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Woman and Woman's Own

(54 Posts)
pollyparrot Wed 09-Mar-16 09:28:24

I always used to buy these magazines and enjoy them. Is it me that's changed, or the magazines?

They seem more like celebrity gossip mags these days, which I generally avoid like the plague.

Can anyone recommend a decent mag to read. I like health advice, lifestyle advice, house and home articles, problem pages, food advice, fashion advice, that sort of thing.

merlotgran Wed 09-Mar-16 14:55:21

I quite like reading about women who shear their own sheep without chipping a fingernail, sell their own knitwear at exorbitant prices, grow all their own organic vegetables and produce mouthwatering dishes from their designer kitchens, walk fifteen dogs before breakfast, home school their children and manage an orchard full of shepherd's huts for their latest glamping venture!!

They're such an inspiration hmm

NanaandGrampy Wed 09-Mar-16 14:52:20

I gave up Woman and Woman's own when they stopped having any stories in. I've had a subscription to My Weekly for about 30 years and still enjoy it. It's got a bit of everything and is quite light on the celebrity gossip.

FarNorth Wed 09-Mar-16 14:45:06

I like Woman's Weekly. It has those things you are after gillybob. My Weekly is okay too. At least neither of them have the celebrity drivel or the 'real life ' drivel.

gillybob Wed 09-Mar-16 14:32:39

I also like GH and W&H but I agree with Teetime when she says "I'm fed up with GH having bought it for years. The fashion is unaffordable, its full of stories of valiant women battling against the odds to run a small (designer) business with only their family connections and money to help them"

I would love to see a glossy magazine that includes realistic achievements, realistic problems and issues, realistically priced fashion etc.

Can't bear those magazines where husbands run off with their sisters boyfriends etc.

BBbevan Wed 09-Mar-16 14:30:03

How I agree with Teetime. I have had GH on subscription for years. I feel, that apart from the recipes, it is aimed now at a younger market. If I can find a more suitable magazine I am seriously thinking of stopping my subscription. So I shall follow this thread to see if any good suggestions come up.

ginny Wed 09-Mar-16 14:23:49

Yours and Woman's Weekly are the ones I choose. I agree about Woman And Woman's Own.

Lavande Wed 09-Mar-16 13:09:04

I used to look forward to choosing a woman's magazine when I visit the UK. I don't know why I bother flicking through them now because I always return them to the shelf. Not enough to interest me for the price. Occasionally I am tempted by a craft or knitting magazine or Gardeners World.

I wanted to buy a gift subscription for a magazine for my 80+ aunt who is an avid reader. Other than TLS could not find anything suitable for her either.

Yours magazine (ninathenana) and Landscape (J52) sound interesting so will look those up. Thanks.

Jalima Wed 09-Mar-16 12:44:05

I thought Australian Woman's Weekly was full of (untrue) gossip about 'Princess Kate' last time I was over

Perhaps it has succumbed too, perhaps it helps sales hmm
www.aww.com.au/latest-news/celebrity

TriciaF Wed 09-Mar-16 11:42:15

I used to buy the Australian Woman's Weekly, for quite a long time. To get away fromthe celebs.
Can't get it here. Maybe it has changed too, I hope not.

Bellanonna Wed 09-Mar-16 11:41:23

I loved your analogy, nottooold!

ninathenana Wed 09-Mar-16 11:30:30

crossed posts smile

ninathenana Wed 09-Mar-16 11:29:58

I love to read a well written piece of fiction NotTooOld

I wonder if bookdreamer means so called "true life stories" which actually aren't ?

bookdreamer Wed 09-Mar-16 11:29:51

nottoold I meant stories about celebrities! Not fiction

J52 Wed 09-Mar-16 11:25:38

I gave up my subscription to GH for the same reason as Teetime.

I sometimes buy Country Living, but as I tend to keep them, I find rereading to old ones just as interesting. They repeat topics, each season.

I have found a new magazine out every 2 months(£4.24) called Landscape, in Waitrose mag section. It's got interesting articles about different places, interiors, crafts, gardening and recipes.

I'm not into reading about people's personal lives, so it suits me.

x

ninathenana Wed 09-Mar-16 11:25:25

I highly recommend "Yours" magazine, which is fortnightly and aimed at 50 + age group. Appropriate fashion and makeup tips as well as more serious content such as pensions and health.
It has a light hearted side too.

NotTooOld Wed 09-Mar-16 11:21:44

As a writer of 'made up stories' I'm sorry to hear that, bookdreamer!

bookdreamer Wed 09-Mar-16 11:15:13

I can't remember the last time I bought a magazine. I tend to look online to see anything I want to read about. Has anyone found The Pool a sort of online magazine aimed I think at younger people than us (!) but quality writing and no made up stories.

NotTooOld Wed 09-Mar-16 11:09:03

I agree about the unaffordable fashion featured in mags like GH. Whoever pays £300 for a pair of trousers? They sometimes team a Primark top with the £300 trousers as though that makes it alright. Who are these fashion writers aiming at? I also agree about the so-called 'inspirational' women running cottage industries from their shabby chic former farmhouses in posh parts of Devon ('I find the Aga so useful for keeping my special homemade venison casserole hot for when Tabitha comes in from riding her pony'). Yuk. Someone needs to start up a mag for real women.

merlotgran Wed 09-Mar-16 10:04:37

I used to love Woman when I was a teenager. My mother thought Woman's Own was common - surely they were the same?? grin

These days I browse and pick a magazine on the spur of the moment. Sometimes it's GH but I also like Country Living and The English Home.

In spring and summer I usually stick to gardening mags with lots of lovely pictures like Gardens Illustrated and The English Garden. Expensive but a guilty pleasure.

They look good on the coffee table grin

pensionpat Wed 09-Mar-16 10:03:37

Saga Magazine is excellent. Whole range of subjects for all ages of people, including a problem page. I've had a subscription for years. It cost about £8.00 for 12 issues. Can't beat that for value!

Indinana Wed 09-Mar-16 09:54:19

I regularly used to buy Woman and Woman's Own years ago. I remember they always had at least one short story, which was about 2 or 3 pages long, and a serial that kept us buying it every week! Then there was the letters page, and the 'Dear Marge' page was always good fun to read. And plenty of other interesting stuff.

Now, as others say, it's just tat, celebrity gossip and melodramatic real life stories of the "My boyfriend is sleeping with my mum" variety.

Good Housekeeping is probably about the only one I would buy these days, but I do miss the old Women's magazines.

Teetime Wed 09-Mar-16 09:50:09

I'm fed up with GH having bought it for years. The fashion is unaffordable, its full of stories of valiant women battling against the odds to run a small (designer) business with only their family connections and money to help them and some pretty strange recipes. I take Red now and again but I'm off magazine generally. By the way the price now!!!!

pollyparrot Wed 09-Mar-16 09:40:26

I'll have a look at Good Housekeeping, thanks.

Kittye Wed 09-Mar-16 09:39:13

I had both Good Housekeeping and Woman and Home on subscription for years and agree with jinglbells that W&H is more Woman. I now just have GH. I can't find any other magazine that appeals to me.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 09-Mar-16 09:36:18

My aunty would have a shock if she read her weeklies, Woman and Woman's Own these days. Unrecognisable.