Women have a huge range of magazines to choose from. There are magazines which focus on celebrities, fitness and weight loss, cookery, fashion and lifestyle in general. Women’s interests tend to differ from men’s and so this is reflected in the magazines available and in the articles contained inside them. There are similarities between male and female oriented magazines though, as both tend to be aspirational. Men and women are supposed to look at the celebrities and models in these magazines and want to be them.

Women’s magazines tend to feature models who are extremely slim and who appear to be perfect. They have no blemishes or wrinkles; their hair is styled perfectly and their clothes flatter their figure. It is easy to forget that models are supposed to look good – it is their job after all. Plus, they have professional stylists and photographers whose role it is to make them look their best. However, when ordinary women see such images they want to look that way and are often prepared to spend money to achieve the perfect body.

Women have more disposable income than in the past and when they see advertisements for products that claim to be able to help them lose weight, avoid developing wrinkles and look good, they are often prepared to buy them. They want to believe that if they use a certain product they will be as glamorous and successful as the women featured in the magazines they read. Most of the time they are aware that this will never be the case, but for the sake of a few dollars, they are prepared to give anything a try at least once.

When women pick up a magazine they usually know what to expect. If a woman is interested in sport, she is likely to pick up a magazine that reflects this, just as a woman who is interested in celebrity-spotting is likely to pick up a celebrity magazine. Consequently, each magazine is tailored towards women’s specific interests, so that the articles and advertisements will appeal to the intended audience. That being the case, it is unlikely that magazines affect women’s lifestyle choices too much. Women who enjoy keeping fit are going to continue to find reading about fitness interesting.

However, the magazines that women read can influence their spending habits, as the advertisements and articles they are exposed to will give them ideas about how to achieve a certain aim, such as losing weight. This tends to involve buying products that can apparently help them reach their goals. It is therefore clear that women’s magazines do have an impact on the way women think about their lifestyle and how they can improve it.