Week 2: Images of women and minorities in the media

When everyone brought their magazines to class, it was interesting to see what articles were included and who they were directed to. If they were women's magazine, they focused on fashion, beauty, health and sex. For once, I would like to see a women's magazine that doesn't focus on the latest innovations of make-up, but had fashions and beauty for REAL women and not just photo shopped models. I would also like to see more women's magazines that have interesting articles about strong women outside of our stereotypes. Girls need strong role models growing up, women that they can inspire to be. They don't need to be informed every second that they're fat and ugly, but if they buy this miracle make-up or expensive blue jeans, they will be instantly changed.

One thing that I can't stand are women's magazines like Cosmo, who always includes articles of "how to please your man" or "how to keep your man interested." Seriously? I mean, I may be naive, but I don't think that women should have to do things out of their comfort zone or contort their bodies into pretzels to keep their man sexually satisfied and to keep the guys from leaving them. If that's what it takes to "keep a man" and to prevent him from cheating or leaving, I don't want any part in relationships and I'll just convert to Catholicism and become a nun. Ha ha.

I brought Vogue magazine, which was filled with articles discussing the latest fashion trends from all over the world. The only other type of stories it included were how the trend for Hollywood women was to get pregnant and start a family and it also included an article about how some men (ie: Jude Law) were cheating on their wives with the nanny. I thought it was interesting that Vogue made it seem like the "in" thing to do to have a family as it highlighted Gwyneth Paltrow, who at the time of the article, just had her first child. They made her seem glamorous as mom instead of the normal stressed and hectic new mom.

It's interesting to see that men's magazines gear towards cars, electronics, the latest technology and barely clothed women while women's magazines gear towards beauty, fashion, health and sex. I would like to see the magazines change and include informing stories and include women and men who are role models to society, but at the same time those magazines wouldn't sell. I guess sex sells.