt or that idiot Cruise and his dumb wife its obvious that their making it up as they go along!

    Why they haven't had the arse sued off them is anyone's guess (And a LOT more dead paparazzi!)

    I suppose it's the people who buy this stuff that keeps it coming... :-)

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  6. My favourite trashy mag currently was either Cleo or Cosmo which gives detailed instruction on how to give a good blow job. How many 14 year olds are thus enlightened?

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  7. MickH: I know. One moment they're printing one thing about a celebrity and the next week they totally contradict themselves!

    Maggs: Yeessss, I used to read Dolly when I was a young-un... Useful! ;)

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