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So I managed to get all my three favourite weekly magazines today and from the looks of the front covers, they look promising. More! magazine boasts Beyoncé as its cover star; plus for all the celebrity loving fashionistas out there, there’s “102 Celeb Style Buys Under £20” – that’s a bargain and a half, I don’t even mind that no newsagent in walking distance accepted my 80p more! voucher so that I had to pay full price…
Look magazine has Cheryl Cole on their cover, but in true Look style, the story is about her “nightmare”. I cannot wait to read it…not. Jennifer Aniston is also on the cover, but then she is on the cover of Grazia too so I won’t let Look take all the blame for that. Besides, they make up for it with “386 Sexy Day to Night Looks!” 386! That’s a look for more than every day of the year! I am genuinely excited to see what they’re going to be. There’s also an article on the “Coolest New Coats From £35” and there’s one coat pink £75 coat featured on the cover that I’m dying to see where it is from.
Finally, Grazia has Victoria Beckham on their cover, but the focus is on London Fashion Week rather than her weight for once. They also seem to have the “breaking news” about Jennifer Aniston being pregnant, but I don’t know how “Jennifer Pregnant at 40?” is news when there’s a question mark at the end. Surely it should be “breaking rumour”. There’s also a feature on “100 wow! Heels” which I am quite looking forward to reading as the shoes on the cover do look very wow indeed. Knowing Grazia though, they probably all cost no less than £500 – I see a Louboutin and a Chanel shoe already; and somehow I doubt they will be providing high street alternatives… Finally, Grazia have kindly included a free “26 page Cool Guide” which is basically a culture guide informing us what’s hot in music, film and tv. It’s not so much “free” as actually just part of the magazine, but I’m not complaining about their misleading use of words as this week’s Grazia was only £1 after all.
So that’s what each magazine has promised this week; stay tuned to see whether the content will be as good as we’re led to believe!
Every week, I will be doing a quick update of what the weekly magazines are saying about celebrities in order to save you having to read it so you can get onto the good stuff like fashion and real life stories.
So this past week, who has been in the magazines and what have they been up to?
(Please note that this is a Jordan aka Katie Price free zone as I do not feel she deserves any airtime whatsoever…)
 These photos of Kate Moss at the GQ Awards got everyone talking last week...
- Apparently Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer are back together. Word on the street (i.e. Look Magazine Street) is that he proposed to her. Watch this space. Although even if you’re not watching, I’m sure enough magazines will be talking about it…
- Renée Zellweger and Bradley Cooper are moving in together. That was quick, but gossip like this is just that. Gossip.
- On the subject of Renée Zellweger, Grazia reports that she is refusing to put on weight for the 3rd Bridget Jones movie. Apparently it will be done by computer. I’m getting images of the fat Monica in Friends…
- Following Kate Moss’ “performance” at the GQ awards, more! magazine, Look and Grazia are all reporting that she is having some sort of breakdown model mid life crisis. In her 30s. I think she just got drunk at a party, but you need to give something to the press!
- Emma Watson has started university at Brown University in Rhode Island in America. The same university Serena is meant to go to in Gossip Girl. Emma said that she chose to study in America because she is unknown there so will have more privacy. That’s why I’m reading about it and seeing pictures of her with her new friends on campus…
- Katy Perry is engaged to her on-off-clearly on again boyfriend Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes fame. Her song is true then that her boyfriend doesn’t mind that she kissed a girl and liked it.
- Fearne Cotton and Mr. Hudson are “just friends”. Same as last week, same as next week. Move on.
- Finally, hot off the press, the news of the century from Grazia is that Jennifer Aniston aka Rachel from Friends, is getting a new hair stylist. I’ll just leave you all now to let that exciting news sink in…
 Grazia - 21st September 2009 Issue The front cover of last week’s Grazia promises that it is the biggest issue ever; well, the wrist injury that I sustained while lugging it home already made me aware of this! I thought weekly magazines were supposed to give you quick fire updates on the week’s fashion and real life news, and could be read in one sitting on the tube; monthly magazines are to be savoured slowly, sort of like a novel. Well Grazia seems to have moved on to the monthly camp, not only because of pages and pages of designer ads and promotions, but also because seeing as I have a life outside magazine reading, I had to read it over the course of the week, rather than in one go like Look and more! magazine. So how did Grazia fill their 200 page weekly magazine?
