Its just a little bit of fun... (Heat Magazine)

Member Name: snow_white_forev

Product:	Heat Magazine
Date:	02/09/09 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun fix of escapism

Disadvantages: The preocupation with perfection

I'm a classics student and an academic at heart but between my bouts of Plato, Aristophanes, obscure Greek novels and Suetonius I still find myself craving my weekly fix of pointless celebrity gossip curtsey of Heat Magazine. Heat magazine usually retails for about £1.65 making it about mid-range compared with other celebrity based magazines, and hits shelves weekly each Tuesday.

The magazine's glossy cover usually will feature of a picture of someone similar to Jordan, Kerry Katona , Cheryl Cole accompanied with a catchy sound bite of their latest crisis or update on their weight. Inside the majority of the magazine is devoted to revealing the celebs inner lives, habits, problems and latest love triangles. Many will question why we need to know what Britney Spears had for lunch last Sunday and the short answer is we don't but I, and many like me, don't buy these magazines because they enhance our lives or because they challenge us intellectually. Instead we buy them because they offer pure escapism, a fun relaxing read perfect for sunbathing, snuggling up on the sofa with and to save us from boredom on long train journeys and most importantly because they are enjoyable! I've enjoyed my regular updates on Katie and Peter, through marriage, parenthood and divorce, as I'm a nosy girl at heart and each week Heat makes me feel closer to them and I love laughing at the latest fashion dilemma of Paris Hilton and getting style tips from their regular celeb 'look of the week' feature. This may make me a brainwashed fool conned by a materialistic society, a product of consumer fetishism and a victim of Capitalism but I just don't care because I'm a happy smiling fool, giggling with my friends carelessly flipping its glossy pages.

Apart from their celebrity gossip that offers a chance to escape from reality another regular feature is the style section. This section is my personal favourite and I usually turn to these pages first, eager for hints and tips on how to create that look of the week. What I particularly like about Heat's style pages is the price range of the items advertised; everything from high priced designer shoes and coats to cheap and cheerful jeans by George at ASDA are featured. This refreshing mix blends perfectly my need to dream and fantasy shop, with the reality of my bank balance, making the latest 'in' look seem achievable. This section also frequently features advice on shapes and styles to suit a variety of body shapes to help you avoid creating a car-crash look. The style section usually follows a picture of the 'Torso of the Week' and whilst the celebrity male featured is usually to perfect looking for my "rough and ready" manly preference, it undoubtedly pleases many - my flatmate takes great pleasure from the various cut out torsos pinned up on her notice board!

Heat magazine tends to focus more on the celebrity world rather than on real life ordeals but luckily for those of you who like reading about women that breastfeed cats and girls who've accidently slept with their murderous cousins Heat magazine is often coupled with another magazine favourite, Closer, where readers can get their fix of bizarre but true stories.

Towards the end of each weekly edition is Heats own review centre: Heat TV. This section encompasses the weeks TV listings for the main terrestrial channels and a few selected digital highlights, not as in depth as the Radio Times does it but perfect for a quick glance, Heat also picks out a few scheduled digital highlights for each day. Heat's picks are usually for soaps, easy to watch dramas or celeb based reality escapism shoes. As well as TV highlights they also review films, commenting on the plot and what's 'good' and 'wrong' about each of the films currently listed at cinemas, as well as the week's music, DVD and book releases; each section also features a 'top 10' for ease of reading.

Heat's language and style of writing is typical to the genre; full of superlatives and sound bites with an exaggerated conversational tone making it ideal to read aloud small sections of gossip to your friends, either to giggle over or to be appalled by. This also results in the magazine being easy to sneakily peek at during work or in the midst of writing an essay, without taking too much attention away from what you're meant to be thinking about. The magazine also loves exclamation and question marks, with nearly every title accompanied by one (or both) and this initially is an annoying habit but it is part of its appeal, and from their point of view an effective method of drawing attention to a particular article. Each page is bold mix of bright colours and varying sizes of lettering also aimed at grabbing our attention as we carelessly skim through the pages; it also partially contributes to their large appeal to younger readers.

My only issue with Heat that I can't as easily reconcile in my mind is their preoccupation with the issue of weight and "perfection". Every week we are confronted with the dilemma of the 'perfect size' and celebs are often accused of being too fat or too thin. I think this creates a great deal of confusion, especially in the young readers of the magazine, which are more likely to be less comfortable in their bodies. There is no denying we have body issues in our country, with many starving themselves, comfort eating and crying all because they feel they cannot reach this unattainable "perfect body." It is an issue which Heat itself is aware off as they often write articles aimed at boosting self confidence and destroying the myth of "perfection," however these attempts are undermined by the weekly 'Hoop of Horror' which in massive red ink points out the celebrities most minor imperfections; be it a hint of sweat, a tiny roll of fat or simply a sneeze.

Such issues, however, should not put you off reading the magazine but I would advise reading particular sections with caution. Heat did not create this preoccupation with weight and "perfection" but are simply commenting on things we want to read about. After all women for centuries have harmed themselves in the pursuit of "perfection," be it through corsets, poisonous make-up or the more modern phenomena of dieting through pregnancy. It is not right and shouldn't be encouraged but Heat didn't create the problem nor can they cure it - they are just a fun, fantastic light little magazine that should be enjoyed for what it is!

Summary: Don't criticize for what it isn't ..... enjoy it for what it is!