Joanna Coles: From Marie Claire To Cosmo
In case you didn’t already know, I love what people like to call “lady mags.” I have subscriptions to Vogue, Elle and Marie Claire and they are all something that I really look forward to reading each month.
I know that some people like to trash these “lady” or fashion magazine as frivolous, but they really are anything but, at least those three to me. Not only are they really aesthetically pleasing - I love a good fashion spread as much as the next. But they also have really well written stories. Everything from first-person pieces and women’s health to world news and profiles on really inspiring woman.
About 10 years ago I picked up an issue of Marie Claire and swore I would never read one again. It was that bad. No matter how many pretty fashion editorials you have, if there isn’t worthwhile content to read, it’s not worth buying to me.
On a whim a few years ago I thought I would give the magazine another shot. I’m so glad I did because what I found was a completely transformed magazine with articles that really mattered to women. And I’ve been a subscriber ever since.
I credit the magazine’s turn around to its (now former) editor-in-chief Joanna Coles. So, I was really sad to learn that she was leaving Marie Claire to head up Cosmopolitan magazine.
Cosmo was a magazine that I read as a teen, granted it was later in my teen years. At that time, I thought it was fun and well, to be to totally honesty, a magazine I thought could help teach me about certain aspects of being in a relationship. I know. I know. But I was young and naive.
By the time I was out of teens, I realized that it wasn’t the sort of magazine for me. It was devoid of any content that was meaningful for me and I haven’t picked one up since. What I’m hoping is that Joanna Coles can make this magazine something worthwhile again. I’m really excited to see what she has in store for it and may just pick up an issue in a few months.
