| Product: |
That's Life |
| Date: |
26/11/02 (303 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Entertaining, real-life stories
Disadvantages: Salacious
Is it schadenfreude or just sheer relief I feel as I read through the pages of this magazine? The stories are salacious and contain tales of woe, dysfunctional family life, criminal activity and sexual misdemeanours. No matter how mad my own life may seem, at least it isn?t as bad as these peoples!
THE COVER
The front cover of the magazine always sports a photograph of a woman. This is never a famous woman, nor is it a glamorous seductress. After all, this is a magazine for normal people, with normal (ish) lives and their mundane existence is reflected in the model?s image.
Appetite whetting headlines are scattered over the cover, luring the reader to open the pages and learn more about the misfortunes of other people, who are just like us and may well be our friends, our family or our neighbours.
?Sex with strangers? boasts one by-line. A woman who was happily married but couldn?t stop sleeping around, tells her story on page 4. Quite why she would wish to share this news with the national readership is unclear, although I suspect that the temptation of being paid £400 for her story may have something to do with it.
THE STORIES
The main reason for buying the magazine has to be the titillating tales of ordinary people. Most of us are nosey. Well, I fully admit that I am ? I even avoid net curtains as they obstruct my view of my neighbours? activities! However, between the pages of this magazine not only can I hear about the sordid details of people?s private lives but I can learn intimate facts that can never be gained from mere curtain twitching.
The story of a 16 year old girl who was raped and made to feel like a tart in court.
The parents of a child who had to have his left arm amputated at birth.
The woman who stabbed her husband to make him understand the hurt she was feeling after the death of their child.
Some of these stories inspire bravery and courage an
d fill you with admiration for those involved. Others astound you as to why the participants could possibly want to share their ordeals with the nation? Surely it can?t be for the money? Do they gain some sort of catharsis from the sharing experience?
However, the monetary aspect must be a tempting factor. As you read the increasingly distressing tales of heartache you can?t help but begin to trawl through your own memory for moments of sadness or tragedy which might earn you a few hundred quid, but then you remember that in exchange for this blood money you will be exposing your soul to not only hundreds of thousands of strangers but possibly your neighbours, your friends and the woman who works down the local chip shop.
OTHER FEATURES
In addition to the weekly insights into the readers? lives, the magazine contains other regular features such as horoscopes, fashion, cookery, beauty, health and homes. However, it is quite clear where the emphasis of the magazine lies, as the fashion appears on only one page, as do health, cookery and beauty!
The extra features are there purely to conform to the traditional idea of a magazine and the contents it should hold. They are there to add more interest to the contents page and are, more likely than not, skimmed over by most readers in their search for the next real-life story.
The magazine is also bursting with competitions where the reader can win between £1,000 and £5,000. However, these are insultingly easy and are little more than just prize draw entries.
You can also earn yourself £15 for having a rude joke published. These are always very mild in nature and for your delectation here is one of the most groan worthy:
Q. Why did the skeleton burp?
A. Because it didn?t have the guts to fart.
GREED AND SADISM
The magazine is a snip at only 60p and for such a small amount of money, in comparison to other glossy productions, provide
s a huge amount of entertainment, which is not spoiled by pages and pages of pointless advertisements.
The stories entertain but more than that they remind you that there are people out there who are far worse off than yourself! Don?t feel too sorry for these unfortunate creatures; remember that they revealing their secrets in exchange for hard cash and fifteen minutes of fame (well, more like two and a half minutes).
Next month I think I shall share my story of how I gave birth to a Martian?s love child. After all, I could do with a new fitted kitchen and £400 would come in handy!
Summary:
|
Last comment:
 |
mr blonde - 03/12/02 sounds like an intruiging read, although i do still like fhm, even just on sheer comedy content alone |
View all
17
comments
|
