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An Apple a Day
The Pretty People Debate
Posted by:
juliaperla on
December 7, 2009 at
5:24PM EST
Putting together a health magazine is fun but challenging. Not only do we have to stay up-to-date on the latest health trends, but we also need to be aware of what our readers—right here in Northwest Indiana—want from a local health mag.
My art director and I are in a constant debate about the photos in Get Healthy. If we're doing a story about, say, arm jiggle, the art director (AD) will run a photo of a woman with arm jiggle. That makes sense, but I would rather run a photo of a woman with a toned, muscular arm, so that the reader has something to aspire to. AD says that the arm-jiggle photo is more realistic, and therefore something the reader can relate to. I see his point, but I personally don't want to see arm jiggle. I want to see some amazing triceps. Such a photo might make me feel bad about myself at first because my arms don't even come close to looking like that, but I guarantee I'm going to read the article to find out how to GET arms like that. The beauty of health magazines—as opposed to fashion mags—is they tell you HOW to look like the model in the photo (and without having to spend $700 on a Fendi bag). There is a possibility of hope that comes with a health article. AD says that using photos of pretty people is just as bad as photoshopping a model on the cover. It's unrealistic and therefore unfair to the reader. He makes a good point, and I honestly don't know which one of us is accurately representing our readers. What do you think? When reading an article about fitness or weight loss, would you rather see a photo of a person who looks like you, or one who looks like the person you aspire to be? It's okay if you don't agree with me; I'm looking for your honest-to-goodness opinion!
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