magazines, magazines

Although chocolate is preferable at any time of day, there’s something extra decadent about eating it for breakfast.


banana scramble (I can’t get enough of these!) with fruit and barlean’s chocolate raspberry swirl syrup.

with a side of fruit…

A lot of people have been asking me about the Barlean’s. I order it online here and although it’s slightly pricey, it’s worth every penny!

The flavor is fabulous and it’s supposedly intended for woman interested in “radiant health, beauty, and energy”.

That’s me alright.

Interestingly enough, the fact that I invest in this product because of it’s alleged “health benefits” completely supports what I had originally planned on posting about today. Funny how that works out, huh?

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This past week in my Magazines and Body image class we had a really interesting assignment concerning magazine and their use of cover lines to allure readers. My professor asked us to pick 5 quotes out of our textbook (“Spin Sisters” by Myrna Blyth) and find cover lines of different magazines that support the author’s convictions. I thought you all may enjoy reading them! If not, feel free to ignore this section of the post and go buy some chocolate sauce.

1. Essence magazine’s April 2010 issue boasts tips and secrets to “Take Control of your life” (April 2010). This cover line assumes that every woman’s life is out of control and stressful. This is an incredibly effective marketing technique because, according to Blyth, “we’re supposed to lose it over every load of laundry that doesn’t get done, every extra cookie that we eat, and every time our teenager chances his moods” (56). The media has provoked us to become stressed by the most insignificant things because we feel like we “should”.
2. Blyth claims that “during the last decade…liberation and narcissism have merged thanks in large part to magazines like Cosmopolitan and Glamour which promote a self-centered lifestyle as the key to becoming a fulfilled and happy woman” (65). The cover line of the January 2010 edition of Elle magazine addition recommends tips for women to “get him to do exactly what you want”, insinuating that the woman’s desires are more important than her lover’s and that she is deserving of the attention that she wants. (January 2010).
3. The cover of the January 2010 cover of UK’s “Healthy Magazine” boasts “time saver: tiny but powerful changes to make you healthier, happier, saner” (January 2010). This cover line supports Blyth’s conviction that “we are told over and over again that the rapid pace of our lives and our lack of free time explains the increased levels of stress we are assumed to feel” (59). This cover line ultimately assumes that women do not have any leisure time for themselves, and for that reason they are essentially unhealthy, unhappy, and insane.
4. The June 2010 issue of RedBook magazine includes the cover line, “Beat Stress: 15 ways to tame tension – because stress doesn’t take a summer break”, convincing the reader that they have “no time” and are always busy and stressed. Blyth argues that “it is not true that we are busier than we used to be or that we have less leisure time than our mothers had” (60). In fact, according to Robert D. Putnam, Americans today undeniably feel more “rushed” now than a generation ago…however, Americans since 1965 appear to have gained nearly an hour more free time per day” (60). It seems as though the “illusion” or constantly being busy is provoked by these magazine covers telling us that we don’t have any free time.
5. The July 2010 issue of Action & Fitness Magazine boasts “Stress busting foods” that ultimately trick women in to believing that they can combat stress simply through their diet. This is another marketing technique that Blyth mocks to a degree when she refers to the women’ s magazine that “recommends drinking a tea, popular in Fiji, made with kava, which it describes as a “natural anxiety remedy’” in order to alleviate anxieties” (59). Of course, there are many more underlying issues to stress that can not simply be remedied through drinking tea. However, this cover line prompts readers to feel as though it’s really “that easy”. After all, don’t we all crave the “quickest fix” to combat our problems?

I especially love what Blyth had to say in terms of woman (and men!) becoming so consumed with efficiency because we have “no time”. I feel as though I constantly need to be on the go or doing something and rarely am able to enjoy a task without feeling inclined to complete it as efficiently as possible or within a regimented time schedule. I also notice (in myself!) that even my leisure time becomes an obligation to an extent. I have to get these two assignments done by 8:00 so I can watch Pretty Little Liars for an hour, then blog for half an hour, then do reading for class, etc. etc. I feel as though everything I do becomes meticulously plotted in to my daily schedule because if it’s not, I won’t get everything done that I “need to do”.

and yes, I need to watch Pretty Little Liars.

I’m also notorious for freaking out about the smallest seemingly insignificant things that happen in my life. Oh my gosh – I have a pimple on my forehead? It’s supposed to snow tomorrow and I won’t be able to drive to the grocery store and waste my money on things that I don’t need at all? How will my life go on? Perhaps I should invest in proactive or walk to the grocery store – because Seventeen Magazine says proactive works miracles and according to SHAPE, you should “ditch the car” and walk at every opportunity you get.

I think I need to stop reading magazines and start working on battling my “catastrophes” my own way. Or just stop pretending that I have so many problems.

Any thoughts?

p.s. My post title is intended to be hummed to the tune of Tangerine by Led Zeppelin. Just to clarify.