Critics of Britney Spears’s crazed performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards aren’t just giving the thumbs-down to the lip-synching disaster and her oh-so-tight sequined skivvies. They’re publicly annihilating the mom-of-two for her bootyliciousness. Yes, Britney’s got a (little) belly.
With actual obesity on the rise, the only beacon of hope in this black hole of vapid Britney commentary is that readership of the two leading women’s health magazines is collectively over the three million mark (Condé Nast’s SELF falling just behind its American Media, Inc. counterpart). And that tells us that the 1.5 million women who read SELF are more concerned with their fitness than if they fit into a media-friendly size zero. Now there’s something to talk about.
SELF, a monthly for women that offers health, fitness, fashion, beauty, and happiness tips, is a special “Readers Request Issue” in September, and everything tagged with a red heart is a topic readers wanted. Featured is the third-annual Reach Your Goal, a one-month total-body makeover plan ready with four different workout plans, meal ideas, and a way to track progress on-line.
September’s SELF is a testament to why it has, under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Lucy S. Danziger, won the 2006 National Magazine Award for Personal Service, has been nominated for five other awards, and is a finalist in this year’s Eddie and Ozzie awards for May’s issue and for SELF Challenge, a three-month plan that got bodies swimsuit-ready. Participants joined online, where they could watch demonstration videos, plan their meals, and track their progress.
Reach Your Goal is a step above past fitness programs, including Challenge. Since Reach presents four different programs, whether readers want to lose eight pounds or learn to build running stamina, they have a choice. Each planned workout is equipped with boxes to check when completed for additional motivation. And this month’s tear-out cards, found in every issue to show different toning moves, work in conjunction with Reach. But, since not every reader will get on the kick, the cards are still handy for the gym-goer wanting to spice up her routine.
Even better about SELF this month is that the models are all shapes—a little round, a little long—fresh-faced and confident. That’s a huge improvement in women’s magazines: It reaches out to readers who want to be fit, but who aren’t inspired by some perky Gisele-in-training staring at them.
SELF’s average reader is 38 years old, but this upbeat, well-written glossy seems to be gearing itself to a younger audience as this month’s cover features 27-year-old Jessica Simpson as one of SELF’s 10 Most Inspiring Women (there are only nine, actually, and a page of nine women governors is tacked on, but we’ll forgive the mix-up).
But, SELF backs up its name and its 27-year-old reputation. This issue’s bright pink cover with the smiley ex-teenie bopper only belies the interior that is chock full of substantial, intelligent material only partially padded with fluff (and Jessica’s interview is surprisingly heart-warming). This chic mag allows the reader to feel smarter, sleeker, more in-tune with her body, while motivating her to get up and move toward a better SELF.
-Ainsley D. Bartholomew
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