Man reading the broadsheets on the tube in the morning what image does this conjure in your mind? Are the contents of these broadsheets any better than that in a tabloid? Since many broadsheets are now tabloid does that mean that the content has also downscaled? Does the content really matter or is it the size or name of the paper that matters? I was forced to answer those questions to myself as I sat in a coffee shop drinking a hot chocolate and reading the Sunday broadsheets.
I picked up a particular Sunday supplement for women. A popular female singer songwriter featured on the front cover, not someone I particularly knew but as the front cover shouted that it was for women I thought that there maybe something of interest and maybe something educational, inspirational.
I was initially confronted with an article about females writing about their one night stands which introduced a new genre of female written literature. Other articles included a story of a born again ex stripper who was now preaching to the Adult Industry; Argentina’s richest and most popular cosmetic surgeon, men wanting six-packs as women were no longer interested in what they have in their wallets and oh let’s not forget fashion.
Included and in between these articles were photographs, pictures and images of women of all with flowing shiny long locks, excessively made up faces flaunting bodies that look like they have returned from a visit from the Argentinean doctor.
I was reading the broadsheets wasn’t I? I checked the front of the magazine to be sure. As a middleclass British female the broadsheets are supposed to stimulate me intellectually, offer me food for thought, suggest another way of thinking that is to challenge my understanding of a topic and of the world, give me inspiration as a women to help me better myself, show me what my fellow females are doing paving the way for us to be just as successful in our right and way. Show us to be great role models for our daughters and nieces and hey, how we can look and feel good as well.
This particular supplement did not do any of these things. It did not have anything within its pages that pertained to me? Was I not the writers and publishers target reader? As young women, lawyer, mother, long term partner, daughter and sister there was nothing in that magazine that was any relevance to me, my life, my ethics, my aspirations believes and there was no one in the whole magazine who even looked like me.
Are broadsheets aware that intelligent women read their papers? Are they aware that we want to see women that look like the rest of us? Or does this mean that we intelligent women are also interested in these types of topics and images? Women are losing their voice. In this ?Heat/OK generation there is a great dictatorship that is robbing women of discovering who they are and being comfortable with themselves. We are being forced to believe that women regardless of their class, race, age or intelligence should aspire to be like the chosen few that even those in media aspire to be. We must all eat the same things, like the same things, read the same books, like the same type of men, have the same values, aim for the same life styles.
There needs to be a shift in the world’s attitude to women and their interests and women need to demand more. Are interests span more than wanting to look like those in the videos, sitcoms and Hollywood movies, we are well rounded mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and aunties who have genuine interests, some of s have careers and we want to read about ourselves and our peers.
I think next week I may just read a genuine Sunday tabloid, I may be pleasantly surprised.
