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Cosmopolitan
by missrarr
Not long ago I needed a bit of a pick-me-up. People who read my review of the Revlon Matte Lipstick might have noticed that my foremost female friend, my once best friend indeed, is no longer a part of my life after revealing her pretty shockingly poor true colours. As such I don't have a close female buddy in my life and when I decided ... that I wanted to depart the day-to-day professional commuter lifestyle on the train I thought I couldn't go wrong by picking up an issue of my old late-teen years favourite, Cosmopolitan, on the way to catch my city-bound cattlebus to try to get a female look into what's going on in the world as I couldn't just call someone up for a chat.
Not only was it Cosmo, the April 2012 issue (still available as I type this) had two mini Clinique gifts included, so I figured that even if the journalistic calibre had plummeted drastically, I would still have something worthwhile out of the experience - you can probably tell I don't buy 'glossies' on a regular basis any more!
***THE MAGAZINE***
Cosmopolitan is basically a very pro-feminism magazine but one that tempers that approach with a modern realism - basically their ethos is that women should be able to earn the same as men, do the same jobs as men and also still enjoy their sensuality, sexuality and fashion and beauty. Here, here.
As I mentioned above, I used to read the magazine a lot when I was in my late teens - I used to like the balance between indulgent articles - there is inevitably some screaming headline on the front cover about improving your sex life - with their in-depth real-life investigations or perspective articles. I was hoping the same balance between the two, and the later fashion and beauty pages, had been maintained as I revisited this old favourite.
***MY ISSUE***
Well the free gifts were lovely but they were not par for the course so I won't go on about them as this is a review of the magazine itself.
On the cover we are, as is the norm, treated to a stunning photo of the lead celebrity female interview subject - in this instance Holly Willoughby. In this case her wholesome, girl-next-door (good neighbourhood!) persona is contrasted by her revealing, skin-tight black lace and leather studded outfit, wild tousled hair and smouldering eye-shadow - sure enough the caption below her headline is "as you've never seen her before".
There's a mention for 104 handbags I'll apparently "heart" (really?) and MEN CONFESS...apparently. About break ups, your orgasms, sex worries... plus Salary Wars, Look-Hot Fashion and...well that's about it. It wasn't the most inspiring front cover ever, although I do admire Holly Willoughby and thought her interview might be interesting after her apparent return from seemingly carrying a small army of pattering feet during last season's Dancing on Ice. Or Strictly Come Dancing...whichever one she's actually on. I don't know....!
***UNDER THE COVER...***
First thing we see? Advertising! What a shock. But sadly par for the course in modern glossies the genre over. So Estee Lauder and Thomas Sabo later, we get to the contents page, a few features highlights with photos and the rest grouped in sections. Flick forward, more contents, a Clinique ad. Then a Chanel one. Then a Gucci one. Then a Miss Sixty One. And yes, this mag does have individual advertising inserts, as well...
***NEXT?***
The credits pages - a small bit on how to achieve Holly's look - should you wish to be able to go about your day-to-day lie in a leather / lace / studded black catsuit with vamp eyes, harlot hair and an Angelina pout. Oh, and an Escada advert. And some make up promo spots if you do want to adopt the vamp next door look.
Next? Clarins ad.
Finally, some editorial! From the editor...there's not much to it. Then Pantene are in it!
C-M@il. Basically a condensed letters page for the email generation...and a DKNY perfume ad.
Ooh, Hugo Boss Orange next! Then a promo for Cosmo's own iPhone app...
...frankly at this stage I was already starting to get fed up. Any chance of something actually worth reading, please?
***MOVING ON IN HOPE...***
In fairness this is a happy birthday issue for the brand, so they have a double-page spread of celeb well wishers scrawling their sentiments in a birthday card. Sweet, but not really that important.
Then a self-aggrandising comment from Suzanne Moore about "why Cosmo rocks"....enough already. I know it rocks, or at least I used to. That's why I bought it. And I'm starting to regret having done so at this point...
***TIME FOR AN UPTURN?***
Oh look, a L'Oreal advert.
***MUST GET BETTER SOON?***
Oh look, Max Factor are here too...on the other half o this spread we are told get a handmade statement necklace and be sexy and confident and smart and stick on a vest top and a skirt that costs nearly £300 from a designer I've never heard of. At this point, I'm starting to get a bit fed up. What happened to the magazine I used to read only about eight years ago, which knew that your self confidence came not from sticking on a leather-and-silver necklace and a cheap-looking-but-epically-expensive skirt but from addressing your confidence issues and your ambitions and trying to make the most of yourself? Please tell me it's in here somewhere?
***CUTTING TO THE QUICK***
Right, enough of this page-by-page analysis. In short you get a lot of one-page wonders. You get one page of fashion. One of celeb make up inspiration. More advertising (grr), the odd product-endorsed promo page, entreaties to subscribe for a discounted rate...and then finally we get something to read.
Now as this is a birthday issue in this version, the writers push modern Feminism...so the first question posed by their editorial is "can you Vajazzle and be a feminist?".
DO I CARE? Flipping heck. I'm 27, not 17. I've never watched TOWIE in my life and only know the connection from being told this by someone at work who was in hysterics at my ignorance of this apparent trend of adorning the nether regions of your body with sparkly body jewellery.
