Marie Claire
IT’S been 17 years since the launch of Marie Claire and despite the likes of Glamour and Cosmopolitan hitting the stands, it has managed to remain a favourite among female readers. Unlike other magazines, which are strictly targeted at young readers who feed on fashion and beauty, Marie Claire has a staggering number of features including cover stories, interviews, real-life stories, columns and reportage. And the topics on the cover like ‘Meet the sexiest lesbians in Britain’ are eye-catching. Naturally, fashion and beauty cannot be ignored and Marie Claire has them covered fabulously with tips, which we can’t get enough of, and star secrets. Travel pages are included.
Price: £4.95
Pages: 314
In Style
Strictly for women who can’t get enough of style, fashion tips and expensive clothes, the American-based In Style is a winner although there isn’t much to actually read feature-wise. Contrary to most magazines, In Style is exactly what it says: it’s all clothes and celebrities. Although there are a couple of features, the pages are meant for one thing: tear them out and keep the tips and pictures as back-up for those ‘I’ve got nothing to wear’ days. And for those of you who think that women’s magazines are all about spending, spending, spending and clothes, I would like to underline that In Style also has recipes! Yes, recipes, boys!
Price: £3.95
Pages: 248
Glamour
What to say? Glamour hit the stands and instantly changed the lives of women around the world, leaving Cosmopolitan in second place for the first time in years. A lot cheaper than other magazines (£1.95 in the UK), Glamour has it all. From real life stories to ‘31 New ways to kick your career in the pants’, Glamour has everything a girl’s life is about neatly piled into pocket-size pages. Glamour has won the hearts of women all over not just because of the way it can make a Topshop jacket as stylish as a Gucci dress but because it focuses on everyday situations. In this issue, plastic surgery was a hot topic, allowing women to read about other women’s experiences and possibly their own inhibitions. With features galore and more than enough fashion tips, Glamour is definitely a magazine a girl cannot live without.
Price: £3.40
Pages: 328
Cosmopolitan
Whether it’s pocket sized or larger than life, Cosmopolitan is still Cosmopolitan. It deals with sex, weight, health, beauty and fashion. Meaning more or less what other women’s magazines deal with. But Cosmo these days seems to be targeting itself at younger women. It might just be me but ‘The Ultimate Astrochemistry Guide’, known as the most accurate compatibility test ever doesn’t really seem to be something a 30-something would be interested in.
Price: £4.75
Pages: 304
Take A Break
‘Phoney tears of a cheating wife killer’ and ‘I asked my fianc?e: did you rape her, Les?’ are on this mag’s cover! ‘Give me a break,’ I yell. But I have to admit that this is the world’s favourite true life weekly – it says so on the cover. With 13 true-life shock horror stories, Take A Break also has some extra space to fit in recipes, crosswords and horoscopes. A great companion for those coffee breaks or when Mexican soap operas have gone too far. It’s actually reality hitting us hard in the face with the truth that we do in fact love to nose around in other people’s lives.
Price: £1.50
Pages: 62
Chat
Chat announces that it is the best true life every week – again, it says so on the cover. A similar magazine to Take A Break, but has better quality paper. OK, I lie. Chat also has some fashion involved and a beauty page, which I actually sat down to read. Good tips and this mag also has great furniture ideas without the designer, glossy, scary price tags. And naturally, a magazine wouldn’t be a magazine without the hottest gossip and news on Emmerdale, Casualty and Eastenders.
Price: £1.40
Pages: 66
Woman’s Own
Woman’s Own is probably the classiest of the lot and has been around for donkey’s years. Fine quality pages and from a quick flick through it I realised that although it has its share of true life stories, they tend to be more about beauty. Weight is a hot issue with the headline: Slimming pills made me fat, bananas made me thin! Of course, it concentrates a lot on fashion as well with pages dedicated to hot handbags, the best flattering tops and trousers. Recipes are on the menu as well as travel pieces and of course, health! Definitely aimed at an older audience but I wouldn’t mind reading about 10 ways to boost my memory.
Price: £1.35
Pages: 66