Well, Alexa Chung is clearly the style darling of the moment now, with a 4 page article, complete with 19 photos, dedicated to her and her über-cool style. It’s funny how the tone of the media has changed towards her; I remember when I used to read about how annoying fashion victim she was, but now she’s moved over to America and is having a successful career there, it’s just high praise. How fickle. However, even I must admit that Alexa always looks amazing and I only wish I could carry off the looks that she does; but a 4 page article dedicated to just that?
Like Look, Kate Moss’ “meltdown” at the GQ awards is a hot topic in Grazia. However, I actually laughed when I read that one of the reasons Kate Moss is miserable at the moment is because she was compared in the media to the actress Gillian Taylforth; Grazia seems to be forgetting that they did a feature a few weeks back where they said that Kate and Gillian were spitting images of each other. Not so innocent there now, Grazia! I also find it ironic how Kate is also featured in at least two designer ads in this week’s issue, including the Longchamp campaign. It just goes to show that meltdown or not, she is still one of the most iconic British supermodels.
Continue reading Grazia magazine – 21st September 2009 Issue
 Grazia 14th September Issue Is it me or is the first section of Grazia looking a bit like Hello magazine more and more lately; in other words, filled with gossip about people I don’t know, or people whose private lives I do not care about. You know it’s a slow news week when there’s “news” about someone’s love life. Also, in the “10 hot stories” section of the magazine, there was a feature about the survivors of Hurricane Katrina and another about the Jaycee Lee Dugard case. My opinion about this sort of format chosen by Grazia changes each week; does it trivialise the issue to place it under the rubric “hot stories” amongst celebrity gossip and fashion news, with no clear pattern? Or does it make it seem more serious, serious enough that the editor feels that it is important that Grazia readers are aware of it? Is it effective to “strategically” place serious current affair topics in between an article about the new Hermés scarf and another about how much Lourdes looks like Madonna in her new video? Comment to let me know your thoughts.
Whilst I’m not a fan of celebrity gossip overload in magazines, I do read real life stories with avid interest. Firstly, this week’s Grazia report was about Lena Simagina from Russia who was abducted at the age of 17 with her friend, Katya Martynova, 14, and forced to live in a cellar under their kidnapper’s home. This report is in effect a response to the story of Jaycee Lee Dugard, but rather than being all about publicity, Lena tells her story genuinely and goes some way to help us understand what Jaycee went through. The report is disturbing, graphic and hard hitting, but it is a compelling read, as you appreciate how brave Lena must be to not only survive, but to then retell her traumatising story.
Continue reading Grazia magazine – 14th September 2009 Issue
 Jennifer Aniston on the cover of Grazia...again This week’s Grazia is so packed full of content it would be impossible for me to talk about everything, as much as I want to. My advice to you would be buy it; even if you’re not a usual Grazia reader, this week’s issue is a must have – it’s funny, thought provoking, and the clothes…wow. The cover doesn’t really do it any justice though, I must admit; surely Jennifer Aniston’s private life can’t still be a magazine seller…
Grace Coddington in The September Issue
Celebrity Gossip – Jen’s “boob job”
Fashion
Beauty – make up for dark skin – finally!
Grace Coddington in The September Issue
The highly anticipated, fashion film of the century is finally out next week, Friday 11th September. The September Issue is a docu-film about the production of the famous September issue of the US Vogue. One of the “stars” of the film is British ex-model and creative director of the US Vogue, Grace Coddington and Grazia explores her role in the film, giving us an insight into this flame haired creative genius. Anytime we talk about Vogue, it’s always about Anna Wintour, so it makes a change to talk about one of the other most influential women in fashion today. The article makes Grace come across as a sort of enigma and I honestly can’t wait to see the film and learn more about this fascinating woman. I’m intrigued by the magazine industry (obviously, hence the blog!), but aside from the inevitable eye watering fashion and high drama, I’m most looking forward to seeing Coddington and Wintour interacting with each other; two strong, creative, intelligent women in a room, that’s a clash and a half!
Continue reading Grazia magazine – 7th September 2009 Issue
 Cheryl Cole on the cover of Grazia - 31st August Issue This week’s cover girl is our favourite Cheryl Cole, and this time it’s all about her wardrobe. You don’t even have to read the article, I spent 5 minutes just looking at the photos and thinking wow; she really has become such a genuine style icon and the best part is she is accessible. Even though she wears designer clothes, because of her girl next door image, you can imagine yourself in her clothes and imagine them actually looking good on you.
