Monday, February 15, 2010

Women's magazine junkies

I make no secret of my contempt for women's magazines. What are they really? Grown-up picture books that depict good and evil; good being tight bellies and bad being dimply thighs. Or maybe they are like national standards for supposedly mature females. A chance to check out how their looks and lives rate. That's why the bad pictures are actually more titillating than the good.

What fills the pages of Women's magazines occasionally permeates my consciousness when once in a blue moon I forget to take some worthwhile reading matter on a visit to the dentist or WOF centre. These trashy tomes ooze superficiality. They speak to people whose own lives are all façade. They make women dissatisfied and depressed by publishing fabulous fairy tales of wealth and beauty. Then they cheer them up by publishing sorry stories about loss and separation and tragedy. But the release of endorphins is a temporary state of affairs. The readers become addicted. They are magazine junkies.

Alison Mau is being used to lace the latest dose. And she is not happy. She launched an attack on Women's Day on Breakfast TV today culminating in providing the editor's e-mail address, no doubt expecting an avalanche of complaints to follow.

Silly, silly. That is exactly the publicity Women's Day is courting. Mau supporters might forgo this week's WD hit but they won't go cold turkey. They'll simply score a dose of whatever other drivel is available from the news-stands.

10 comments:

homepaddock said...

They're more "weaklies" than weeklies but you're right Mau's played into their hands.

Anonymous said...

Cannot agree.

Mau has welcomed the "happy family" photo shoots in the past, she cannot allow the media into her life just when it suits her.

Had she always been one who shunned the trashy Women's magazines I might have had some sympathy.

Our so called "celebs" need to learn that they cannot control the media all the time, once you put yourself out into the public you become fair game.

Lindsay Mitchell said...

Cannot agree with what BB?

You are stating the obvious. Live by the sword and all that...

wino said...

But I love occupying the waiting room (for the hours on end it seems sometimes) and finding 15 different stories on whether William and Kate are ever going to have a royal wedding.... LOL. It's the only time I ever get to read all that trash (and I sincerely hope they don't pay whoever writes it anything much).

Agree Alison Mau should have kept her head high and her mouth shut.

Anonymous said...

Yep, sorry about that Lindsay.

She (Mau) cannot have it both ways, as soon as you invite these parasites into your life (and accept the money) you lose all rights to moan when they do not cover you in such a positive light.

Live by the sword....is exactly what I mean.

Anonymous said...

Mau's diatribe on this mornings show was i suspect done with the blessing of her employers. The episode can only boost TV1's ratings and her earning power in a world obsessed with looks and sexual inuendo.

looking at the two blondes this morning reminded me of the John Wyndham novel Midwitch Cuckoos.

The celebrity sex clones are on the move.

Dirk

Anonymous said...

As for my doctor/dentist's waiting room, i adopt a santimonious and superior atitude and look at the peoples looking at the picture peoples they dream of being. Its sad cause they aint going to make it and the only fantasy waiting is from the bottle of pills on offer..


Dirk

Anonymous said...

I couldn't agree more: all those magazines are trash.

Anonymous said...

Always hard to find real mens mags in the Doc's. You know, the fishing shooting, hunting, rooting type!

FAIRFACTS MEDIA said...

I called to see a mate the other week and flicked through some of his copies of NW, an Australian weaklie.
There were the usual stories on Brad and Angelina splitting up, or not, etc, etc.
At first, I did not realise the mags were 5 years old.
After I did I went to New World and bought him the latest copy of NW.
Guess what? The front page had a story on Brad and Angelina splitting up, or not.

But back to Ali Mau. While I think she is wonderful, she has courted coverage in the past, so cannot complain now.

But who cares if she is a lesbian or not. Tasty bit of gossip it might be.
She is a pretty good newsreader/presenter and that is what counts in my book.