By AnaMaria Glavan
Call me a hoarder, but I have a bookcase full of magazines; copies of Nylon, Elle, Marie Claire, Teen Vogue, and a smattering of other issues that would have been a sin to throw away. Do I regret not having room for anything else? Yes. Will I ever throw my beloved magazines away? No. These issues have inspired, informed, and entertained me throughout the years. (Now, I get to count myself among the lucky ones that get to inspire, inform and entertain others.) Here are just a few reasons why I can’t — and probably never will — bring myself to throw any of my beloved glossies away.
They make me feel beautiful. These magazines have become significantly more inclusive and it’s refreshing to see a diverse group of women modeling clothes that represent a variety of ladies, rather than just a small percentage of them. Hello, Ashley Graham on the August 2016 cover of Cosmopolitan!
They spotlight the under-the-radar women changing the world. Women’s magazines are always running stories on female entrepreneurs, scientists, and business owners that give readers a new role model. After finishing each issue, I’ve learned about one more woman that’s a soon-to-be household name.
They’re fun to read. There’s something truly inspiring about a writer who can tackle a tough topic in a upbeat way. In between colorful beauty and fashion spreads are pieces dedicated to politics, health, news, and more. Check out every page and you’ll be the kind of well-rounded person that can strike up a conversation about just about anything.
They answer questions I’m too embarrassed to ask. As a teen, the editors of magazines like Seventeen, Teen Vogue, YM, and CosmoGirl! made sure I knew all about my body. Yup, everything I couldn’t ask my friends (or, God forbid, my mom!) about periods, sex, puberty, and more, I learned from their pages.
They make sure I’m informed. Women’s magazines devote time and space to ensuring that hard-hitting issues, like abortion laws, gun control, and race relations, are front-and-center. I needed this kind of coverage more than ever during this last presidential election.
They care about me (and the rest of their readers.) The reader; you are an editor’s main priority. Writers and editors want to help you live your best life and they need your feedback to do it. “Like” a Facebook post that caught your eye, email an editor when something in the magazine truly touches you. Every little bit matters!
They empower me. After finishing an issue, I usually feel like punching my fist in the air and saying, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.”
AnaMaria Glavan is the founder of LeFook, a blog that rants about politics, fashion and culture…in the nicest way possible. Follow the blog on Twitter and Instagram.
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