A few weeks ago, I traveled to New York City to visit a good friend from high school who had recently moved. I used the time in transit to catch up on my favorite magazines, including Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Flipping through the articles, quizzes and photos, I was reminded of a conversation I had months ago with a co-worker: why don’t the leading women’s magazines feature any content on friendships?
In the past six years, I have said tearful goodbyes to my best friends since middle school as we moved on to college, and then watched reluctantly as my sorority sisters slowly spread across the country following college graduation. Visits are becoming more and more infrequent, scheduling phone calls is increasingly difficult.
So, where are the articles on maintaining friendships over long-distances and many years? A scan of the women’s magazines in my apartment shows the content largely falls into the following categories:
- Men
- Sex
- Career
- Fitness
- Beauty
- Fashion
I don’t think I’m alone in wanting advice on how to maintain and continue to grow my friendships. Here’s my call for Cosmopolitan, Glamour and all other women’s interest magazines to recognize the importance of friendship with other women… that is, when they are finished with “Mind Tricks that Melt Pounds” and “The Silent Clue Men give off when they’re in Love.”
#1 by Heather on November 3, 2009 - 10:13 am
When you get to be old like me and have kids, then the parenting magazines have articles on maintaining friendships with the demands of a family.
#2 by Kristin on November 3, 2009 - 10:39 am
Interesting… having kids is definitely a life-change that requires adjusting of priorities and schedules. However, I am surprised that those articles don’t appear in general women’s magazines. Graduating from college, accepting new jobs, getting married, etc. are also big life changes that can make it difficult to maintain your friendships!
#3 by Kim on November 3, 2009 - 1:32 pm
Not all women have kids, even eventually, so I agree with the blog post that this topic should be covered in general interest women’s magazines. Plus, as Heather points out, there are different angles to be written about on this topic. How to maintain when building your career right out of school? How to maintain when one person gets married and the other isn’t? How to maintain when one has kids and the other doesn’t? etc etc
#4 by Judy on November 3, 2009 - 5:51 pm
While I agree that some women’s magazines have this type of content not all of them do. I am also a mother but don’t read any parenting magazines as I find them mind numbingly boring.
What about reading some of the great Feminist magazines? These magazines cover a wide range of topics from politics, investigative news, commentary, and even hellraising all from a female perspective.
I can recommend Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/
also, don’t forget Ms. Magazine: http://www.msmagazine.com/
Bust: http://www.bust.com/
and even Bitch: http://bitchmagazine.org/
Don’t waste your life reading stuff like Cosmo, Glamour, and Parents (yes, Parents totally sucks too). Although I will admit I love me some Vogue.
Judy
#5 by Kristin on November 3, 2009 - 7:28 pm
Thanks for the suggestions on magazines to read, I will definitely check them out. And, thanks for visiting my site! While I don’t know if I can completely give up my mindless reads, I can commit to broadening my horizons and checking out additional women’s magazines.
#6 by Amy on November 8, 2009 - 6:10 pm
Fantastic topic for a post. This is so true! Every few years there seems to be a big transition. First going to college: finding new friends, learning how to stay in contact with the friends from home, adjusting to actually having to study. Then graduating from college: finding a real job, where to live, how to stay in contact with friends, etc. Even over a year later, it still is difficult to adjust from living in a house with all my best friends to not even living in the same city as one friend! It takes a little more effort, but it is certainly worth it! It was so nice to chat with you this weekend. love and miss you lots