Flipping through the latest edition of Femina today, I realized how misunderstood women really are.
For some reason, the nation has concluded that all we think about is clothes, open pores, high heels, pimples, backless tops, oily skin, chapped lips, Shahrukh Khan, earrings, hair color and the likes.
For some reason the woman consumer is also targeted as immensely dumb and insensate. More that 30% of the magazine is spammed with advertisements ranging from shampoos to Ritu Kumar. And all this despite the fast that almost 90% of the people behind the editing of the magazine are women.
For some reason, men for women are only limited to the size of their biceps and the first time they shaved. The endless interviews with assumingly 'interesting' men end with the same note as they begin.
For some reason, the horoscopes seem the same for every sunsign except for the sheer play of words and it excites me to think that my entire year would go like January, which according to Femina is a probability for each month the same predictions would repeat themselves.
For some reason, the prettiest of women in the world give interviews that beauty is only skin deep and the next page shows you ways to hide the ugly marks on your face.
For some reason, the tagline says 'For Generation W' - I am still in the process of figuring what the 'W' really stands for. Weird? Wasteful? Worthless?
For some reason, for the first time in my life I flipped through Femina so carefully as to notice such details. Well, there was a reason really. The Archie's from the loo are removed - so one really doesn't have a choice...
Comments
yeah you're right Lime....for some reason people these days think they know everything about women and they think they can make conclusions just like that. well most of the woman are...or i must say....used to be like this only..interested in stuff like clothes, money and men ONLY. but times have changed people...wake up and smell the fresh air of the 21st century. yeah....bout those marketing tactics they follow certain set of things that eventually conclude selling stuff to blondes...well speaking of Blondes....did any1 notice that scene in Legally Blonde?
made cooler by the GoDDess on January 10, 2004 9:41 AM
This can be a little different. .. .I don't know, I kind of like reading it. I think what i like the most is the second last page - the letters to the ed. there are many things though
People are sometimes potrayed differently then what you might naturally think of them being like, they are pretty right too.. I mean, if i goto to some late-night show, some disc or some party, I see females pretty similar to what the mags say. yes I do hate those ads, who doesn't, but those are necessary because those people do have to earn something (and also reduce the cost of the mag), don't they?
I thinkt he major problem is because these people copy (many times) articles that have previously appeared in US-based mags. just change the lingo a bit and your done.
That is why I like Cosmo, its a subsid and they don't try to make the mag feel otherwise. And its good too. I hate Elle, Gladrags and Womens' Era. these mags suck bigtime. period. Elle does have Ask Dinsh which is pretty good.
Pref: cosmo/femina 20, rest 3 : negative [scale 1 to 20]
Which one do you prefer?
made cooler by Abhi on January 10, 2004 9:27 PM
Gur you are on your way to be a great critic, really loved reading the points made by you... well to add Women of today are not actually mis-understood the fact is that these advertisements and branding things are baed on several hypothetical models (in this case, women are fond of make-ups and stuff related)... but sice the buying behaviour of them mass indian ladies is appealed by these adv. hence those Ads and i dont think that any damn magazine may it be Femina or Business World will object publishing such ads so they go hand in hand......and the story rolls
made cooler by The Geek on January 11, 2004 6:12 PM
I really don't understand why the W-generation magazines need to limit themselves to beauty tips,fashion,cookery and calling men idiots.I don't recollect seeing anything even remotely intellectual in any of these magazines,honest.
made cooler by Linus on January 11, 2004 9:35 PM
Femina is just another part of the shitty Bennett and Coleman family which believes that Indians have lost their marbles and are simply pandering to sell more copies of their publication...news-worthy stuff??? whatz that....non-existential, at least with the TOI group.
made cooler by Patrix on January 12, 2004 5:24 AM
Its not just magazines. It's the same story everywhere. Movies, TV. It;s yet another way of fooling us West apers by playing with our emotions. For most Indian women, such magazines\ are considered as a medium to keep them updated of what's happening around them. A copy in their hands makes them feel elated. What they don't realize is that they're being fooled. Actually, Femina is total trash. They just dump in stuff to fill the few pages, that weren't occupied by advertisements.
Anyway, I recently had a change in phone #s. So I'm having troule connecting with my other computer, which happens to be containing all the necessary files for blogging. And the floppy disk drive's not functioning either. So there's no way I can blog till the problem is solved. But anyways, I' having my pre-boards, so I won't be getting enough time in any case. So I'll just have to wait till then. :D
made cooler by Rohit on January 12, 2004 1:18 PM
Shonal: I think we're on the same track as them, when we say that most women 'are' or 'were' like that. Nope, no woman was ever conceived to be like that - and never ended up like that. It is only because of the media that women are portrayed as that and hence conceived by the rest of the population as that. Its not right to push assumptions on any gender - just like you can't brand men as fully money-making-oriented or unromantic (both common notions). Each individual lives up to their live choices - and they're all human beings first, men or women later.
Abhi: Frankly speaking, I prefer anything intellectually stimulating - I wouldn't mind if they talk about high heels - if only it'd be something refreshing or with new perspectives instead of imposing their manic facts - 'heels are in because we say it'. Like I could care any less.
I have a strict aversion to Cosmopolitan - there is nothing I've found beyond physical indulgences - and too exaggerated and uninteresting at that. About women being like what the magazines portray them to be - see, women like to look good, but they live their good looks. They don't go around following magazines or popular opinion at that. Why are we so hellbent on making girls/women so media oriented? We're just as human as you are, Abhi. If you won't change your design sense seeing a gaudy shirt, nor would we seing backless tops!
But yes.. we can differ on many opinions at that - simply because of our contrary views of the female kind. Perhaps you're right - but since I am not one of those, I can be justified to assume everyone else is like me ;)
Kushagra:Money rules - so why would anyone not accept these ads? Agreed..! But what about the content of the magazines? You know.. this magazine Seventeen India came out and I was one of the first ones to read the copy. I tell you, I was shocked the way teenagers are perceived. Paralelly, India Today brought out special editions for school children - with excellent content. So there is space to learn - and we did have all girls in the class reading through the entire India Today copy - every page, without fail.
Linus: My sentiments exactly...
Patrix: You're so right - TOI itself is quite trashy. Especially the Delhi Times edition. HT City, being on the same lines, is still an improvement. I remember guys in my school (I'm such a kid - rambling about school forever) dying to get a copy of Delhi Times during their subscribtion to TOI from school - just to get a nice look at the bikini babes on the last page. I think its time we brand guys as stereotypical bird gazers :P
Rohit: Your blog is greatly missed! Make sure you head back soon :) And yes.. I agree, its all pervasive - all over the media. And no one to object.. no one to change all that. *sigh* This blog is becoming such a lousy cribplace..!
made cooler by Lime on January 13, 2004 6:36 PM