What happened to Cosmo speaking to the modern, mid-late-20s professional female?
Moving on...
Men vs Fashion when some, again alarmingly young, lads are asked to do a fashion writers job for them and judge a female celebrity's outfits. Jesus....at this point I found the free lip balm very, very interesting.
***TO CONDENSE THIS BEFORE IT TURNS INTO A RANT?***
Alright, might be a bit late to avoid rant status, but I must say I am hugely disappointed at the turns Cosmopolitan has taken in its evolution. Gone are the hard-hitting (maybe too expensive?) investigative articles that used to make at least ONE part of this magazine a good ten-minute, involving read amongst the otherwise fluffy image-obsessed, sex-life-related content - which when balanced out with something truly thought-provoking, researched, well-executed and involving was nowhere near as irritating because it made the magazine more rounded as a whole, speaking not only to the shallow female side of modern society and it's aesthetic obsession but also giving the more discerning modern woman something to consider. Instead there is barely one item in this magazine now that would hold my attention for more than two minutes, and those are few and far between - a sad loss when Cosmopolitan used to be the lead name in it's genre.
So unfortunately, in trying to be all things to all people, I think Cosmopolitan has lost its way, and it's ironic that it is the birthday issue, with it's "pro-feminism", celeb-adorned "feature", really just an exercise in self indulgence for the publication and self promotion for the celebrities endorsing the supposed cause, that has convinced me that Cosmopolitan has completely lost it's connection to considered, deep-thinking modern females and instead has become one of the trashiest magazines available masquerading as a glossy, and sadly only worth buying if it's offering something that you want for free.
***IN CONCLUSION?***
Stop assuming that feminism means we all want more money and pretty shoes, credit us with having some intellect, and hire some good journalists rather than a succession of women pulling 'cute' faces in their byline photo (which now takes up a whole page, saving handy word-count allowances no doubt) telling us about how they've split up from their boyfriend. And while you're at it, ditch 10% of the adverts and realise that we don't all have brilliant careers affording us hundred-pound designer skirts at a whim and go home to stunningly gorgeous boyfriends who have us swinging from the chandeliers in our perfect apartments all night. Instead, modern women in the supposed "professional" target age range are getting on with it, making ends meet, often saving for first homes, starting families, advancing their careers, trying to make their relationships work and trying to be all things to all people AND have to try to meet these fantastical ideals, presumably feeling really naff about themselves if they fail in also looking waif-like in the latest catwalk make-up and fashion trends and in going home to vamp it up and act like a Holly Willoughby-shaped sex kitten.
I suppose what really irks me is that a truly successful female in the old Cosmo ideal is someone who IS making their life work on a multitude of fronts; the home, the relationship, the social and family life and the career. But unfortunately for women like those (I would like to say "like us and count myself amongst those who are at least trying), this magazine no longer holds much gravitas. It's a shadow of its former self, for which I for one am sad, because it used to mean a lot more, but as it celebrates it's 40th year it's too busy reminding us we should fancy "the other one from Twilight" to notice how much it's lost.
Whoops, sorry, that did turn into a bit of a rant. Well, I tried.
***OH YEAH, THE USEFUL STUFF***
It's £3.50 and available all over the place. I award two stars, but even I suspect one of those is for past loyalty.
Read the complete review |
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Vogue
by rolandrat
---Why I Bought This---
I enjoy magazines (well some) but now seldom get out or have any bought - so when I had a chance of a subscription and of getting three issues for £1 I thought I would give this one a go - working out at 33p each for me it had to worth having.
---The Brand---
Vogue is a ... fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly Condé Nast.
Founded in 1892 in the USA. The British edition has been published since 1916.
---The Product---
A large heavy glossy magazine.
Lots of colourful adverts.
Approximately 340 good quality pages.
4 perfumed pages.
---Cost---
£4.10 per month.
---My Opinion---
Well I was really pleased to get my magazine delivered. It was very heavy and promised a lovely time of browsing.
I was really pleased with the perfume pages - one was perfumed down the side, another had a sample of perfumed card in an envelope and the other two had foiled sample sections - the Linda McCartney L.I.L.Y was especially nice, although searching online I then saw how expensive it was!
The magazine was interesting to flick through - seeing lots of expensive adverts, though many are done in such an 'arty' way that there seems more effort put into the photo shot rather than showing the actual article being advertised - or perhaps I am just out of touch.
Lots of well known brands had their adverts: Ralph Lauren, Prada, Dior, Gucci etc.
I enjoy looking at fashions and make-up, even if I cannot afford then, but I would not say I was very keen on the way everything was presented.
There was little that I wished to read - well very little to read at all really. There was a few pages towards the back written about Boris Johnson, which I did read, as I find him quite amusing, but other than that there was nothing.
I will enjoy flicking through my next two issues when they arrive, and also being able to sample new perfumes, but overall it is not something I would particularly want to buy, even it was cheaper than its current price.
Maybe this is just me, I can never seem to find an enjoyable magazine, and the ones that I do seem to like are way too expensive - but this is not one of them.
---Star Rating---
2 Stars - good quality paper and printing and a lot of it - but not my cup of tea..
---Would I Recommend?---
No not really - and I do not think it is something my circle of friends would appreciate either.
---Website---
www.vogue.co.uk
Read the complete review |
