To feel like there is not one decent women's magazine on the market

[tinierclanger]

They all churn out the same tired old stuff slightly rehashed every now and again, there's no proper journalism, hardly any proper reviews, no insight into anything. They're all so boring!

I dread to think how much I have spent on magazines over the years- I've had quite an addiction for the past 15 years and have tried just about every one, although I have cut right down now. I have to say I love Red-it makes me feel all inspired (for about 10 minutes) and I love the smell of the pages

I used to love cosmo when I was younger but find it utter crap now- I do not give two hoots about 'what men are really thinking when they are shagging you' or 'what men really think about your new haircut'.... I know what my husband is thinking most of the time, bless him, he is fairly predictable.

Also, if I see pixie lott on another women's front cover I will scream- I really am not interested. Although as I am pregnant I am now able to tap into a whole new market of magazines- mother and baby....

Was it just a rumour, but aren't BBC thinking of selling some of their stake in their magazines??

I subscribe to magazines that are about the subjects I'm interested in.
Therefore I buy:

How it works - Quirky science
Focus -another quirky science
MBR -mountain bike rider
Trail - Mountains and hill walking
Classic Rock -title says it all!
NME - Just can't give this up!!!

and not a handbag in sight!!

mumsnet monthly, sponsored by Boden and Lurpak... Set in comic sans with a voucher for Sma on the cover

I agree. I worked for several major magazines in years gone past and helped launch one or two as well, but I look at the present offerings and despair.

I did get in touch with the features editor of SHE to point out that if they relaunched in their previous form, as a mag for thinking women, they would clean up, and although she seemed to agree with me, I don't think anybody would let them do this.

I now read the Economist, New Scientist, Nature, The Week and Private Eye. But I could do with something intellectual and glossy tbh.

Can I add that I never ever cared about fashion shoots or handbags or shoes even when I worked on women's mags?

Nor did I respond to 90% of the advertising. I assumed I was wierd but actually, thinking about it, maybe they were starting to die even then.

When you think of all of the threads on here, like bereavement and adoptions we must have loads of 'real-life' story potential, and style and beauty could do a Best buys section or product reviews... Lots of professionals on here who could give legal advice/ science updates. We could even have craft and recipes...

You're right - it's all here. Just needs a genius editor to get it together (makes it sound very easy...)

Um, and a few million to set up.
There's more to it that putting a few stories together, photcopying it and stapling it!

I was addicted to 'Women's' and 'Homemaker' magazines, and over time I realised they are one of the main tools used to make women feel inadequate and to persuade us to part with our money to remedy our 'defects'.

I can't believe I was taken in for so long, though I agree that standards have sunk to subterranean levels with the 'sleb' culture.

I now read on-line magazines like Bust or gardening, ecological and spiritual matters.

Having a quick look at Bust and I have to say I am favourably impressed. The Antarctic wintering article looks particularly intriguing. I had a male friend do that and I would be interested to see a female viewpoint.

I have never liked women's magazines. They are all hugely aspirational, full of ads and deadly dull.

I now buy Trek magazine which is about the outdoors and far more interesting!

Glad to see The Week mentioned a lot.

We have a subscription and it is the only magazine dh and I (have time to) read - in fact we sometimes fight over who gets to bring it to work to read on the train that day.

It contains soundbites of the weeks' news distilled from all the best rags, presents both viewpoints. Good restaurant reviews, like what another poster said about property porn. I also like the business section. I frequently keep the recipes - probably the only traditionally girlie bit about the magazine.

Women's magazines are tripe.

Come on people ! The womans magazines at the' tabloid' end of the 'spectrum' (Chat,PickMeUp etc..)are worth forking out the money for just for the Crap top tips alone.

