Are you attractive enough for women's magazines?

WELL, are you?

Increasingly, it would seem not.

Beth Ditto may be the new darling of the glossies, but for all those women who aren't buddies with Kate Moss, their stories are still rejected if their face, hips and arse don't fit.

If you’ve ever had an anorexic case study turned down by an editor because she wasn’t ‘skeletal’ enough then you’ll already know how demanding women’s magazines can be.

Ask many a staff or freelance writer and they can quote you chapter and verse on women’s glossies rejecting case studies or even whole features because of what the subjects look like.

But now it seems even the pages of some of the ‘real life’ women’s weeklies are also beginning to turn their back on ‘real women’ – or at least real women of a certain age.

News International’s weekly Love It! set itself apart from its rivals – by banning ‘grey haired grannies’ in its pages.

Editor Karen Pasquali-Jones said when it launched: “We do admit to being a bit ageist. I’ve turned down some fantastic case studies because they are older than our 18-35 range.

“That’s not to say, however, we’d necessarily turn down a 40-year-old woman with an amazing story, but it would depend on the individual involved."

It’s a bold, and some would say controversial, move for a women’s magazine – but Pasquali-Jones is unapologetic.

She says: “Whenever a new women’s weekly launches, they always claim they’re going to be different, but within a couple of weeks their pages are filled with grey-haired old grannies. With Love It, we’re making a conscious effort to target a younger age group.”

That may be so – but apart from seeking out a younger reader, the magazine will, says Pasquali-Jones, reflect the real life of its readers.

She says: "People who read celebrity or glossy magazines are used to looking at airbrushed images, but our case studies don’t necessarily have to be camera-friendly.

“Yes, we’ll use a great photographer and make up artist to make them look as good as possible, but we don’t believe in airbrushing. We want to show people as they really are.”

Over at Natmags’ Real People, not surprisingly, there’s no talk of age limits.

A spokeswoman said: “The magazine is called Real People because that’s who we feature. Real life has no airbrushes and neither do we.

“We would never turn down a story because of what someone looked like. In fact in some cases it can be precisely because of what someone looks like that there is a story there – such as the story of a woman who was robbed of her beauty by a disfiguring disease.

“We’ve had excellent feedback from readers since our launch and we know that what they want to see is real people, just like them.”

Angela Phillips, senior lecturer in media and communications at London’s Goldsmith's University says it’s a new development for women’s weeklies to limit case studies.

She says: “Weeklies have always been different to the more aspirational glossies. They seem to be speaking to a real audience. They are far more democratic and readers appear to be given space to speak for themselves, giving a much more honest representation of their target audience.

“Women's glossies want the images in their magazines to represent their perceived readership, case studies included,” says Phillips.

“In the past they've been criticised for only featuring size 8 models and unaffordable clothing, but I'm not sure all of this really matters.

“To say it does is underestimating the intelligence of the readers.

“For most women, it's an escape, the equivalent of a relaxing bubble bath or a box of chocolates. There is an argument that, in general, media aimed at women presents an idealised view which some people find difficult, but what women's glossies are doing is so transparent.

“Readers recognise they're being presented with an idealised world where everyone is much glossier, much prettier. It's aspirational, a shop window rather than a mirror image of their own world and women are suckers for this kind of thing.

“If we say these magazines are having a negative effect, we're definitely reading too much into it.”

While still editor of Red, Trish Halpin, said the fact that their readers are ‘smart, modern, thinking women’ means their pages also have to be filled with them.

She said: “It isn't just looks that reflect our readers, it's what they've achieved in their life, and how inspiring their story is. I think our case studies come across as likely to be someone you know - a friend, sister or colleague.

“However if a story was really brilliant and had a real emotional pull for our readers and the case study wasn't camera friendly I would still run it.

“For example a cancer survivor, will often have case studies of women who have been through a very tough time which may have affected their looks.

”It is important to get a balance though. If a magazine is full of impossibly gorgeous models and real people you can close the last page and feel really depressed.”

Writers have learned how to play the game – though it doesn’t always feel right.

Freelance journalist Sarah Ewing says: “I've never had a whole feature canned because it's usually stipulated or understood in advance of me sorting case studies for features that they need to be 'photogenic'.

“This is open to interpretation, but basically the mags are looking for someone's who's groomed, not a supermodel.

“To a certain degree I can understand why this is, but it does make it a bit awkward if you've been talking to someone about placing their story, and then they send you a picture and you know that your editor definitely isn't going to like it. That makes me feel bad.

“However, the 'photogenic' dilemma depends on the target market, and yes, women's weeklies tend to be more lenient because of this. That's not to say they want scruffy people, just that the case studies should reflect their readers.”

Former Guardian fashion editor Susannah Conway says: “I’ve had case studies rejected a few times because of what they looked like.

“Usually the editor wouldn’t explicitly say ‘they’re too fat’ or ‘too ugly’ - they would simply say they weren’t quite right - but the implication was there.

