FashBlog.com

While I don't actually read any magazines that could be purely called "fashion" magazines, I do subscribe to a couple of women's magazines. And the fashion spreads in these magazines increasingly disturb me.

My first complaint is naturally the emaciated models that display clothes on these pages. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to see myself in the shirts and skirts and dresses when I'm not a size zero. And I suppose on some level, I'm supposed to want to be like these women, but typically I can't even enjoy looking at these clothes if the model looks sickly. It's just not good advertising to me.

Some magazines actually manage to get away from this trend with photographs featuring real women. I believe I've seen a teen magazine using this tactic, showcasing girls of all sizes, complexions and features. One of the magazines I subscribe to also includes women of various sizes in everything from dresses to bikinis. By showing different-sized women in variations on the same outfit, they show women how to make a style work for them, no matter what their shape. Now this tactic makes me actually want to go out and buy the clothes because I can imagine myself in them. It's always refreshing to see it, but not nearly enough magazines agree with this line of thought.

Among the magazines that tend to use emaciated models, I've also noticed that their photo layouts tend to show the models either wearing the clothes in a way that isn't practical or wearing the clothes in a fantasy or pretentious setting. So I might come across a woman wearing a sweater vest that would be quite lovely...if it wasn't the only thing she was wearing. Or an assortment of models will traipse through a field on an impossibly stylish picnic. Or perhaps a visit to the art museum will inspire the models to jump right up on the sculptures and show off their shoes.

But the final problem that I have with magazine fashion spreads is the cost of clothing and accessories they usually feature. This goes back to the idea of whether a fashion layout actually makes me want to buy the clothes. If I would have to save my money for two years to buy an item, then it's probably not going to go straight to the top of my shopping list. I'll admit that I'm a reverse snob of sorts. I sometimes look down on people who would spend $500 on a purse. One of my friends added a pair of $400 boots to an online wish list and I was incredulous. As just an example from this month's magazines, one model is wearing a $5,540 dress and a $985 necklace while another model wears a $2,890 jacket over a $4,610 dress, complemented by a $495 necklace. Even a relatively frugal feature on shoes showcases styles that range in price from $40 to $588. I don't live that kind of lifestyle, and it just boggles my mind that some people do.