I write to you from a sun-bed in Spain, it’s a particularly
cloudy day so I’ve resorted to blogging as a pastime. Today I present to you
everyday sexism, at its finest.
I’ve always had a problem with magazines which aim
themselves at women, but I specifically had a problem with one I picked up the
other day. I was in the Supermarket and thought I’d have a browse over by the
magazine section. Were the lads mags on full display to little children? Yep.
Were there enough women objectifying themselves to sell more copies? Always.
After doing the obligatory ritual of moving all the lads’ mags to the top
shelf, quickly this time in hope of not being caught by the sales assistant, I saw
the word “holiday” sprawled across a pink page with a woman standing in the
middle, looking suitably miserable. I decided to pick it up anyway, and of
course all it was telling me was how I can “lose 20lbs in a month- for that
awesome holiday body!” (A more appropriate headline may have been “how to
starve yourself for 3 weeks to become miserable and finally obtain that flat
stomach all women want!”). After a quick skim through, I went back to the
contents page to have a look at how the articles in the magazine were
advertised at the start of the magazine.
“get some SEX tips for that holiday ROMANCE”
“get that SUMMER BODY
for your beach HOLIDAY”
“8 BEAUTY tips
for that effortless summer look”
I realise that magazines do this
for money, as they advertise products that women don’t need by telling them
they really need it, or they won’t be perfect for summer. There is obviously a
market for this, the magazines are selling and the readership of these
magazines tends to be fairly big. They’re still profiting from women’s low self
esteem. I have to admit, I was immediately drawn to the “how to get that summer
body” section, despite the twix, quavers and chicken triple sandwich pack
already in my basket. I was intrigued by the apparent simpleness of it all, as
if there is a clear, easy path in how to become the perfect woman. Starving was
the answer, apparently. Maybe an occasional lentil if one is feeling particularly
hollow. I then thought about the amount of girls I know who would jump on this
idea and want to do this ludicrous diet. It’s not fair to sell these kind of
diets as a way of getting a ‘nicer’ body.
This industry is playing on young
women’s insecurities and sacrificing their health to sell more copies.