Women's
magazines aren't serious. That's the perception that exists anyway. It might be
a matter of what consumers think about them, or maybe it's just how the people
who work at them are judged by their peers in the media. But they're not taken
seriously, and it's not because of their content. It's because our
understanding of what Serious Journalism™ is, who makes it and the historical
reasoning behind why ladymags — tucked aside in a pink ghetto — are often
misunderstood.
There's
been a lot of talk this week about the "seriousness" of women's
magazines, which all started with a cover story from U.K. magazine Port hailing
a "New Golden Age" of print media—one that,
judging by the editors featured on Port's cover, is being led exclusively by
white, middle-aged males. In response, a debate has sprung up about whether women’s
magazines are, in fact, capable of providing "serious journalism."
Elle editor in chief Robbie Myers used her August editor’s letter to explain that yes, in
fact, they are.
