My name is Jessica and I am addicted to magazines.
I currently subscribe to about 10 different publications. I’ve been known to squeal with delight upon opening my mailbox to see multiple magazines just waiting for me. I love settling down on a Friday night with a glass of wine and my People magazine. I salivate thinking about the huge September issues of magazines like InStyle, chock full of 453 pages of fall and winter fashion trends.
For those of you who are wondering, these are my current subscriptions:
- InStyle
- People
- Marie Claire
- Women’s Running
- Shape
- Self
- Glamour
- People StyleWatch
- Cooking Light
- Real Simple
Crazy, right? Now consider the fact that I let my subscriptions for three additional magazines (US Weekly, Vegetarian Times and Allure) expire in the past year.
I can only wonder what my mail carrier thinks of me.
To be fair, I am an avid reader, a journalism major and my first job out of college was at one of said magazines in New York. But I have always found flipping the glossy pages of a magazine to be relaxing, in the same sort of way that some people zone out in front of the TV. It’s my me time, my downtime, my guilty pleasure.
But I’m starting to second guess my subscription list. I’ve been receiving many of these magazines – Glamour and Marie Claire, in particular – for nearly ten years, and I’m finding it harder and harder to relate to the content.
I used to skim through articles about dating, or spreads featuring clothing and trends that I would never, ever wear (and couldn’t begin to afford), and find them entertaining … even if they weren’t really applicable to my life. It was the equivalent to watching “Gossip Girl” or “Real Housewives.”
Sure, I’m never going to have a wardrobe like Serena van der Woodsen, nor is it really age- or life-appropriate, but it didn’t mean I still couldn’t appreciate it, right?
But lately, I don’t know. Once upon a time it would take me a few days to devour a new magazine, but now it’s gotten to the point where I quickly breeze through some of them in an hour, never really stopping to read anything.
Maybe it’s because I simply don’t have the time anymore. Maybe it’s just disinterest (I mean, my 7-year-old loves One Direction, not me). Or maybe it’s because I am a 37-year-old married mom of two living in the suburbs, and I’m no longer that 20-something city girl who first started subscribing.
However, I don’t feel I’m quite ready to make the leap to Redbook and Ladies Home Journal, even though I discovered that I secretly enjoy – and relate to — that content more than I do Glamour, etc.
Articles about balancing motherhood with me time? A round-up of quick weeknight dinner recipes? The best moisturizers to reduce the signs of fine lines and wrinkles? Yes, ma’am.
However, some of their articles still feel … hmmm … a little ahead of me (“17 Safety Rules Your Teen Driver Must Follow”), and I can’t say I’m really invested in, or familiar with, many of the celebs (Trisha Yearwood, Katie Couric, Debra Messing) they feature on their covers.
And I am definitely not on the same page yet when it comes to the trends and styles they feature in their fashion pieces. My tastes lean more toward J. Crew and Banana Republic, not J. Jill and Coldwater Creek.
So I feel kind of stuck between two worlds. I’ve kind of outgrown Glamour, but I’m not quite ready for Redbook.
Even though I am having a magazine identity crisis, I think the time has come for me to face reality and bid farewell to some of my current subscriptions. If I don’t read it cover-to-cover, it probably shouldn’t get renewed, right? And you know what? I’m okay with it. Because maybe I should be focusing my precious downtime (and money) on those magazines (like Shape and Real Simple) that I really do enjoy … and currently relate to.
Plus, I’m sure my mail carrier will appreciate it.
Tell me: What is your must-read magazine? How many subscriptions do you currently have?
Carla says
I love magazines as much as you do! Though instead of subscriptions I usually head to the library or the closet bookstore to enjoy them. InStyle has been a staple for years now. When I moved last April throwing out years of InStyle magazines was almost painful. UsWeekly ranks up there. And like you I was surprised to so readily identify with content in magazines like Redbook & More (More!). I’m also a big fan of the writing in Esquire and Vanity Fair. I also recently discovered The Gentlewoman which is the most elegant and sophisticated women’s magazine I’ve read in ages.
Sheri says
Love this post Jessica. I said goodbye to Glamour a few years ago. I just wasn’t relating to it anymore and it just sat in my “magazine basket.” My subscriptions are Shape, Fitness, and E Weekly (mecca). I also enjoy Rachael Everyday. I steer clear of parenting magazines and anything that makes me feel to old.
Heather @ Kraus House Mom says
I mostly get cooking magazines, my kids love to look at them too. It’s been years since I got Glamour. I also get Shape and Fitness. My mom gets Good Housekeeping, Redbook and Ladies Home Journal so she brings them over when she’s done. My husband gets mystery magazine subscriptions every year (I think it’s from Xbox) this year we get Entertainment Weekly. I guess you could say I have a problem too.
Jennifer says
I love magazines, but feel such pressure to read them that I feel like I don’t enjoy them as much as I should! I have to tell you, Redbook isn’t the Redbook that it used to be..I am only a few years older than you and I have a subscription to it. I think they really are trying to make it younger and more modern. I also have subscriptions to Runner’s World, Women’s Running, Real Simple and the Atlantic.
Dollops of Diane says
I used to get Glamour like 10+ years ago. I agree that I don’t think I could relate now! Maybe you could peruse the magazine aisle and find a hidden gem to take its place!