Again I’d like to take the time offer this caveat. Due to my condition (MS), I don’t type and must rely on the kindness of strangers to take my dictation and turn it into a blog post. Therefore, if you are offended by any mistakes, I apologize.
Women’s magazines have long been a staple in publishing. However, as technology has evolved the state of publishing has changed. We can now get our favorite magazines digitally and most magazines have an online presence. For those of us who still like the tactile pleasure of flipping through the pages of an actual magazine, paper copies are still available.
One of the most appealing things is accessibility to the editors, staff writers and contributors for each magazine. Gone are the days of letters to the editors sent via snail mail. We can email and Tweet our thoughts, comments and suggestions directly to the magazine. The question is if they really want to hear what readers think.
Even with declining circulation numbers for some magazines, I realize that editors cannot be expected to answer every email. If they did, I don’t believe they’d have time to devote to content. Nevertheless, an inclusive magazine is more likely to retain and even gain more readers, recession or not. According to The Press Gazette, total circulation (including free titles) in the women’s lifestyle/fashion sector rose 1.3 per cent to 6.8m in the first half of 2011, according to ABC figures released in August 2011. I feel that the magazines with better overall figures were the ones that actually listened to the consumer. Those that didn’t saw their numbers fall.
I, like many other readers have emailed editors regarding specific articles. We aren’t trying to get a job or pitch a freelance article. Instead we wrote to share our opinions. More often than not, the messages were deleted without being read. It was a cyber slap in the face. Despite being a women’s lifestyle/fashion magazine, we were dismissed with a simple click of the delete button.
Women are the busiest people on the planet. We are working mothers, entrepreneurs, caregivers, wives, partners, sisters and daughters. Nearly every woman I know has so much going on, they need two plates to handle the overflow. Therefore, if we take the time to write, we aren’t doing so because we have nothing better to do.
We might not be A-list actresses, models, beauty moguls, fashion designers or the like. Nevertheless that doesn’t mean we don’t have something to add to the conversation. Sure, we like to read about celebrities but if I see another article about how an A-list star is juggling motherhood, getting her pre-baby body back and still finding time to walk the red carpet looking smashing, I am going to scream. The fact is their reality is a long way from most working mothers’ it isn’t funny. If you’re a mom with children under 12 the bathroom is practically your only sanctuary. and you don’t have the luxury of bringing an au pair or nanny to work with you.
Then there are the magazines for the north of forty readers. I believe their overall goal is noble. They want us to know that forty isn’t fatal and we’re still vital, which is great. However, if they are trying to make us feel better with articles about women who are running marathons, running nonprofits, volunteering with orphans in Africa and to top it all off, they’re doing it all while keeping a twenty something looking physique, I think they are missing the mark.
Frankly, I’m not sure whether it’s a case of magazines offices are so high up that objects appear smaller than they really are or not. But the truth is more women over forty are fighting the middle age spread and don’t have the time to work out several times a week. It’s not that I don’t appreciate reading something inspirational but I’d like to see a few real women thrown in the mix for good measure.
What I am suggesting is that before you hit that delete button and send us into cyber purgatory, you might want to read what we have to say. You never know if an ordinary looking oyster may have a pearl in it. Just something to think about.
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