Women's Health Magazine- The new Cosmo?

Yes I have read and do read Cosmo on occasion, like waiting around at the grocery store or on a bike at the gym. I expect trashy articles, re-used stories and lots of ads.

When I picked up Women's Health at the gym, I was expecting something a little...different. This mag. publishes Men's Health, Runner magazine and books under Summit Media.

Interestingly, I watched a CBC documentary yesterday on the million-dollar industry that is diet books, starting off with the much maligned Atkins diet phenomena. What CBC also showed me was how Summit Media was pushing the new South Beach diet in each of it's magazines--but not as advertising, but as genuine book reviews. Liars! So basically, we pay for magazines so they can feed us as much crap articles posing as genuine as they can, along with the treasure trove of ads.

Ok, aside from that aside, I read through Women's Health and was expecting some fitness articles, health articles, healthy food recipes, you know, things that lend themselves to health.

What I got were ridiculous (ok, I hate it when people spell ridiculous as 'rediculous') articles that were pandering and simpering.

Case in point: What if you and your boyfriend/partner aren't compatible on certain issues? We tell you how hard this is to resolve!

1. He's a slob, you're a neat freak.
2. You like tabloids, he's more intellectual.
3. You want 3+ children, he wants one.
4. You like to shop and spend, and he's a saver.

Seriously? Need I go on? All I got from this stereotypical tripe was that women are dumber than men (tabloid reading); baby obsessed (show him how practical 3 childen could be!); spend like money grows on trees and shopping is a sport (shop vs. save); and are obviously neat freaks who love donning the 'hausfrau' role (you're neat, he's a slob).

And people pay for this garbage.