While breezing through a women's magazine one day, I realized how incredibly and utterly irresponsible and ridiculous women's magazines are getting. Do you think maybe they could write about something other than men and appearances? This may come as a surprise to many, but women do think about other things! I hope this brings a little realization to how belittling women's magazines are towards women. Today women are struggling for equality and autonomy, and you'd hope that a magazine aimed at women would encourage the women spirit, rather than inhibit it by printing articles like "So, Who's Making You Fat?" (March Glamour 108). Here is a more in depth look at women's magazines, starring "Glamour."

"Are Your Sex Secrets Getting Spilled?" Do you need to know "How to Detect if Your Man's Blabbing (and Do Damage Control)" just in case he is telling the world the details of your sex life? Then March's issue of "Glamour" is exactly what you need. Subtitles such as these, or probably worse, flood magazine racks not just in every major United States city, but practically every store in the country, from your local supermarket to the little ma and pop convenience store on the corner. Gossip magazines like "Cosmopolitan" and "Elle," have become one of America's most popular past times. Of the many equally disruptive messages most magazines targeted toward women communicate, is the incessant encouragement of unhealthy relationships among friends and lovers.

"Instant Great Hair Gratification" (March Glamour 304). Are you asking yourself what's wrong with that? I did. At first glance eye-catching subtitles like these seem to be utterly standard. A couple months ago I would have read this subtitle with a sense of intrigue. In fact, there is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about these magazine topics. This is by far the saddest part. When you consider the deeper psychological meaning and subconscious effects these magazines have on people, especially teenage girls, one only begins to realize the too often unseen damages magazines such as "Glamour" cause. Now, as a student of both Social Psychology and Women Studies, I am especially aware of the inconspicuous and, to say the least, negative consequences articles like "Voice Male: Analyze his Outgoing Message" have on women, and therefore society, as a whole (March Glamour 158).

Nancy Signorielli, professor of communication at the University of Delaware, performed a study on the unhealthy messages media are sending about relationships. In magazines aimed at teenage girls, Signorielli found that "35% of articles focused on dating, while only 12% discussed either school or career" (USA Today). Possibly even more disturbing is the fact that of these magazines "37% included a focus on appearance, and over 50% of the advertisements [within] used an appeal to beauty to sell their products" (USA Today). In relating these two overbearing focal points of beauty and the importance of dating for women, we are raising women to evaluate their self- worth according to how men see them.

Perhaps the strongest argument that women targeted magazines focus mainly on man/woman relationships, is my inability to find articles focusing on friendships. While Signorielli reports approximately 28% of the content of women's magazines is spent discussing friendships, I had an extremely hard time locating just three articles that even mention the word "friend." For instance, "My Two Breast Friends," is an article in February's issue of Glamour full of reader responses discussing "Why They [readers] Love Their Chests" (February Glamour 196). 'My breasts are my lucky charms and not just because men love them,' exclaims one Glamour reader. Another explains, 'Yes, they're real. I call them "the twins" but my friend calls them my "men magnets"' (February Glamour 112). After reading this article, it seems that the underlying motivation for women even having friends is to get a man.

But, if for some reason you have a friend for purposes other than trapping men, every issue Glamour dedicates an entire quarter of a page discussing friendships entitled "You, You, You" (not a very appropriate title to discuss a relationship that requires compromise and thinking of someone other than yourself). February's quarter focuses on readers "venting their girlfriend gripes" (February Glamour 112). Yes, you can write into to Glamour magazine and trash the person you call your best friend publicly. Of course you can always change the names and specifics so that your best friend will never find out. It's kind of like talking behind her back to a million listeners. To say the least, this article instills a sense of mistrust among people. It's no wonder that Glamour follows up with the article "Behind Your Back Buzz: twenty-one signs people are talking good or bad about you" (February Glamour 222). Instead of doing something completely outrageous like confronting a friend about some of your "gripes" or merely asking someone what they think about you, women can take the sneaky and ridiculous Lucy and Ethel approach, which ultimately always leads to trouble.

Absolutely every article and advertisement holds the underlying assumption that you, as a woman, have a boyfriend or are frantically working on getting one, and that you are very sexually active. These magazines sell themselves and the products within by making women feel less then the norm, in case you don't currently have a boyfriend or aren't simultaneously dating more than one guy. If this poor "wallflower" describes you, then there is something you can do, and "Glamour" magazine is there to change you from that pathetic, over- or underweight little girl to a sultry, seductive, but natural-looking, man- winning woman that you have the potential to be.

"His Sign," the way to tell "his" horoscope found in every issue, and the unusual title, but similar in content, "Leggo My Ego! Four little missteps that will make your tough guy feel whimpified," are two of the innumerable articles focused on "your man" (March Glamour 60, 196). If subtitles like these didn't make up over 50% of the cover pages of almost every women's magazine, there would be little need for concern. But the fact is, starting at a young age which decreases each year, women are bombarded with the extreme importance of snatching a man for her side (Gender 14).

Sadly, the motivation of dating is not simply companionship. Social status and personal gratification are often the two factors considered in choosing a mate. People 'evaluate relationships by weighing their cost against the extent to which they satisfy one's needs' (Gender 47). This idea alone could account for the increasing divorce rate, which currently stands at a little over 50% (USA Today). The unhealthy media inspired messages concerning relationships is also illustrated in every public high school in America. When it comes to dating, the popular youth consensus seems to be 'You have to date in order to rate, and rate in order to date' (Gender 53). Does this sound familiar? Allow me to make the connection: women rate their self-worth according to how men see them.

So what's the media's defense in all this? The media claims it is merely a reflection of the women of the nineties. While it's easy to recognize that the debate remains of whether media inspires or reflects society, it doesn't really matter. Both roles, catalyst and mirror, are encouraging unhealthy ideals and behaviors in relationships. Furthermore, magazine articles similar in content are not new to society.

In an account of early feminist Simone de Beauvior's first trip to America in the late 1940's, she reported in disappointment, 'I read in American Women's magazines long articles on the art of fishing and hunting for husbands and on the art of snaring men' (Gender 14). Perhaps it is the forty-six years of these male focused articles that reflect the goals of today's women. Or more likely, it's the forty-six years of this style of writing that has caused women to search almost desperately for a male counterpart in order to feel complete in society. Either way it is disappointing to realize that even with the immense progress they have made in their conquest for equality and autonomy, women are still buying into the same past-time literature as before the majority of women even began to work.

References:
Stone, Linda, Mckee, Nancy. Gender and Culture in America. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1999.
USA Today. December 97. Vol. 126. Issue 2631.
Glamour. February 1999. Issue 37123. ed. Bonnie Fuller.
Glamour. March 1999. Issue 37123. ed Bonnie Fuller.