Woo in 'women's magazines'?

[Rinky]

I'm generally not a fan of 'women's magazines' but a while ago I had a moment's lapse and subscribed to one called 'Beauty and Health' (translated). Ok, I did expect the odd horoscope, some outrageous ads about cosmetics etc but generally it was rather down-to-earth. That's until the latest issue and The Healing Energy of Reiki...

It is about someone who suffered from depression but had some reiki therapy and 'found the balance' (to translate a bit: 'She understands that at first medication and various other things pointed her to right direction but she found actual balance with the help of reiki.')

There's not one single critical word in this text that goes on and on about working as a channel for energy, how effective this is, how anyone can learn it etc - the writer interviewed two people who both have businesses/jobs that involve reiki (yeah, they have no reason to assure this bs works...). I felt annoyed, it's as if people even vaguely interested in health and beauty (although in my case the interest is purely theoretical :D) have to switch their brain off while reading these mags... Hey, our magazine is about shoes and make-up, we don't care about any stinking laws of nature! :)

Have I just been unfortunate with my choice of magazines or is this common around the world? Are there really no sensible ones that skip the woo or at least are a tiny bit sceptical about it?

(Oh, and I was annoyed enough to send them some feedback and cancel my subscription as I didn't like it much anyway, this was just the last straw.)

[elaine]

I don't read "women's mags" either, for the same reason. I'll stick with Skeptic.

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

Any time I look (I can't bear to read them) at my wife's magazines in the UK they are full of that crap.

In my opinion, the style of these magazines is heavily driven by advertising and promotions - I think they tend to write a lot about the freebies and gifts they are offered, as opposed to doing any proper journalistic research. They really are just disposable rubbish.

[mumchup]

The Americans are full of the same, plus lots and lots of stories about angels.
At the checkout in the grocery store I play a little game. I look at the covers of all the "housewife" magazines and play "Make this Cake! Lose Weight!"
Every issue has a picture of fattening food AND a headline for an article about how to lose weight.

[rebecca]

DON'T get me started. Glamour and Cosmo are rife with that junk. I used to buy them at airports just for a nice brain vacation, but these days they just end up pissing me off. It's the same with "Women's" TV here, like Lifetime, who I blogged about today (http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=237) because they're about to debut a sassy new cold reader. GAH!

[Katana]

DON'T get me started. Glamour and Cosmo are rife with that junk. I used to buy them at airports just for a nice brain vacation, but these days they just end up pissing me off. It's the same with "Women's" TV here, like Lifetime, who I blogged about today (http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=237) because they're about to debut a sassy new cold reader. GAH!

I think that you hit the nail on the head here. I used to do the same, namely taking a brain vacation with mags like this during travel, but I just get too pi$$ed off now when I read them.

The problem is the women who read these pieces of poo all the time. Translation: the tens of millions of women on a perpetual brain vacation. Then again, maybe some people just prefer living every single day like that.

I suppose that that wouldn't be so bad if they couldn't vote, drive, or raise children.

:wackyno:

[supercorgi]

Yeah, they're rife with that type of brainless garbage. And don't get me started on "women's television" - how insulting to think that all women are really interested in this crap. I feel sort of sorry for those women who's main exposure to the world is reading those magazines. Then there are those like my sister-in-law who doesn't read the magazines (she's somewhat dyslexic) but watches Lifetime constantly. She's one of the most superstitious people I know and readily bys into people like Jonathan Edwards.

[Yahzi]

Name a men's magazine that has an Astrology column.

Name a woman's magazine that doesn't.

Now ask yourself: was Emancipation really a good idea?

:D

[Luke T.]

Name a men's magazine that has an Astrology column.

London's most popular men's magazine: ATTITUDE.

DETAILS magazine.

http://www.verticalpool.com/map.html

[dissonance]

The Americans are full of the same, plus lots and lots of stories about angels.
At the checkout in the grocery store I play a little game. I look at the covers of all the "housewife" magazines and play "Make this Cake! Lose Weight!"
Every issue has a picture of fattening food AND a headline for an article about how to lose weight.

Ha! So glad I'm not the only one who has noticed this. My MIL always has a stack of Women's World/Day/Times/etc, and I like to flip through them. There's always some sort of 7-day lose 10 pounds miracle diet ('lose weight with OJ! lose weight by standing on your head 10 minutes a day! lose weight through meditation'!) that will actually work to lose weight quickly in the short term - because if you follow the menu plans exactly, you'll only be eating about 800 calories a day. Following the diet, there's always huge spread of food to prepare for <insert holiday here>, including a variety of horrifying cakes made from instant cake mix, instant pudding, canned icing, and candies carved into elaborate decorations.