“The first time this happened I was quite shocked but the more I write for women’s magazines, the more I understand what each publication is looking for, so my case studies are now rarely rejected as I know what to look for.

“As a writer you have to be clever about it - get the right age, right mix of locations and jobs to ensure the piece will work and fulfill the brief you’ve been given.

So what happens when the journalist becomes the case study?

Susannah says: “I’ve only ever appeared in a magazine once - a photograph was used to illustrate a very personal piece I had written. And this is where my vanity comes into it - my ex was a photographer so I got him to take the pic, which meant I could ensure that only the most flattering photos were filed to the picture editor!

“Perhaps that moment of vanity (and insecurity) on my part reflects what’s happening in magazines. I wanted to look my ‘best self’ and magazines want to look their best selves.”

So are you, like Susannah, deemed attractive enough to appear in the media you write for?

I know I'm not.

That's because I'm a 39-year-old mum who's the wrong side of 13 stone. I’ll even admit to the odd grey hair. At least I don't have the grandkids.

Comments

[Suzie Harris]

Hi, Linda,

Great piece. It seems as though the book 'The Devil Wears Prada" is not fiction! It's here, it's real and it's happening. As a mother of three girls, I am truly frightened for them as they grow.

I battle with my weight constantly, but for who...Me? My husband? No, it's all about body image and how other people view us. It's wrong.

I say it's time for big girls to stand up and shout "We are gorgeous, too!"

Suzie

[Linda]

Hi Suzie, yes I would like to think my contribution to my family and work etc would be nice to be judged on as opposed to how many Curly Wurlies I can manage in one go. Mind you it's an impressive number.
x

[Beta Mum]

I set up a piece for telly when I was working for the BBC. The story was about visual impairment and the interviewee had some sight and didn't use a white stick.
When the cameraman saw him, he said, aloud and very crossly,
"He doesn't look blind, where's his stick?"
So it's not just magazines that prioritise the look of the thing.

[Diane Shipley]

Excellent piece Linda.

[Louise Bolotin]

A very good piece and timely.

Re Beta Mum's comment - I totally agree. I'm officially disabled but because I'm not in wheelchair or have any obvious impairment, it's extremely annoying to be questioned as to why I have a disabled bus pass or told I can't have a disabled discount when I ask for one unless I'm willing to humiliate myself by explaining my disability...

The obsession with physical perfection in the media is deeply depressing.

[Suzie Harris]

Louise,

I hear ya! I have the same problem. I am disabled due to Rheumatoid Arthritis and was in a wheelchair until my knee was replaced. Sometimes I have to show the scar to prove to 'the old uns' that I need the disabled space more than them in the car park!

Suzie x

[Maria McCarthy]

Excellent piece, Linda. Apart from the moral issues, is so tricky work out if a case study might only have interviewed over the phone is going to fit the bill. It's not as if you can ask outright ...'so...er....are you attractive?'

[Denise P]

Good on Real People and shame on Love It, I say! People are already beginning to tire of seeing airbrushed, unrealistic photos in the magazines - and eventually, it won't be the looks and figures of prospective case studies the mags will need to worry about, but rather the figures of their disenchanted readership.

[Linda]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

[GreatSheElephant]

It's not just size and age. I once pitched a beauty story about makeup for women with glasses to an editor at Zest and was told that they "would never feature anyone with glasses in Zest because women with glasses are too ugly."

Nice. I was wearing glasses when she said this to my face. Bizarrely, so was she.

[Amber]

I'd probably never get to feature in a woman's magazine because I'm "a ginger" and God knows, everyone hates us!

It's a fascinating debate, though, and I for one am really pleased to see it being talked about. My piece on Beth Ditto was intended to highlight the hypocrisy that exists in the media at the moment whereby this phrase "real women" is being bandied about a bit too freely, I think. So many writers are jumping on the "size 0" bandwagon, which vilifies skinny women for being "unhealthy", while at the same time applauding an equally unhealthy body shape - Beth Ditto being a good example. Actually, "real" women come in ALL shapes and sizes (with skinny women being just as "real" as any other shape), and I think it would be good if the media could recognise that, without feeling the need to vilify ANYONE. Let's forget about dress sizes (which are largely irrelevant, anyway) and focus on health, I say.

Excellent piece, Linda, as always!

[olivia gordon]

Great piece baby

[Andrea Wren]

Excellent article Linda - the 'attractive case study' concept took me quite a while to get my head round in journalism! In many ways it still infuriates me, especially when you have a cracking story and you know the subject doesn't have the right 'look' for that publication. It's actually quite depressingly sad how fake much of the publishing world is.

[Penelope Gibbs]

Really interesting debate as far as charities are concerned. Most of their PRs are horrified by the idea that magazines might turn down a case study because she is not attractive enough. I understand the realities of magazine commissioning but I would never send out a request through www.askcharity.org.uk stipulating that the case study should be attractive. A freelancer just has and I fear she may get a lot of negative e-mails.