Monday 16 January 2012

Judging a book by its cover

I have always had a bit of an obsession with magazines. A copy of 'Glamour' in my handbag ready to read on the bus home genuinely makes my day and, sad as it may sound, it can sometimes take a well written article to make you realise you're not alone when it comes to a particular view point. That said, I never hesitate to say when the magazine industry gets a little, well, ridiculous. I've also read other people's criticisms of my favourite titles and, despite initially feeling defensive, I've often came to realise that they have a point.


Today an unfamiliar publication caught my eye as I scanned the shelf of the newsagents for my latest fix. The magazine in question was called 'Body' and, judging by the advert I have since seen, appears to be dedicated to helping females keep tabs on their figure. Brilliant. Just what we need. Come on guys, we have a gazillion books/magazines/websites telling us how to lose weight- how can you still be trying to milk this? I appreciate that it's not always as simple as eating less/exercising more and I love reading about diet fads as much as the next person however even I am beginning to reach saturation point when it comes to calorie talk. More importantly, doesn't anyone else feel a little uncomfortable with the launch of yet another magazine guiding us towards a body which is probably unattainable for the majority of the female population?


I guess I should give them some credit for promoting a 'curvier' role model with a headline of "You don't have to starve to look like this! Kim Kardashian's shape-up rules" however I highly doubt I will look like the magazine's cover star simply by mirroring her eating habits. Which brings me onto another thing which infuriates me. Why give us unrealistic expectations? We're always told that looking like a celebrity is a full time job and often dependent on good genes yet the same magazine will still dedicate an entire eating plan to looking like our airbrushed idols.


Another headline also made me roll my eyes- "Is your salad cheating on you?" Um yes, it's pretending to be a full meal when we all know it's barely a snack- lying scumbag! As you can see, I struggle to take such articles seriously.


As the title of this post suggests, I have not even picked up a copy of 'Body' magazine and so am more than happy to admit I'm wrong if I do actually read through it and am pleasantly surprised. I also appreciate that this time last month I was blogging about my quest for the perfect bikini body. Considering this magazine may well have helped me to achieve just that, I guess I'm being quite the hypocrite here. It's not that I don't care about my weight, it's just that I'm currently relishing the extra layers of clothing which allow me to eat all the chocolate I want (thank God for winter!). I'm certain there will come a time when I am back on the bandwagon and clinging to any piece of literature that promises weight loss however, until then, I think I'll stick to reading articles which don't leave me questioning my salad's fidelity.