There's always a really goofy personality test ('what your favourite candy says about you': if you like chips? You go against the grain. You like your world to be orderly, but know how to cut loose and have a good time, blah blah blah). And there's ALWAYS a short article describing some sort of miracle - angels saved me from a car wreck, I was infertile and got pregnant through faith and prayer, and so on.

Beauty products are a whole field of woo unto themselves. Outrageous claims and meaningless but scientific sounding language are rampant. I always feel like a jackass, but I'm not immune to that stuff - I don't even want to tell you how many different kinds of shampoo and conditioner I have purchased in my relentless search for Perfect Hair.

[osmosis]

It's the same with "Women's" TV here, like Lifetime, who I blogged about today[/URL] because they're about to debut a sassy new cold reader.

I was flipping channels the other day and as I passed by the women's channel there was some show about a psychic getting visions of a missing girl, and some cop who was on the case.

GAH!

My sentiments exactly.

According to magazines and channels such as these, to be a women is to have absolutely no critical thinking skills whatsoever. How insulting to those that do.

[Johnny Pixels]

Try this one for size, saw it while waiting in the queue

Spirit and Destiny magazine:

https://secure2.subscribeonline.co.uk/SPIR/index.cfm

Ever wanted to free your mind, body and spirit and explore a new way to live your life? Well, now you can, simply by turning the pages of Spirit & Destiny magazine and embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Inside you’ll find out all there is to know about the worlds of astrology, psychics and holistic therapy.
Each issue includes: https://secure2.subscribeonline.co.uk/SPIR/images/bullet.gif Horoscopes - 12 pages of amazingly accurate and detailed monthly forecasts https://secure2.subscribeonline.co.uk/SPIR/images/bullet.gif Alternative health - holistic, natural healing for mind, body and soul from our experts https://secure2.subscribeonline.co.uk/SPIR/images/bullet.gif Psychic challenge - we put top psychics through their paces to find the best https://secure2.subscribeonline.co.uk/SPIR/images/bullet.gif Fascinating reading - incredible true-life stories and special reports https://secure2.subscribeonline.co.uk/SPIR/images/bullet.gif Bewitched - our resident white witch Silja dispenses Wiccan wisdom and magical remedies

I like bullet point 3 the best

[Moochie]

I have a cursory look at many magazines, and am sorry to say that most publish some sort of woo -- it seems to sell.

It's not only the mags -- all of our major newspapers (in Melbourne, Australia) publish this rubbish.

M.

[malbui]

Same story over here: when Mrs Malbui and her sister have been slobbing for a few days there are usually examples of the French and Italian women's press knocking around that I flick through, and even the most cursory reading is enough to have me snorting "prove it" several times. They don't understand why it makes me angry, though :(

[demonologist]

There is no such thing as "woo". It's a groupthink term with no meaning.

[bluess]

Groupthink?

Where is that dang irony meter icon?

[Chris Haynes]

...snip.. including a variety of horrifying cakes made from instant cake mix, instant pudding, canned icing, and candies carved into elaborate decorations.

I never really read them... the primary reason is that several years ago refused to buy any publication that advertized tobacco. I usually glance at them when at a relative's house. I noticed that most of the recipes are yucky concocktions using the advertizers' wares.

The last time I looked at one several years ago it included an article on "remarkable women"... it was mostly about actresses and singers, with perhaps one female mayor of a town that had been flooded. It was about the same time I got to sit in on an interview with two much more remarkable women... an astronaut and the first woman who conducted research in Antarctica. It just made me think that the magazine's standards were screwed up.

...snip...Beauty products are a whole field of woo unto themselves. Outrageous claims and meaningless but scientific sounding language are rampant. I always feel like a jackass, but I'm not immune to that stuff - I don't even want to tell you how many different kinds of shampoo and conditioner I have purchased in my relentless search for Perfect Hair.

And of course, just a few minutes ago I saw a thing on the news about a youtube production by the Dove soap people showing how after all the professional make-up and hair the photos are computer manipulated... it is on Youtube (several times): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_aDpmfAzxI

[RenaissanceBiker]

You're reading the wrong magazines. You need to pick up a copy of Iron Horse or Motorcyle Cruiser. I also recommend Guns and Ammo and Sports Illustrated.

[Katana]

Groupthink?

Where is that dang irony meter icon?

Hey, bluess. Keep the irony meter, I have another:

:bs:

[Chris Haynes]

Actually, the only subscription I have is Threads (http://www.taunton.com/threads/index.asp?)... I let the Sunset (http://www.sunset.com/sunset) subscription lapse (it was getting repetitive, at least the food is edible).

[monkey]

And there's ALWAYS a short article describing some sort of miracle - angels saved me from a car wreck, I was infertile and got pregnant through faith and prayer, and so on.

