An Eclectic Collection©

 

Women’s magazines have changed a lot since World War II. Those early magazines were aimed mostly at stay-at-home mums and provided down-to-earth recipes, tips on looking good for your husband, and photos on the royal family.

Probably the most risqué articles would have been along the lines of wearing seamed stockings or the latest in hemline lengths.

What a change there has been in the last 70 or so years! Nowadays it’s no holds barred and some articles would be enough to almost make one’s eyeballs bleed. It’s bad enough having to see ridiculous gossip about celebrities, who (shock, horror!) have a pimple or cellulite, but the claims of one magazine seriously piqued my interest. The magazine read:

How to sound like a wine buff, cook a perfect roast, beat PMT, wear high-waisted jeans and meet a gorgeous man tonight.

Wow! I thought, everything I could possibly want to know in one magazine. Well, I’m here to tell you that after reading the article:

• I still loathe wine;
• I don’t care about cooking (unless I’m eating it);
• Beat PMT? I'll beat something in a minute;
• I’m still waiting for a decent man let alone a gorgeous one; and
• High-waisted jeans should be outlawed because anyone who wears them looks either like a nerd or someone demonstrating fashions for men in nursing homes.

It seems that today’s women’s magazines are so desperate for articles that they’re now focussing on current television programs and their so-called celebrities. One such issue I saw had a total of seven articles on TV shows as well as an advertisement on a current program.

If I wanted to know all about TV programs I’ve got a nifty little item at home that I like to call “the remote control.” Frankly I don’t care if Cheryl the Chef likes to cook her fish in batter made from a mixture of crushed hibiscus petals and a glass of beer, nor do I care that Dominic the Dancer stubbed his poor toe learning how to Mambo.

Many years ago I stopped purchasing women’s magazines the day I discovered that two competing magazines claimed they each had an exclusive interview with Priscilla Presley. Unfortunately each article stated the complete opposite to the other! That was when I realised that most of them were full of garbage.

We are very fortunate today though that we have such an eclectic range of magazines from which to choose: 

• Computer mags with a couple of whiz-bang programs to try;
• Motorcycle and motor-vehicle publications; and
• Craft magazines.

Craft magazines cover a wide range from jewellery making to creating household furniture from dried pasta (ok that last one could have been made up).

I even found a publication on jogging. Now I ask you – how many articles can you write on the subject of jogging? You put on your shoes and you run! Perhaps they might talk about the best in water bottles, and how to avoid killing oneself in busy traffic and exhaust fumes. How to avoid chafing while still wearing stylish jogging gear.

There was one magazine though I don’t think I’ll ever find a use for: pig hunting!

Now if someone would only bring out a magazine called “Christian husband hunting,” I’d be first in line to buy one. ©