School starts again next month so Grazia has done a feature on fashion uniform “back to cool” and it is all very cool indeed. I’m loving the biker jackets/blazer look, especially the leather studded All Saints one.
 All Saints studded leather jacket I’ve been thinking of investing in a leather jacket and this might be the one as although it has this season’s studs, I think it could be timeless. Hot pink heels are apparently the shoes of the season and I have no complaints about that as I love pink and I love shoes. I never thought I’d see pink gladiators but it’s happening and it works! Also, forget the LBD, the Little Red Dress is the dress of the season, and it’s a sexy look, but make sure you get the right shade for your skin tone! Speaking of dresses, how hot does Elle Macpherson look in Victoria Beckham’s grey cashmere Carmontelle dress! When I’m 46, I hope I rock a dress as well as she does!
Continue reading Grazia – 31st August 2009 Issue
Unlike the panic of last week, I managed to get all three of my magazines without too much fuss. I still had to walk about a mile, so I guess magazine hunting is officially incorporated into my daily exercise routine.
It does all seem worth it though. Look’s cover boasts “101 Autumn Oooh Shoes!” and Kate Moss’s new collection for Topshop; more has 20% off at www.dune.co.uk plus “30 sexy weekend outfits under £30” and animal print t shirts (which are apparently a new celeb trend, but I bought a zebra t shirt dress in January from H&M and I knew I looked cool even then).
I think Grazia wins this week however: for starters it’s only £1 instead of £1.95! What a bargain! Cheryl Cole is on the cover (X Factor has started so expect to see a lot of Cheryl and Danni Minogue until Christmas a least), and there’s 20% off “new season buys at COS. I’m loving these discounts. I’m not so keen on David Cameron being on the front cover (I’m not convinced by him), but who cares, £1 Grazia! Plus, I had a little peek inside, and there’s a £50 off gift voucher to see Dirty Dancing, the musical! If you’re not usually a Grazia reader, this is definitely the week to give it a try!
I’ll be keeping you posted on more in-depth analyses of these three magazines, so keep an eye out!
 Victoria Beckham on the cover of Grazia Victoria Beckham is no stranger to magazine covers and I admit that I was quite shocked to see her looking skinnier than normal on the cover of this week’s Grazia. However, it does look as though the photo of her has been enhanced to highlight shadows, making her look skeletal, which I don’t actually believe she is. Also, the subsequent article made me think about how I’d feel to have my weight analysed, every pound lost or gained documented. Victoria has put herself in the public eye and she does clearly enjoy the fame, but if she has lost weight, we really do not know why, and it’s up to her to speak for herself before we make hasty, often nasty judgements. It actually made me quite uncomfortable to read.
What also made me uncomfortable was the report on Michael Jackson and his children. I have a lot of respect for journalists, and I know they have to make a living; it’s the people who want to have their 15 minutes of fame on the back of someone’s death and three innocent children who’ve lost their father. I find it quite disturbing really. No matter what the truth is, people seem to be forgetting that three young children have lost the person that they grew up with. I don’t know what protection they have from reading and hearing things in the media, but it must be quite traumatic. Continue reading Grazia – 24th August 2009 Issue
In this week’s Grazia, one of the stories that stuck out in my mind was that of Catrin Mills, 34, a high-flying lawyer, a mother and a wife. Her story was in response to the tragic suicide of another lawyer, Catherine Bailey, who was also a successful fulltime City lawyer and fulltime mother of three children. Mills writes that Bailey’s story hit close to home because she too felt under pressure from being the perfect lawyer, competing in a cut-throat industry, as well as the pressure of being the perfect wife and the perfect mother. This culminated in thoughts of suicide because the pressure of proving that she could do all her roles perfectly was just too much. Fortunately for Catrin, she came to her senses and decided to get medical help; unfortunately, this was not the case for Catherine, and the sad news is that thousands, even millions, of other women are in the same position today. Continue reading The Pressure of being Superwoman – Juggling Careers and Families
Grazia is not my usual magazine, but the front cover had promises of “High Street Heroes” and as a fashion lover on a budget, I can’t resist tips on where to get hot new items on the high street. Also on the front cover was Angelina Jolie, and as much as I do admire her, I’ve grown bored of stories about her private life with Brad Pitt. It seems that the media is obsessed with celebrities’ marital woes, but I personally find it rather tedious to constantly read about someone else’s life, told by “a close friend”. I do enjoy the odd bit of gossip, but there’s a reason I usually steer clear of gossip mags…
Continue reading Grazia – 11th-17th August 2009
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