Definitely, whenever I ssee the insides of one there's near always one of these. A "my mothers spirit saved my life" or an "I just knew she was in trouble" etc.

It's sad that so many people only ever see this stuff reported(not sure that's the right word here) as factual.

[Zygar]

I blame Oprah.

[elaine]

Who's Oprah?

[Richard]

I have some pages from Australian mags, John Edward etc. You can download them here

http://rapidshare.com/files/549919/mags.zip.html

[Silly Green Monkey]

Women's magazines DO need to be emancipated---from advertisers. "Women's" magazines get extra restrictions on how ads can be used, what stories can be near it. Ms. was driven out of business by the advertisers.

[grayman]

You're reading the wrong magazines. You need to pick up a copy of Iron Horse or Motorcyle Cruiser. I also recommend Guns and Ammo and Sports Illustrated.

Motorcyle Cruiser? Isn't that the one for gay bikers?




Just kidding.
;)

[Skeptic Guy]

But you are forgetting the most valuable part of those magazines...the sex advice

"Ten new positions"
"New ways to heat up a cold day"

and the one that really made me smile!

"Toys that your mother never played with"

It's True!


etc

;)

[Elizabeth I]

What IS reiki?
:bunpan

[Elizabeth I]

Name a men's magazine that has an Astrology column.
:D
Doesn't Esquire have one? And GQ?
:bunpan

[grayman]

DON'T get me started. Glamour and Cosmo are rife with that junk. I used to buy them at airports just for a nice brain vacation, but these days they just end up pissing me off. It's the same with "Women's" TV here, like Lifetime, who I blogged about today (http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=237) because they're about to debut a sassy new cold reader. GAH!


Just read your blog. Gawd that was funny. Kinda like Mystery Science Theater 3K with a John Edward episode.

[Miss Whiplash]

There is no such thing as "woo". It's a groupthink term with no meaning.

There's no such thing as a demonologist, so you have no meaning and really do not exist.

[Miss Whiplash]

Doesn't Esquire have one? And GQ?
:bunpan

Didn't Maxim slip one in at one time?

[ponderingturtle]

"Toys that your mother never played with"


Shouldn't that be "Toys that you don't want to think about your mother playing with but she probably does"?

[Luciana]

I believe there is a major deficiency in science teaching at Journalism courses. How many journalists could describe, with any accuracy, the scientific method? What constitutes evidence? What are peer reviews, sample-sizes, protocols, etc?

How could you aim to offer a balanced view of anything, if one opinion is based on facts whereas the other based on... sensations? Wishful thinking? Prejudice? Pseudo-science?

For example, how can you expect to offer a critical view of astrology if you don't give a chance to an astronomer? If you equate his views with that of an astrologer? If from one you expect mounting evidence of a negative proposition (from the astronomer) and from the other no more than anecdotal evidence?

To a car magazine, editors try to hire people with experience in that industry. The same with a magazine dedicated to economics, guns, music, etc. But to a woman's magazine, they choose a journalist, at most, for her gender. Writing well is necessary, but little more. Thus, without a "technical" expertise to focus on, and with zero critical thinking developed at college, where, at most, they teach a misguided cynicism, what's a female journalist to do? What could be easier than write a piece on Reiki? So swallow the words of someone with vested interest in making this sound credible and voila! Three pages for next month's edition.

[Yahzi]

London's most popular men's magazine: ATTITUDE.

DETAILS magazine.

http://www.verticalpool.com/map.html
When I frist invented this question 15 years ago, only "Ms." passed the test.

Glad to see we're achieving some true equality now.

:D

[Rinky]

What IS reiki?
:bunpan

Well, there's supposed to be some sort of universal energy involved and the 'healer' channels this through his/her hands. I'm doubtful about that, to say the least, but as I wrote in my feedback to the magazine, soothing music, relaxing on a massage table and someone getting all touchy-feely on you probably does cause some sensations in your body :D.

[Katana]

What IS reiki?
:bunpan

What IS it with the rabbit & the pancake?

[Rinky]

What IS it with the rabbit & the pancake?

Ah, THAT'S what is is! Looked like a kind of a Chinese hat to me. Mmm, pancakes...

[Jekyll]

There is no such thing as "woo". It's a groupthink term with no meaning.

It means "superstitious bollocks" or people who believe in it.

[mumchup]

It's a rabbit with a pancake on its head

[bluess]

It's a rabbit with a pancake on its head

But ... but ... why?

[RenaissanceBiker]

Motorcyle Cruiser? Isn't that the one for gay bikers?
;)

No, not there is anything wrong with that. It just isn't.

Also, GQ and Esquire are not really men's magazines. They are more like ambiguous male magazines. A man would rather look through a Bass Pro Shop or Cabelas catalog. Maxim is a boys magazine.

