When I am visiting my daughter in Germany, I usually buy a stack of women's magazines. They are a mixture of fashion, make up and health advice mixed with pages of recipes and tips on cooking and baking. They make suggestions on what you should cook every day and give menu plans for losing weight. They tell you what fruit and vegetables are in season and can show you a plethora of new ideas on what and how to bake. No woman's magazine would be complete without tips on diet. "Lose 12 pounds in 4 weeks" headlines are followed by examples of one woman who actually did it, including a "before" and "after" photo to prove the point. A page or two further on and there will be a recipe for a cream-laden gateau with strawberries on top. Never mind.
The magazines don't only have articles on cooking, baking and dieting. No self-respecting woman's magazine would be complete without the story of how a woman escaped an abusive relationship. There are usually heart-warming stories on how a woman found her dream partner or changed her life around by going on a bike tour of the world or something like it. There are stories about pet animals. There is also at least one if not more prize crosswords where you can win a basket of cosmetics or something like that. They have articles on the European royals, as well, and also on celebs with photos of famous women attending fashion shows or treading the red carpet at some fashionable event.
I love the travel section. Mountains with breath-taking views, long golden beaches, pagodas and temples from afar. Reports on ski resorts are my favourites. All that snow and those beautiful chalet-like hotels and the reports on the ski slopes and the apres ski parties. Makes me want to take off and go there.
In the past, there would be a page of letters from readers but this has in most cases dwindled to one or two, mostly commenting on a previously published article. I too much fear that the art of writing letters is dying out as social media takes over.
I usually buy several of these mangazines. They have names which roughly translate as "More for the Woman", "Woman's Illustrated", "Current News for the Woman" (though on this last one, I think does not accurately translate the title). Yes, they all have similar articles. But they are ideal if you are travelling and just want to pass a few hours without battering your brain cells.
It would be a shame if these women's magazines disappeared from the market. They do cater for all tastes. I haven't mentioned the ones which concentrate on TV soaps and horrifically sad stories of violence towards women, because I don't read stuff like that.
I have a whole drawer-full of recipes cut out from these magazines but very rarely tried out - well, maybe one or two. I will be in Germany again for Christmas and, surprise, surprise, I'll be buying more of these magazines and no doubt cutting out a recipe or two which I'll probably never use.
Lastly, I am going to be very pushy and give you the link to my latest feel-good novel available now from Amazon as a kindle or paperback.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FYLNZKP5
Have a good week everyone!
