Let's step outside the box for a second and look at something objectively: Men's magazines. Let's use swim suit magazines as an example. What do you think of when you see them; flip through them?
If you're a teenage man, your hands probably get all sticky real soon. If you're an adult male, you probably read an article or two, and then get your hands all sticky. If you're a woman, you might take note of what the models are wearing so you can try to buy the same (thereby encouraging your man to get his hands all sticky. Yes, yes, I'm picking up on a theme here), or, well, you may think the magazine is trash.
Those women are so beautiful. Men want me to look like this, but I never will, it's not fair.
Yeah, I suppose you could look at them that way, but what would you do if I told you that woman's magazines are actually much more derogatory and disrespectful of women than swim suit magazines or even porn mags like Playboy could ever be?
How so? Well, look at it this way: What kind of headlines to you see on the covers of the average woman's magazine, and what do those headlines tell you? Really?
Headline Example #1: Follow these 10 simple steps to look your best _all_ the time!
Translation: You're ugly and no matter what you do, you'll never be beautiful. But if you follow these steps, men might like you!
Headline Example #2: 5 sex moves you absolutely _must_ learn!
Translation: You have no idea how to please your man, which is why he looks at other women all the time. If you surprise him with these, he'll objectify you and pay attention to you, but only for physical pleasure.
Headline Example #3: Short and easy workout you can fit into any part of your day!
Translation: You're fat, and no matter how you watch what you eat or how often you follow your regular workout, you'll always be fat. With our secrets, you might burn a pound or two and save some dignity.
And those are just three examples. Sound harsh? The truth often is, isn't it.
The truth, is that most woman's magazines are tailored to strike right at a woman's own lack of self confidence in herself, and that makes me angry. And most women gobble it all up, and that makes me sad.
At least with a men's magazine, like a swim suit issue or Playboy, sure, those models are in provocative poses, but at least they show the beauty of the female form at it's peak, and they teach men to desire feminine beauty. Woman's magazine's, on the other hand, constantly tell their readers, in complete undertones, that they're not good enough and that they never will be.
But we are who we are, and the second you try to become something else to please someone else, you're no longer yourself, and then what are you left with? Not everyone's going to be attracted to you no matter what you do, that's a simple truth of life, and if you can't love yourself for who you really are, how can you ever expect anyone else to?
