Marie Claire Magazine

My favorite women's magazine is Ms. magazine, which I reviewed earlier this year. Nevertheless, from time to time I do purchase a more mainstream women's magazine, sometimes I make excuses for this -- for example, I purchase an issue of Marie Claire at the end of each semester, the excuse? I need to find an advertisement for my students to analyse as part of their final examination. However, between you and me, I do enjoy the beauty and fashion advice, do read the tips about relationships, and despite "knowing better," do wind up feeling a little fat and frumpy after viewing it.

To Marie Claire's credit, the editors do make an effort to cover issues relevant to women's lives, and do try to do so on a global scale. Shortly after reading about the fate of women under the Taliban in a student's essay, I read an article about the women of Afghanistan in Marie Claire, the article included the web-address of rawa, the Afghan women's movement that included women literally risking their lives to provide education for young girls in Afghanistan.

Let's leaf through this month's (May 2002) edition together:

After flipping through 8 double-page ads featuring air-brushed perfect models, sometimes their whole body, sometimes just a part, we get to the first feature, "You need to know" this is a one page bulletin board style feature that includes a "global update" (Japan: Will the Female Heir be kept from the Throne?); "speak your mind" (two letters to the editor, responding to previous articles); "Get involved" provides an address to complain to Florida Governor Jed Bush to complain about the "choose life" specialty license plates; "what do you think?" inviting reader submissions (unpaid, I think); "Join Us" this month, to combat teenage pregnancy; and this "fast fact:" A. "Zero" (the number of countries where women recieve equal pay for equal work. Readers are also provided with the magazines web-site, www.marieclaire.com

More ads...

And another monthly perk: "free for you."

Every month Marie Claire offers special offers to the first 2000 or so readers who request them or who win a contest. This month's offers include 3 gift certificates for beauty products and a free full size Frederic Fekkai Hair Mask ($28.50 value). If you are one of the first, you have more than paid for the magazine!

Lots more ads, including some that look a bit like they are part of the magazine's non-commercial content...

Marie Claire Style: Hot New Look one page photo of some rainforest look prints and bamboo accessories, complete with designer name and price (but not exactly an ad)...

A couple of ads and, How to Wear, a one page photo feature of summer's new belts and how to wear them (some of them are really lovely!)

Update your look, a one page photo feature of "sea-inspired accents" (read, shell necklaces).

10 Best Fashion under $50 (I like this feature, but am not too fond of this month's Hawaiian style look)

10 Best Beauty Buys : every month this is in a colour theme and features make-up and beauty products.

10 Best Pro Tips: Beauty tips

10 Best To Do (See it, read it, Hear it)

"Women of the World" feature: is an article written by a woman who gave up her fast-track career "to become a zulu bride." However, the article is rather short and not all that interesting.

An interview with Sandra Bullock where she is asked what she would bring with her on a desert island (not what I would bring...)

An amusing, but somehow disturbing piece by a woman who "went undercover (as a man!) to [her] fiance's bachelor party."

Each month Marie Claire does a comparison of "real women", their looks and what men think about them (are they easy, for example). This month the question is "How long does it take you to get ready?"

"Men Confess:" This month, real men tell us about the one thing about a woman that would prevent their getting serious with her.

By the way, I stopped saying more ads, but there are ads between every feature.

This month there are examples of male makeovers, frankly, they don't look much better in the "after" pictures,]

"Your sex life" this month's question is, "how far would you travel for sex?" and features long-distance relationships, but not much info, just a numbers game.

"What Women Want" features war criminals indicted for rapes and mass murders who are still at large, and a "what you can do" (write letters, sponsor survivors)

and this month also includes a tragic story of a woman who lost her husband when he tried to stop an honour killing in Pakistan. For those of you who are not familiar with the term, honour killings refer to the practice of killing a daughter or sister when she has "shamed" her family, for example, if she has been raped.

On a lighter note, there is a "7-year forecast" based on the Aztec way of reckoning your zodiac sign, followed by their regular horoscope followed by about twenty pages of swimsuits on models who really should get something to eat(!) and a spread of black bathing suits showing which cut will camouflage which defect, and another page of the same, but in colour, and more again, then there is some make up advice, which cuts suit your face shape (hair cuts, that is, and then ways to fix your lips, ways to "get fit fast" and 87 tips for a better sex life. There is also a short article about cancer and a one page article on the safety of public toilets.

So you see, there is some interesting and informative material, but too much emphasis on buying products to "improve" the way you look for my taste, still, I do indulge in this magazine a few times a year, and it is better than most of its kind.

A note on the style of this review:

A while back I read a comment by another member complaining that magazine reviews are useless, as anyone can go to a corner store and thumb through all the magazines they wish. I felt that this person was living in a sheltered existence, has he never heard of shut-ins? Does he not know that there are people who do not live near a "corner store"? What about a woman with several small children, how much time can she spend thumbing through magazines? I have written this review for you.

Thanks for reading.

Dee :)