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Speaking Out Against Now Magazine

January 2, 2014

The blogging world has been awash with people speaking out against Now Magazines recent cover which features a selection of celebrities with so-called “shocking bodies” that will “make you feel normal”. I for one was completely offended by this cover and I know I’m by no means alone in feeling this way.

Shocking bodies

Firstly it is truly shocking that magazines aimed at women feel the need to print things like this and also that there are women who might enjoy reading this. As someone who a few years ago stopped reading this kind of magazine, I hadn’t seen it myself until Missy Vintage posted about it on her Facebook page, she also went on to write a very honest and thought-provoking post with her feelings on the cover. I wasn’t going to write about it myself but it’s actually stayed on my mind and so I decided to share my views too.

The reason I stopped reading magazines like Now was because of the endless features with things like “the ring of shame” in which some idiot in the art department adds a ring to pictures of celebs cellulite, or spots, or ribs or whatever else they feel the need to point out to remind themselves that “celebrities aren’t perfect either”. The thing is I know celebrities aren’t perfect either, partly because I’m not a complete idiot and partly because in my past job as a lingerie fitter in a high-end shop I have seen plenty of half-naked celebrities and confirm that they are flesh blood and cellulite just like you or I.

Any magazine that has an article about celebrating curves, followed by a fad diet on the next page, followed by an article on celebs that are too skinny etc needs to take a long hard look at itself and it’s misuse of influence.

I find it actually insulting that Now think women need to see these photos at all. Did they make me feel normal? No. I already feel normal. I have stretch marks, a flabby tummy, my boobs aren’t as perky as when I was 19 but they wouldn’t be would they? I’ve had two children and I’m 28. I’m not always happy with my body, I sometimes feel better with control lingerie, but what I don’t need is to humiliate other people to make myself feel better.

This cover over stepped the mark of what is acceptable and Now should be held accountable for the widespread offence it caused. Of course they can print whatever they want, but that doesn’t mean they should and I’m glad that so many women have spoken up about their disgust for this cover.

I want to take a second to ask my friends and readers to think twice before buying Now magazine again. Do we really need to find validation by shaming other women? Of course not. The female body is an amazing thing that comes in all shapes and sizes and how ever hard it can be to embrace the changes it goes through we need to be a bit kinder to each other.

  • Reply
    Matilda
    January 2, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    Those kind of magazines annoy me every time I see them… It’s ridiculous how media always make money on focusing on body shaming or changing the truth.

    • Reply
      vintagefrills
      January 3, 2014 at 11:17 pm

      Definitely, I think the only answer would be for people to make a stand and stop buying them.

  • Reply
    Grace
    January 3, 2014 at 10:00 pm

    Totally agree with you, I stopped buying these magazines a long time ago. I just hope they fall out of fashion before my girls grow up, do you remember when we were at school and everyone wanted to be a lawyer like ally mcbeal or a forensic scientist like on csi? But now so many kids just want to be famous for the sake of it and feel pressure to look a certain way to achieve that. The other sad thing is that a lot of the editors of these magazines are women, is feminism dead? They should be building women up not tearing them down and isn’t it better when there is a mystic around a celebrity anyway?

    • Reply
      vintagefrills
      January 3, 2014 at 11:16 pm

      I couldn’t agree more, especially since the editors are educated women who have worked hard to get to the position they are in.
      I feel very concerned for our daughters, even magazines aimed at girls are leaning towards very materialistic things. I suppose it’s down to us as parents to instil confidence and a healthy attitude towards our bodies in them and hope that the trend for this kind of journalism will dry out.
      We definitely need intelligent female role models rather than concentrating on how other women look, or by the time our kids are older feminism will have reverted back several decades.
      Great comment which has given me lot’s to think about. xxx

  • Reply
    Liv
    January 6, 2014 at 12:56 am

    I definitely agree with this. We’re not all intended to look like Kate Middleton and everyone is intended to look different. Being only 18 and still in the ‘awkward’ phase when it comes to body image and self-esteem, by saying that these women look ‘disgusting’ and ‘wrong’, well, they’re just promoting eating disorders and mental health issues.

  • Reply
    Fay
    January 6, 2014 at 9:09 pm

    This really highlights a good point. Such magazines highlight on peoples insecurities and target them haphazardly. It is ridiculous how they remain in business because people feed on misinformation. Great post 😀 x

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