Unrest - reviews and general articles

Images of young, beautiful, and thin women have always been used in US publications. Over time, our minds are expanding to accept older woman now as acceptable images. And thanks to the Kardashian’s, being overweight in certain body parts, is gaining public acceptance.

It’s an evolving process, but more older and overweight models are increasingly appearing in catalogs, in the attempts to sell clothing to the masses.

I feel there is too little demand in a magazine viewers who are interested is looking at images of woman, who are chronically ill, overweight, and unattractive.

I know it’s all screwed up, and I certainly think it’s messed up, but magazines need to sell ads, and that’s how they make money.

 

Now that would be a turn up for the book wouldn't it ...

 

I think the brutal truth is that more people will pause as they skim the internet, and if they pause for even a second, they might then even skim read the title and if really lucky the intro. By which time they may just read the article. Have to accept there's massive competition for people's attention. Need to run a trial with and without the picture, and see how many hits achieved. But of course I suppose media outlets monitor page hits anyway.

Blokes will probably pause ... because it's a naked woman. Women will probably pause because it's a vulnerable looking woman, and tasteful. But I appreciate this is probably much better critiqued by the ladies here!

 

Totally agree!!

I feel, Vogue readers are looking for an escape or a fantasy, most likely some kind of a dreamy romantic fantasy. If readers want facts, they will subscibe to Time magazine,

 

@Barry
Hope you noted that I held back from using the phrase “steamy” romantic fantasy. Cause that’s a topic from another thread whose overall theme floated its way to “Our Pub”.

I feel the need to avoid that kind of “cross pollination” .... or do I?

 

@Barry

You've got me worried. While we're thinking of subsets, are all women "ladies"? So who gets to critique this? No wonder I don't sleep.

 

No. I am a woman. I have never been a lady.

 

@Trish
You've added in another subset. We need criteria. Not sure you can just choose.

 

Oh dear, has my normal use of language caused an issue. I'm not into the class system, don't give a toss for it frankly. But I was just brought up with the notion that any woman is a lady unless she proves to give decent people grief. In my world all the women here are ladies; and as an example, EC is not.

So I'm sorry people, as I head towards my 65th birthday I am not going to feel guilted or change what I believe is perfectly decent terminology, because it is with good intent and basic politeness. On rare occasions I have even been told I'm a gentleman, and believe you me, there is nothing upper crust about me!

 

I thought it was very restrained of you .

Just wittering on a little more about the article.

As the intro strives to convey, its target readership is those who do not have ME, and maybe have nothing seriously wrong with them. The don't do google searches on ME/CFS like we do, they probably have never heard of it, though they may well know someone they assume is just lazy. You have to do something to make people stop and realise that such an article is relevant to them. It's the same rationale as shop window displays in a busy high street; businesses don't invest all that space and money so they can go out and look at it themselves, they do it to catch people's attention who might otherwise pass by. Of course many people do go straight by, but of the people who do go into the shop, there will be those who would not have done without the window.

I know you fully understand this, but dropped into soap box mode.

 

I'm heading towards my 65th birthday too! I appreciate that your desire is to be polite, but I recall being told so many times by my father that 'ladies don't do that', and replying so many times that I wasn't a lady then, that I haven't appreciated the term 'lady' for a very long time!

How do you decide that someone, e.g. EC, is not a lady?

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/953770960854937600

 

I respect your position, especially given what you say. Our different upbringings give us different perspectives.

 

I was once told by a very well-to-do elderly gentleman that, "The mark of a true lady is that she can chew gum without anyone noticing".

Even if EC was made a Life Peer, I shall never recognize her as a "lady" (unless, of course, she has mastication skills that we are currently unaware of . . .).

 

Chews the fat a lot.

 

I don't much care for the term "lady" either. Too often it's used to separate women into groups of those who should be treated respectfully and those who can be disrespected, based primarily on how they conform to a gender stereotype of how women should behave. It can even be used to justify verbal or physical abuse while still claiming to be a gentleman who is courteous to the real ladies.

I generally prefer non-gendered ways to characterize inappropriate behavior, since uncomfortable stereotypes are thereby avoided. There are a lot of ways to describe Esther Crawley, and I don't think "she's not a lady" is meaningful or effective.

 

Bl**dy hell! I was just letting people know how I was brought up and where I was coming from. OK, so none of you are ladies - hopefully you feel better now.

 

@Barry
My comment was meant as a light joke at a time when subsets were spinning round my head after discussion of the ME and CFS nomenclature.

Sorry if it caused you difficulties.

 

Yours is the comment that didn't .