They are sooo funny/crazy/WTF inducing and the photos are pricless(always out of focus, illustarting how to achieve the tip)

Fav examples of mine include a pic of lettace on a pillow case half hanging out of a washing machine, with some hand fluttering over the control panel just before contents are put on a spin run! You never know when you will misplace your salad spinner, or (shock horror) use a paper towel like a normal person. The only logical alternative is a washing machine as we all know!! if doctors prescribed them instead of pills no one would ever be depressed again!

Oh, Closer pisses me right off. We used to have it delivered to work and every single article mentioned weightloss, weight or dress size...then in the back of the mag was a feature where they went through a sleb's diet along with a 'nutritionalist' saying 'Sushi is full of carbs, she would have been better off with a salad'. It's read by teenagers and that depresses me. No wonder we're all so fucked up about food and all our teen girls are painted orange and wanting boob jobs.

I'm bored with photos of designer goods. Not interested.

I agree, I do think they are harmful, always suggesting there is more self-improvement to be done.

I genuinely tried offering some more thoughtful freelance articles to one or two, and they wouldn't touch them, which made me feel quite frustrated and sad. If I recall, I think one of them was a thorough historic and scientific working over of the magic pants phenomenon of recent years, aka the joys of the foundation undergarment. Except that would probably have encouraged readers to buy well fitting but surpringly good value old lady girdles, instead of overpriced Spanx type things, equally unattractive, with useless coffee extracts enbedded within them, making ridiculous claims. And then the publishers would have lost the related Spanx advertising, most probably.

Perhaps that's the bottom line (excuse the pun)

See, that would have been great, boffinsmum.

Aibu to be rather pleased by the success of this thread? At least I know it's not just me now...

Boffinmum. Not boffinsmum. Subconscious sexism?

I think the New Woman you all remember isn;t the one of the early 00s I remember. That had, amongst the usual beauty/hair product round ups a page called 'Surgery news', tedious 'Bloke Jokes' and a stunt where they asked girls to go into Topshop topless, breasts covered by a copy of the mag, to get free clothes.

I agree - all a waste of money. Most of them are just giant adverts. Eg Let's have a page of red things! Red shoes red scarf red picture frame (and here is where to buy the red items)...
Next page - gold stuff to buy!
Then...more stuff to buy!

I read Private Eye and the New Scientist if I can find them. Have started doing Suduko instead of reading mags.

I do agree that magazines like Take a Break and such like are so bizarre they make me laugh. Neighbours are always stealing each others husbands and the hints are great...'Use old CDs to brighten up your garden' hee hee

I do in fact have one or two potential BabyBoffins so I answer to both

I too am really pleased about this thread, but fairly depressed about the lack of representation of our views on women, both in respect to this and also the wider issues surrounding budget cutbacks and women being apparently forced back into the home.

Thing is, people like me, we try very hard to speak out and add to the debate, but seem to have little voice. In my case, I sit on as many boards and committees as I can, offer articles, write books and generally try to get a different view across, and I just get blardy well ignored. I don't think it's because I am up my own backside and talking rubbish, because the reception I get on here is more positive. I reckon it is mainly because:

*I did not go to Oxford
*I do not have a rich, influential or famous parent or spouse
*I am not on the Ealing/Richmond/Chiswick/Chelsea dinner party circuit.

Not that I have a chip or anything, you understand. But it is awfully frustrating to know you have things to say, that other women want to hear them, and that you have no means of putting it out there (present company excepted, naturally).

As you can probably tell, I am slightly losing my faith in society as far as women are concerned at the moment.

Boffinmum - start a blog.

PS I worked briefly for New Woman in the mid 1990s and they asked me to spend quite a bit of time researching and writing a big article looking at women in the Scientologists in an incredible amount of detail. This was difficult because you have to be careful not to get sued, but I think I did a good job, as I took the whole thing very seriously, and I am very thorough.

Someone fairly low down the pecking order then pulled it before the editor even got to see it. They then let me go, but not before hanging onto my list of 20 story ideas (which they subsequently exploited for free).

This is all normal practice in women's magazines, btw. No wonder they are all so grim. Article on storage, anyone????