No one can have missed the news last year that top German magazine Brigitte banned professional models. I was amazed that a popular publication was taking such a big step to prove to its readers that it understands them and their bodies, but what happened in other countries? Well, seemingly nothing if you look at the newspaper headlines rather than on the newsagent's shelves.
Last week I found myself browsing the glossies out of sheer boredom and something jumped out at me… Company magazine have an annual model-free issue? Why did I not know about this? The cover lines for the May issue include "Why is depression still a dirty word?", "How to ditch the 9-5", "The only body-confidence mantra that works", and "What does feminism mean in 2010?" alongside the aforementioned "fashion and beauty starring you!". Interesting articles and more realistic fashion pages for a reduced cover price of £1? Yes please!
But, did it live up to the hype? Well, the readers who modelled for their fashion and beauty pages all looked fantastic, which proves you don't have to be stick thin and miserable looking to sell clothing and make-up. Of course, most of the readers they selected were slim but the biggest of the lot, beautiful flame-haired Stephanie, could be seen confidently modelling underwear and, in my opinion, really should have been on the cover. She looks fantastic.
Company's style pages are great, the career article mentioned on the cover was inspiring, the report on feminism was accessible and informative, the real life stories are fascinating… and we're not even half way through the magazine! It shouldn't be a surprise when a mag aims to make its readers feel good and inspired, but these days that's a rare thing indeed as many titles simply urge you to buy and do things to improve the rubbish human being that you apparently are. Come on, 'aspirational' doesn't have to mean articles on getting a promotion so that you can afford the £2,000 dress in the fashion pages, plus a diet plan so that you can fit into it.
The Pay it Forward body-confidence campaign was perhaps my favourite part of this issue. Accompanied by photographs of pairs of best friends next to a short interview on why each thinks the other is fabulous, the piece encourages women to compliment their friends. This is a fantastic idea. We all feel bad about the way we look from time to time, but compliments always help us feel happier so what better way to lift your friends' spirits? Company says:
"Send your friend an email or Facebook message with 'Pay it Forward' in the title, and list the three things you love about the way they look. Ask them to do the same and create a body confidence chain! On Twitter, tweet them with the compliment, with a #payitforward tag."
I'm not sure if they managed to get #payitforward trending on Twitter, but I bet a lot of women received some very nice messages from their friends this month. I guess I missed this magazine until now because I thought it was just like all the others. If it was once the same as others on the newsstand, it has definitely changed. Hopefully this is the first of many changes in the world of women's magazines, and hopefully this is another move towards young women feeling good about themselves.