18 Magazine Articles from the ’80s That Would Be Rejected for Misrepresentation Today
The 80s were full of vibrant pop culture, ground-breaking technology, and significant social changes. These were covered in media, particularly in magazines (remember them?). However, some magazine articles went off the track. With today’s increased awareness about social responsibilities, these articles would be highly criticized for their bias. Here are 18 of them:
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“Diet Fads: How to achieve the Perfect Body” by Cosmopolitan
Having a slim tummy was a decade-long trend for 80s magazines. Many launched diet plans so women could achieve it, and Cosmopolitan led the race. Promoting a diet was acceptable, but Cosmo encouraged people to choose unhealthy weight loss methods. It ignored other body shapes and recognized thin bodies as the ‘perfect’ ones. These articles would often encourage people to opt for near-starvation diets.
“The Ideal Woman: How to be the Perfect Wife” by Good Housekeeping
A popular magazine in the 1980s, it targeted women while reinforcing gender stereotypes. The magazine advised women on how to ‘please’ their husbands and take care of the household. They would be considered the ‘perfect’ wife if they did both. The magazine depicted the ‘ideal woman’ as someone who found fulfillment in performing house duties and being subservient to her husband.
“Beauty Tips for Women of Colour” by Vogue
Vogue has come under scrutiny for promoting narratives like one-size-fits-all. In the 1980s, they often gave people harmful tips that might damage their skin cells and body due to harsh chemicals. They promoted that only clear, fair skin was beautiful, not great.
“How to Catch a Husband: Tips for Single Women” by Ladies’ Home Journal
This magazine was infamous for giving women tips on ” keeping” a man. They often included manipulative and submissive behavior, like downplaying their intelligence and career ambitions so they could appeal to men. This would have caused a massive scandal had it been released today.
“Career Women: Balancing Home and Work Life” by Working Woman
While this topic is relevant, the article suggests that a woman is successful when she does her household work ‘perfectly’ after coming from a long, tiring day at work. And if she failed, it’s her fault for not managing both duties properly. Today’s generation focuses on sharing domestic work and responsibilities so that a work-life balance is maintained between both partners.
“Men’s Dressing: Fashion for Success” by GQ
Let’s also discuss men’s rigid gender norms. GQ articles suggested that men should dress in a certain way to be taken seriously. However, today’s fashion celebrates diversity and self-expression regardless of gender. Such articles promote restrictiveness and might be criticized for their lack of inclusivity.
“Dating across Cultures: What you need to know” by Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan also advises people on cross-cultural relationships that are often based on stereotypes and assumptions. They would have biases for some cultures and discriminate between them, which sheds a negative light on someone from a specific background.
“The Single Life: How to survive as a bachelor” by Playboy
This article by Playboy promoted bachelor life as something that men had to escape from rather than enjoying their independence. The headline and the word “survive” reinforced the image of the bachelor life as undesirable and something to be rectified. In the modern era, most people focus on self-sufficiency and personal growth.
“How to raise Perfect Children” by Parents
Parenting is full of challenges, and magazines like ‘Parents’ added to the pressure with articles like these. They set unrealistic standards of having a child in parents’ minds, leading to rigid schedules, strict discipline, and uniform educational goals. Now, parents understand the importance of respecting children’s individuality while allowing them to explore independently.
“The Working Mother’s Guide to Guilt-free Parenting” by Redbook
While the issue they addressed with this article was interesting, they failed miserably to execute it. The article only offered ways to “make up” for their absence rather than supporting the idea that women can be both successful professionals and loving mothers. Modern people support balancing work and family life as a shared responsibility, and mothers should not carry guilt solely.
“The Men’s Perspective: Understanding what Men want” by Esquire
They wanted to tell the man’s side of the story, but they often reinforced stereotypes about gender roles and relationships. They depicted a simple but misogynistic picture of what men want from women while suggesting men’s needs that were based on outdated notions of masculinity. Such content is criticized today for perpetuating harmful notions of a relationship.
“Fashion for Your Body Type: Dressing to Disguise Flaws” by Glamour
The headline says it all. The article promotes the concept that the human body has flaws and should be ashamed of one’s body. Promoting appearance insecurity, such articles focus on hiding flaws rather than making one confident about embracing them. These articles often promote the idea that only certain body types are desirable and others must be concealed.
“The Truth about Gay Lifestyle” by Time
Time Magazine articles on the LGBTQ+ community left much to be desired in the 1980s. They would often portray them as people with an abnormal lifestyle. Now, when everyone’s equal representation is advocated, society would disown such articles, leading to its criticism.
“Coping with Stress: Tips for Women” by Ladies’ Home Journal
One more ‘Tips List’ where they fostered the notion that women were more prone to stress due to their societal roles. The main issue resides in the ignorance of the societal pressures contributing to stress. The tips were focused on superficial solutions. With more mental health awareness, other factors resulting in stress are being considered, and holistic well-being for all genders is also being promoted.
“Exotic Beauty Secrets from around the World” by Vogue
Another Vogue on the list, and this time, it’s because they didn’t respect cultural practices worldwide. This article portrayed non-Western culture negatively and often misrepresented traditional practices. It ignored their cultural significance and marketed them as hacks for novelty. People are more sensitive now regarding culture or their background, and such actions would be criticized for lack of respect for the origins of these practices.
“Marriage Advice from the ‘Perfect’ Wife” by Good Housekeeping
This Good Housekeeping article idolized submissive women, focussed on superficial beauty, and knew housemaking. It reinforced typical gender norms and limited a woman’s role to be a ‘perfect’ housewife who takes care of the household alone for always and also pleases her husband. Today’s people expect mutual respect and equality in relationships. These articles would be setting nothing but unrealistic ideals for them.
“The Foreign Bride: What to Expect” by Penthouse
This article from Penthouse about marrying foreign women would have become a scandal in today’s time, not only because of its stereotypical writing but also because of the promotion of discrimination and misunderstandings across cultures. These kinds of articles portrayed foreign women as submissive & exotic and as someone who’s not ‘perfect wife material.’ In times when cultural fusion and inter-culture marriages are being promoted, such articles would be banned right away.
“Women in the Workplace: Balancing Beauty and Brains” by Glamour Magazine
Aimed at addressing the shortcomings faced by women while balancing work and life. Instead, it perpetuated the stereotype that women must constantly juggle their appearances with their intellect to be successful. The title also suggests that women maintain their level of attractiveness if they want to be taken seriously at work.
