Abs and sex and nonsense.
Thanks Karly for this link,
Isn't it all ridiculous? I don't subscribe to any of those magazines, but I admit to borrowing them from the gym on occasion as they make good long soak in the tub fodder as I won't bring my kindle or library books in there.
My daughter is currently working on a homework project in which she is supposed to fill out a body shaped cut out with things that represent things that she likes. Things that represent her. As I gave her magazines I was grateful for my Mom's large stash of national geographics, my Experience Lifes and Clean Eatings, and some random others. As I went to straighten up my own bedroom this morning, I saw some stupid "self" or "shape" or some such with Pink on the cover. She was partially clad (I love a proud woman, no problem there)....but of course the cover was about a flat tummy or a great sex life or a 10 minute workout or a 5 lb loss or all of it. Julia can read now.
The whole game changes. Proud woman? Cool! How to lose 5 lbs and have great sex and cleanse and get a new look etc etc etc? I was sick to my stomach. I was ill at the thought of giving Jules this magazine to look for images to cut out to fill out her faux "person".
These magazines are recycling the same content, over and over, every month. Actually, I'm wrong, they are shifting their content just enough so as to keep people buying these stupid things.......for WHAT? I'm not going to google it, but Shape and Self and the like have been around for long enough now that if their "tips" and workouts and "diets" worked........60% of americans would not be overweight. I mean, right?
I loved this:
ReplyDelete"It's easier to look at what's wrong or missing in our lives and believe that is the big picture -- but it isn't. We can choose to let the beautiful parts set the tone."
Who hasn't gotten caught up in the "I'll be happy when..." trap? We all have our challenges. We can dwell on them or be happy regardless. I hope to always choose happy, even if it's not always easy.
(Totally agree with you about those magazines. All of them. I actually used Google image search to do similar projects with the kids. I would rather just search for what the picture they want and print it out...avoiding the pitfalls of those magazines all together. Conversations I know we'll have to happen at some point in the future, however. Ugh.)
Sorry for all the typos from my phone!
ReplyDeleteRight?! These magazines drive me crazy, and now with two daughters I am just DONE with them.
ReplyDelete