As far as those women's magazines with all the sex advise, just find some porn that he likes and do that. If there's something you want him to do to you, tell him. We aren't mind readers and most of us don't recognize subtle hints very well.

/doesn't recognize obvious hints very well either.

[bluess]

No, not there is anything wrong with that. It just isn't.

Also, GQ and Esquire are not really men's magazines. They are more like ambiguous male magazines. A man would rather look through a Bass Pro Shop or Cabelas catalog. Maxim is a boys magazine.

As far as those women's magazines with all the sex advise, just find some porn that he likes and do that. If there's something you want him to do to you, tell him. We aren't mind readers and most of us don't recognize subtle hints very well.

/doesn't recognize obvious hints very well either.

This is why the Serta mattress company is now selling the 'landing strip light' model. :D

[osmosis]

:confused: What IS reiki?

Reiki is when you "heal" someone of "anything" by waving your hands over the afflicted region, concentrating your "healing energy" on the problem area.

:confused:

[RenaissanceBiker]

It can also be an "obvious hint."

[mumchup]

...As far as those women's magazines with all the sex advise, just find some porn that he likes and do that. If there's something you want him to do to you, tell him. We aren't mind readers and most of us don't recognize subtle hints very well...

There was a Dave Barry article about that a few years ago. The gyst of it was, "You don't need to read about The 10 Things That Attract A Guy. All you have to do is be a woman and we're atttracted."

[HawkeyeMD]

But ... but ... why?

That was my question exactly, down to the ellipses. I hope someone answers. :confused:

Yeah, women's mags are dreck. This is news? Anything that sells that many issues is likely to be dreck. It's the natural result of marketing to the lowest common denominator.

I once subscribed to Cosmo for a year. My husband thought it was hilarious; he was really disappointed when I didn't re-up. :rolleyes:

[Euromutt]

Name a woman's magazine that doesn't.Bust (http://www.bust.com) ("for women with something to get off their chests") doesn't have a horoscope. I think I can name a few other non-American women's mags which don't, all of them (predictably) of a more feminist bent.

[Geek Goddess]

The Americans are full of the same, plus lots and lots of stories about angels.
At the checkout in the grocery store I play a little game. I look at the covers of all the "housewife" magazines and play "Make this Cake! Lose Weight!"
Every issue has a picture of fattening food AND a headline for an article about how to lose weight.

That is true! I always look, and there is ALWAYS a story on some type of food, usually desserts ("our best chocolate cake ever"or "100 cookies for Christmas") (and usually the cover picture) AND a story on "walk off 10 lbs in 10 days". Women's Day and Family Circle, essentially 100% in the past year.

[Geek Goddess]

Yeah, they're rife with that type of brainless garbage. And don't get me started on "women's television" - how insulting to think that all women are really interested in this crap. I feel sort of sorry for those women who's main exposure to the world is reading those magazines. Then there are those like my sister-in-law who doesn't read the magazines (she's somewhat dyslexic) but watches Lifetime constantly. She's one of the most superstitious people I know and readily bys into people like Jonathan Edwards.

Lifetime: Victim TV

[Flange Desire]

There was a Dave Barry article about that a few years ago. The gyst of it was, "You don't need to read about The 10 Things That Attract A Guy. All you have to do is be a woman and we're atttracted."

Agree with Dave Barry on this.

[logical muse]

I love the quizzes they have. Things like:

Are you a virgin? Take our easy quiz and find out now!

Is too much sex killing him?

Do you have cellulite? Our quiz will tell you!

Is he just using you for sex? Our new format one-question quiz can tell you!

Are your star signs compatible? Don't tie the knot till you find out!

Is he sleeping with your mother? It could happen to you.


Then again, I've seen a beautiful magazine in the men's section, called Trucks and Girls. So simple, so direct, so perfect.

[Zygar]

I love the quizzes they have. Things like:

Are you a virgin? Take our easy quiz and find out now!

Is too much sex killing him?

Do you have cellulite? Our quiz will tell you!

Is he just using you for sex? Our new format one-question quiz can tell you!

Are your star signs compatible? Don't tie the knot till you find out!

Is he sleeping with your mother? It could happen to you.


Then again, I've seen a beautiful magazine in the men's section, called Trucks and Girls. So simple, so direct, so perfect.

And don't forget, the answers to all those quizzes are YES!

[bluess]

Please go find a copy of Bitch magazine. It will cleanse the dreadful stain left by Woman's Day.

[Overman]

Found in Cosmo:

"Rubbing your breasts against Overman's body while listening to Overman Music will increase Cup 2 sizes!"

Not joking.

[elaine]

Thanks for the heads up! I was just about to do just that, but as I don't need to increase.....

[Elizabeth I]

What IS it with the rabbit & the pancake?
What Mumchup said. Also the world's greatest smiley.