I used to love magazines.
In fact, they’re why I chose to forge a career in media because I wanted to be part of a trendsetting industry that appeared to be exciting, glossy and fresh.
I started with Bunty and Mandy, moved on to J17, became obsessed with Bliss for a time and even as a broke student, I bought Elle religiously.
These days, I purchase a glossy Vogue now and again simply for its beautiful aesthetic and the feeling of being transported to another world entirely, if only for a few minutes.
So yes, for a period of time, magazines were my kryptonite until I started to feel that something vital was missing.
If you look at where we’re at in 2017, and the fact that Julia Roberts is the face of People Magazine’s 27th” Most Beautiful Person” edition, it’s clear the magazine industry is not ‘trendsetting’.
Don’t get me wrong, Julia Roberts is fab and Pretty Woman will forever be one of the classics but the fact remains that Pretty Woman was released in 1990.
The actress killed it in Erin Brokovich (2000) and made us want to be her pal in My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) but it’s been a while since she’s had a major box office hit.
Julia is absolutely stunning, we all know that, but putting her on the cover of one of American’s biggest publications is hardly a bold move, considering it’s happened a number of times already.
This reinforces the point that magazine covers are stagnant and they’re not moving forwards or taking risks, simply sticking with what’s safe and familiar.
If we look at our homegrown publications, it’s clear there’s a pattern with many of the same celebrities appearing on front covers a few times a year.
Vogue Williams, Pippa O’Connor Ormond, Rosanna Davison, all fabulous females that we at Her respect for their business acumen and various talents but let’s be honest, they’re on rotation on Ireland’s glossies at this point and I’m over it.
These ladies are household names but there’s plenty of others who are breaking boundaries in their worlds and no one knows about it.
Take Pamela Laird, the brains behind Moxi Loves (a nifty little tool that clears up makeup disasters quickly) who managed to secure funding from THREE bigwigs on Dragon’s Den recently and even has Jen Atkin, hairstylist to the Kardashians, snap chatting about her products.
When the absolute GIRL BOSS @jenatkinhair posts about @moxiloves ?? I hope they come in handy for those eyeliner in the car days ??? pic.twitter.com/MKZbFif0mX
— pamela laird (@Pamela_Laird) April 23, 2017
You may not have heard of Orlagh O’Reilly but this mother of two is a brand consultant and creative director of The Mini Post, a website that has collaborated with the likes of Tiba+Marl, Stella McCartney Kids, Harrods, The White Company, Brora, Liberty, Gap Kids.
These are the girl bosses that are also making their mark in competitive industries but we don’t know or hear enough about them.
Magazines have a massive platform and they can choose to do so much more, break boundaries of their own and although the content inside often belies the front (Marie Claire always has some insightful and thought-provoking articles), it’s the cover that gets people’s attention first.
It all goes back to that age-old adage, a picture speaks a thousand words.
