Comments on: The Pitiful State of Today’s Women’s Magazines

By: Anadol

Anadol — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 06:21:25 +0000

Nice post, bookmark it

By: Sunshine

Sunshine — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:46:12 +0000

Bella & fellow readers,
I am a magazine freak! I love them!
I too loooooved Honey Mag and Suede!! They were fab! Honey spoke to me on so many levels and I had never seen anything like Suede greared to Black women. It was amazing! I’m getting teary eyed because I miss them so much! I used to buy Glamour but my heart really hurts based on there statements.Whats a fly girl to do.?!!

By: Olette

Olette — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 02:41:24 +0000

Thank you so much for this post! I feel like I just had this conversation with one of my sorority sisters. “Multiculturalism” has been the downfall of many of the new black mags because for some reason people feel that there is something wrong with addressing the black community with articles that are revelant to our needs. I’m in grad school now working on a degree in mag journalism, and I hope to create a teen magazine for black girls since I don’t really see a teen mag that represents our girls on the market. This post helped to confirm for me the dire need for such a publication. As far as magazines that I read, I pick up Upscale and Jewel here and there. It seems like as far as black womens’ print mags are concerned, there is no real competition for Essence. I know this is mainly a money thing, since Essence is owned by Time and most of the other mags are independently owned. Maybe the answer is to form a media firm like Time that these independent mags could umbrella under. It breaks my heart to see so many great black mags go under…and I just subscribed to Vibe Vixen right before the announcement!

By: Elana

Elana — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 15:22:27 +0000

You just broke the news to me that Jane is no longer! But to be honest, the time I heard Jane was leaving but still LEAVING her name with the mag, I knew it was doomed. I think I'm sad about the Jane-post-Sassy era death, but I look forward to new publications that intertwine the multi-cultural avenues of fashion, beauty, music, and literature. Thank heavens that with blogging and the revolution of online communication, we can share our thoughts with one another -- in regards to what's hot, what's missing, and what's plain ridiculous. Suede was hot, as is Honey, Vibe Vixen, and Nylon (but barely enough ethnic beauties featured). Ever get into Flaunt and Paper? Those are artsy and fabulous. Now, I'm gonna go blog on myspace and say how Afrobella broke the news of a previously-favorite magazine's death...wonder where all of the awesome writers such as Stephanie is gonna go? As editor of plastic surgery-related Web sites and blog -- PlasticSurgery.com, iEnhance.com, and Beauty Chat -- I do my best to adddress issues and topics that cover all lifestyles and interests. All suggestions welcome! ~ Elana

By: TheBeautifulOne

TheBeautifulOne — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 00:48:21 +0000

For Ms. Nappiejean,
All that I can say is THANK YOU. I will check out more of your blog but the piece where featured Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, really touched me. What you wrote about them really touched my heart because at heart I’m an artist as well. You made me listen to Nina Simone’s “Aint got no” song, what a force! I want to thank you for your blog, I thank God everyday for being alive and now what a treat it was to wake up this Sunday morning in Korea to the sound of Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. My blog focuses on my life here in Seoul but you’ve given me an idea about including perhaps a spiritual aspect to it. No matter where I am in the world, God has me and it is that belief that has taken me around the world fearlessly to experience and witness God’s magnificent artistry. Thank you!!!

By: nappiejean

nappiejean — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:15 +0000

Although I’m a bit older than you and the average Afrobella reader, I do enjoy checking your website 2x-3x a week. It keeps me current on what’s happening with urban, neosoul, edgy women of color like yourself.

While most of you seem to have come of age in the 90s (emotionally and spiritually, i mean), I am a 70s “girl.” Essence was all there was in the late 70s and early 80s when I was a young woman. I’m out of its demographic range now, but I keep up my subscription out of loyalty. I prefer “More” and
“O” magazine now.The articles are excellent.

I have a blog where I write about matters of black women and faith and popular culture which perhaps some of you would like to check out: http://somethingwithin-rjweems.blogspot.com/

Keep up the great work you’re doing Afrobella. By the way, I’m married to a Trini who loves when you talk about Trinidad.

By: Black Doll

Black Doll — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:37:01 +0000

Hello everyone. I am a magazine freak. I love reading blogs and magazines. I think the article was great and conveyed the way many black women feel about magazines. I invite everyone to check out my new blog site at http://wisdomispriceless.blogspot.com/

By: Grace

Grace — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:27:25 +0000

Speaking as someone who had subscriptions to Sassy, Suede, Honey, (in both its incarnations) and was thisclose to getting a subscription to Vibe Vixen (I had the card filled out and had already bought my US money order as I live in Canada) I was very upset to hear that Vibe Vixen had folded. I was hoping that this magazine would be different. I remember being younger waiting for my favorite magazines in the mail and that horrible day when I got a magazine and a sad but appreciative letter enclosed with a refund check for the remainder of my subscriptions. I hate to say it but this ALWAYS happens to fashion magazines for women of color. I had hoped things would change as I got older. Even as a young girl it didn’t take me long to realize that ‘Seventeen’ was not for me. So I saved my hard earned allowance for Subscriptions to better magazines that were more related to what I was interested in. Even MODE magazine, directed to full figured women of all ethnicities, eventually folded in 2001. My subscription for that went up in smoke. I just wish that we could keep these magazines afloat. Every time I found one I subscribed. Just to show the owners that I was more then vaguely interested. At this point all I can do is wait to see if someone else will take up the challenge.

The funny thing is during the rise and fall of all these magazines ‘Latina’ magazine has somehow managed to grow, evolve, and stay on the newsstand. ‘Latina’ has been around for some 10 years now. So what’s so different about us that we can’t maintain enough interest and revenue to keep a fashion, health, beauty, entertainment, news & information magazine geared towards black women afloat?

As for the hair debate as an afrobella myself I just see it as another wall to break down. There was once a time when women with hair that was ‘too short’ or ‘too long’ were deemed as having ‘political’ hairstyles. Even women who wore pants were ‘political’. At one point a woman who wanted to work at all was ‘political’.

I never read Glamour magazine. Now that I see the editors not only have no clue about my demographic, but they are outright against me I see no reason to try a Glamour magazine. I’ll stick with Essence.

By: Indigo

Indigo — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:36:10 +0000

Great article, as always! Bella you can purchase those copies of Suede magazine via the publisher. They are still the same price as if on the newstand. Kinda weird. Anyhoo.. as an youngin’ I read Essence and Black Enterprise every month. I felt connected to those publications as I saw people that looked like me on the cover. I had learned early about things like having a diverse investment portfolio all the way to how to curl my eyelashes. I STILL have the eyelash curler that I purchased after an intriguing article in Essence, that was the little beautifying that I could get away with at my young age. But as I got older Essence became very monotonous and redundant. Never really cared for Ebony and would read Jet once in a blue. Honey.. meh. Didn’t do it for me. Jewel…some of the fashion and makeup stories grabbed my attention. Suede.. LOVED IT!!! I was so disappointed when they closed shop. I’ve entered InStyle, Lucky, and the occasional O as well as Elle Decor and the main issues of Vogue..March and September, into my rotation of published glossies. But by and large, I get my fixes from blogs, such as AB, of course, Don’t feed the models, All about the Pretty, YBF, and a host of others that I check out every day.

Lastly, I’m so interested to see wedding styles for natural hair, most particularly as I’m a beauty editor for World Bride Magazine. I think it would be a fabulous story to pitch to my editor.

By: Beautyinbaltimore

Beautyinbaltimore — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:49:57 +0000

T.Maria please share what was written about mixed girls in the new issue of Trace.