Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Women Who Weren't Born Yesterday

This morning's internet tunneling took me back to Lear's Magazine - The Magazine For Women Who Weren't Born Yesterday. The Golden Globe nomination news led to The Hollywood Reporter, to Third Age website's story about Helen Mirren receiving the Sherry Lansing Award. Third Age subheads itself as "for the woman who wasn't born yesterday and makes the most of today." Which reminded me of Lear's where the tagline originated. Baby boomer women news and the pictures across the top are Gwyneth Paltrow, some young studly guy, a sidebar picture to support "Today's Hottest Red Heads," and the teaser photo for the Helen Mirren story has been cropped to show her chest and waist. She's decapitated. I loved Lear's Magazine. More clicking this morning led to a 1994 NY Times story about Lear's demise. The writer opined "because there is no other magazine quite like Lear's, it is unclear whether a publication aimed at women over 35 and carrying little or no fashion coverage can be successful." Frances Lear created Lear's Magazine for a particular reader: herself. There are now millions of "herselfs" but there's still no magazine like Lear's. One or two claim to be for the woman over 35, but most of the ads and bits are pointed at women who may not be 35, but will spend a bunch of hundred dollars to look as though. I still miss Lear's Magazine.

1 comment:

  1. I loved Lears! It was so rich, so artistic. I still have a shoe bag from the promotional first subscription year!

    I see More Magazine is changing more toward a younger demo. Who are these idiots who don't see the purchasing power of our Boomer demographic?!?

    So glad to find your blog. I'll subscribe. Come visit mine sometime. The recent post on Jane Fonda's caving in to the zeitgeist drew some fire. Cheers!

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