Women’s Mags: Selfish, Superficial & Obsessed With Sex?

A study published today by the independent Social Affairs Unit has denounced women’s magazines as all of the above. This damning indictment is the result of The British Woman Today: A Qualitative Survey of Images in Women’s Magazines. The survey was conducted by a panel of journalists and academics which came to the conclusion that “today’s British woman has no children, cares or responsibilities. Her life is a round of tawdry indulgences. She rarely thinks, except of sex.”

The magazines studied have a circulation of around 3,722,804. The panel found that the women in Bella and Prima tend to be stable and married with traditional virtues. Tatler has little sex but indulges in an obsequious praise for ‘the celebrity’. Bearing the brunt of the attack though, are Cosmopolitan , Woman’s Own , Elle and – most of all – Company . It is these magazines which were found to offer the full range of sex, trivia and self-indulgence. One researcher attacks Company saying that it “seems to have decided to a attract a young audience. The solution is to talk down to them and talk dirty”.

The full report is available from the Social Affairs Unit for £7.50 (plus £1.00 p&p). Subscribers can access a Magazine Readership Profile Commentary – C1 25-34 Women of women’s magazines for C1 25-34 women.

Social Affairs Unit: 0171 637 4356