The following article was written by Pippa G10

Let’s face it, in a lot of ways highly acclaimed fashion magazines that we all know of in some ways help establish the female identity. They tell us how to look, what to wear, what to buy, where to buy, what’s in trend, how to act, what to say, what to eat, and the list goes on. Big-brand fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, to name a few, are big at setting standards for women in terms of how they should dress, what they should eat, and how they should act in relationships. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s not all bad, I actually enjoy reading those articles, but to some females these magazines are their bibles and they take everything these magazines say to heart. We must ensure that these women aren’t feeling constricted by what females are being ‘told to do’ in fashion magazines.

These magazines are called ‘fashion magazines’, so of course they’re gonna tell us a thing or two about fashion. In all honesty, I absolutely adore the fashion spreads in the magazine. The way they have the models dressed, how everything in the images just flow, and how everything just seems right. Seems picture perfect, but in reality it is simply not possible to dress and look a certain way on a daily basis. Not counting the fact that most people don’t have a hair and makeup artist at their disposal, but also the fact that majority of the clothes being worn by the models simply aren’t affordable for the everyday women. What fashion magazines are showing females aren’t a realistic view of what we all look like. I mean, come on.

Even I know that this is not how all females are dressed. I mean most of us aren’t going to be able to wear clothes as shown here and look the way that these 6 foot models look. Not of us are blessed with the perfect frame or fortunate enough to have the wardrobe of the Kardashians.

Although they are called fashion magazines, some articles inside them can still tell us a thing or two about our health. Whether it’s the different types of juice cleanses you could go on or butt toning exercises, these articles have got you covered. I must say that some of these ‘healthy’ meal plans suggested are only half of what I would eat on a day to day basis. Also I’m going to have to point out the fact that if I tried to follow these exercises and meal plans (which look really good), I would probably have no friends and be known as ‘the one we must not invite because she won’t order anything not on her “meal plan” and is always on a diet’, trust me I’ve been on the other side of this spectrum. But these seriously look healthy, I mean I’m not like the fittest or thinnest person, and I could probably benefit from eating what the magazines are suggesting. Fashion magazines are under target a lot of the times about only using stick-thin girls in articles and not showing a diverse range of female body types, but people tend to overlook the fact that magazines also try to advocate a healthy lifestyle so that females (and all genders in general) to be more fresh and active, which doesn’t seem entirely all bad to me.

Lastly we have what seems like the quintessential of what makes a female complete; her ability to get a men. It seems like for females, not having a man by her side would mean that their is something so wrong with her. People seem to forget that not every woman needs a man and not every woman is desperate to find one. First dates are essential (rolls eyes), and you must know how to act in order to get the perfect guy (more rolling of eyes). I’ve accumulated what seems to be the rules for how a woman should handle herself whilst on a date so now I present you with,

“How a women should act whilst on a date (according to fashion magazines)”:

• Be hygienic
  • Brush teeth
  • Shower
  • Wash hair (use conditioner)
  • Shave (your whole body duh)
  • Get a mani + pedi
  • …. And the list goes on
• Be natural, but not too natural
• Manners are important. You must know your ‘moments’. When to talk and what to say, but you must also learn to listen when the moment tells you to
• You must dress to impress yet still be comfortable (and still look bomb!!)
• You must dress according to location and theme, whether that’s pajamas, casual, semi-casual, semi-formal, formal, black-tie gala/red carpet worthy, beach, garden-party, classic, modern, and like whatever think of something.
• …. And the list goes on forever.

This might just be me but these things seem to be a bit too excessive. Ok, maybe not a bit but A WHOLE LOT EXCESSIVE. If this is what it takes for someone to like you then I don’t think he’s worth it. Call me a hopeless romantic but, shouldn’t the right guy appreciate you for who you are? (bleh)

I fear that when females look at these pages, all they’re gonna feel is the desire to have and be what they’re being told. I’m scared that they will feel the need to own top designer clothings so that they can attract people or that they have to act a certain way just to be liked. Although magazines aren’t all that bad though. If you’ve decided to maintain a lifestyle because it makes YOU feel good, then I don’t see no wrong in that. I hope that fashion magazines inspire people to work on themselves for themselves, rather than strive to be others just to be like the rest of em.