Journalism Now - Women's magazines in consumer society 1950 - present day

Currently in English speaking countries there are over eighty successful women’s magazines in publication. This is a huge change to the handful of women’s magazines in production prior to the 1950s; so what has changed?

Prior to the 1950s women’s magazines were mainly produced by men. This was because, even after the successful Suffragette movement in the early twentieth century, it was still unusual to find women in positions of power in any industry. The magazine industry was no exception to this. However, the late twentieth and now the twenty first century have seen a dramatic increase in the number of successful women in the workplace. In addition, more women have been at the forefront of making magazines appealing to other women.

Take for example Cosmopolitan, one of the world’s most popular women’s magazines. Originally created by Paul Schilcht in 1886, Cosmopolitan was meant to be an upper class family publication.

The magazine tried to appeal to women by featuring articles on cooking and how to look after _­children.  This was appropriate for the sexist generation of the time; but the magazine had limited success. Cosmopolitan only gained international recognition when Helen Gurley-Brown became the chief editor in 1965.

The 1960s was the decade of free love and women’s liberation; Gurley-Brown used this to her advantage. She remodelled the publication to target a sexually liberal audience by featuring articles which openly discussed sexual matters. These articles were extremely innovative; today nearly every women’s magazine from Allure to Woman’s Own will feature sex in some way.

Cosmopolitan now features articles such as ‘How to ask a guy out’ (Cosmopolitan- August 2010) and ‘Sexy hairstyles – how to get them’ (Cosmopolitan – August 2010). At first glance it appears as though articles such as these are designed to empower women and make them more confident, ideals which are miles away from the 1950s articles, for example ‘How to avoid being a wet blanket to your husband’ ( My Home- 1950).

Many of the articles aim to give ideas and tips to the reader on how they can improve the quality of their life, and as a consequence will therefore be better able to please their men.

Women’s magazines target common female insecurities, then attempt to boost their readers' confidence. Western society is full of female consumers who lead hectic lives and use magazines as a means of escapism. Women enjoy reading about celebrity scandals and shocking real life stories because for the few minutes when they are reading, they are distracted from the monotony of their own lives. 

Ultimately the success of women’s magazines is based on a woman’s need to be socially acceptable, wear the ‘on trend’ fashion and make-up, sport the latest hairstyle, please their man and juggle a career and home life successfully.