Well designed but unappealing tome to the cult of 'Celebrity' (Heat)

Member Name: paulie1975

Product:	Heat
Date:	09/04/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Trashy, easy to read

Disadvantages: Vindictive, nasty, makes women feel bad about themselves and bitchy about others

My other half buys this every week and leaves it lying around, just knowing that I love reading and will pick anything up and devour it, so this isn't a heat reader writing this review this is a casual observer.

So the magazine itself seems to be devoted to a small number of celebrities who have inexplicibly caught the imagination of its readers, covers seem to range between Jordan, Posh Spice, Kerry Katona, anyone from the Apprentice, Big Brother or any reality based show.

If you look objectively at the stories in it there is some absolute rubbish, but this I believe the best selling weekly magazine in the UK. There are some admirable traits to the magazine, writing can be fun and frivolous, there are good tv reviews, decent reviews of books, dvds and music (although it does feel as though there is a level of self interest in these reviews). But overall I find the magazine disagreeable, the magazine delights in showing celebrities looking a bit off colour or discusses in detail whether Jessica simpson or Britney Spears are fat, these articles are scathing and yet these women aren't fat their being shot from silly angles. Its distressing as I know my partner reads it and her self-esteem is affected by these kind of magazines which delight in laughing at people who are dressed badly or are a bit heavier than they were.

Added to this, I find the cult of celebrity around people with no discernible talent worrying, people like Katonia and Jordan have amazing houses and think they are worthy 'celebrities' through being celebrated and having these magazines listen to their views, its a shame as this is like reading about a car crash and the magazines are subsidising this ridiculousness.

In itself the magazine is easy to read, but in an era where 'celebrity' can mean anything and talent falls by the wayside this is an undignified peek into the lives of people I don't know or care about.

Summary: Well designed but unappealing tome to the cult of 'Celebrity'