I was recently asked what my favorite magazines were and what magazines I read regularly.
I had to stop and think for a second before I realized that I don’t read any magazines… ever! I got Better Homes & Garden for a few years when Dave and I were first married. It was a Christmas gift from his brother, and I really did love flipping through every single page of that magazine and daydreaming about our future farmhouse and how cute it would be decorated.
I saved pages that I liked and put them in my dream house ideas book. I cut out craft project and holiday decorating ideas to implement in my own house “someday”, and I eagerly waited for the next issue to arrive each month.
Back before I had kids, I actually did some of the craft and decorating projects — and we did implement many of my “idea book” ideas into our farmhouse renovations.
However, as I became busier and busier with our farmhouse renovations, as my business continued to grow, and as we added children to the mix, I quickly realized that not only was I not willing to make the time to do those magazine projects or make those fancy recipes, I also had little to no desire to even read magazines anymore. So I stopped!
Over the last year, I have canceled every single one of my magazine subscriptions (even the free ones) and I don’t plan to subscribe to anything else in the near future… here’s why.
I personally feel like magazines are becoming more and more and more FAKE and completely STAGED. They have designers come through and add a bunch of decorations and embellishments to make the homes look beyond perfect. They remove clutter and photoshop anything that doesn’t look just right.
When our house was featured in HGTV magazine 2 years ago, it wasn’t even because of my decorating style or how cute it was. It was simply because we bought our current house and sold our previous house on Craigslist. However, they still photoshopped a bunch of things in and out of our photos to make it more appealing.
I guess it’s just all kind of annoying to me — how magazines like Real Simple, Country Living, HGTV, Martha Stewart, etc. claim to have “simple tips” and “real-life ideas” when it’s obviously all too fake.
So, since many people are shocked to hear that I don’t read or subscribe to any magazines (and that I rarely ever visit Pinterest anymore) I figured I’d share 9 (slightly humorous) reasons why 🙂
9. Because we have more than one pair of boots.
And we also need room to sit on our benches to put our boots on.
8. Because it’s impossible to keep an outdoor living areas looking this nice.
Dave and I have several outdoor living areas around our house and they are constantly covered in bird poop, pollen dust, or dead bugs. It grosses me out and that’s just on our plastic adirondack chairs and picnic table that are really easy to hose down.
I can’t even fathom putting a bed, or a couch, or any nice, plush, indoor furniture in a mostly exposed outdoor location. Maybe it doesn’t rain or snow or sleet or blow where they live. And maybe they don’t have bugs or birds or squirrels either!
7. Because our kids actually play in their rooms.
Not to mention most of us probably don’t want to risk a massive tree branch falling on one of our children in the middle of the night 🙂
side note: the photo above is from a blog post entitled “10 Simple Holiday Decorating Ideas” Really? Simple?
6. Because our snow doesn’t fall perfectly.
Honestly, I’m not sure it’s possible for snow to fall everywere else but right down the center of the walking path. I’m also impressed that it somehow missed all the outdoor decorations too!
5. Because we actually do laundry in our laundry rooms.
I can appreciate a classy, clean, and well-functioning laundry room as much as anyone (especially since mine is so tiny and cramped) but seriously, this is a bit much.
And I don’t know about you, but I don’t sit in my laundry room waiting for the load to finish — so I’m not sure why they’d need a chair in there 🙂
4. Because we don’t have a color-coordinated pantry.
Boy do I love a nicely organized pantry — especially when all the pantry items match so perfectly, because that’s just how we do it in our house 🙂
3. Because we wear more than one color too.
You all know how much I love white — but this is even too much for me. Are you really telling me this person only wears whites and creams — and apparently only wears tall white boots or flimsy flats?
Oh, and I’ll just assume none of us have a two-story closet!!!
2. Because we don’t plan our entire home’s decor around one season.
I don’t know why, but it bugs me SO much when they show a home perfectly decorated for Christmas and all the walls are painted red… or the garden is immaculate and full and gorgeous in May — but it’s because they have all spring-flowering plants that will die off by mid summer.
1. Because we actually live in our homes.
Many of the homes featured in magazines are 2nd homes, summer homes, cottages, cabins, lake homes, etc. They aren’t lived in year-round and don’t get as much wear and tear. Also, even if they are lived in year-round, they most likely are “put on hold” for the entire day of the photo shoot.
I know several bloggers who have been featured in prominent magazines, and EVERY time, the magazine has shipped boxes and boxes of props for the various photo shoots. They have sent teams of designers in to “overhaul” the already cute and nicely decorated homes. They remove doors and take screens out of windows to get better angles for their pictures. In some instances, they have even asked the family members to “move out” for a couple days so they could get all the photos without any of the decorations being messed up.
Now don’t get me wrong — I don’t think magazines or design blogs or Pinterest are evil. I enjoy looking at the occasional perfectly decorated, totally-over-the-top homes as much as anyone.
I certainly don’t expect everyone to stop reading or subscribing to all magazines… in fact, if I come over to your house and see a stack of magazines lying around, I’ll probably need to have a quick peek 🙂
I guess I finally realized that since it took me all of 5 minutes to flip through a magazine and I never ripped out any pages or ideas or recipes anymore, magazines weren’t worth my time or money. Everything was too over-the-top, too time-consuming, too much, and too fake for my taste… so I just decided to stop reading them.
What are your thoughts on magazines these days?
Do you feel like they are getting more and more fake? Or am I just getting more practical?
Jennifer says
LOVED this! Thanks for the laughs!
Marilyn says
Good article! I once counted the “ad” pages in Weight Watchers magazine once, and 1/2 of the magazine was ads for drugs, etc. I started counted “ad” pages in other magazines and came close to 1/2 of the magazine being nothing but ads. I’m not going to spend my money on a magazine to look at ads!!
Becky says
You know, I’ve noticed the same thing about shopping, in general. I recently had to go to the mall and several other stores. I didn’t realize how long it had been since I had done that and it was amazing how quickly I started to think about how this or that would just look great in my house and would be the perfect touch. It really does breed discontent! BUT, there’s hope! I was pleasantly surprised to realize that maybe the NEED to have things reduces over time, when you just avoid putting yourself in that position, whether it’s stores or magazines.
Kathy says
I do not get those magazines because they have gotten to be more ads that anything else. I once counted ( at a store) 40 pages in Martha Stwarts magazine before one story and than it was not even a whole page! I feel the same way about the HGTV shows. One lady that came in to my store told me that her neighbor had them come in her home to do a redesign and they wanted to use a rug but she did not have one. So they asked if she would like to get one. On the show they just said that the rug was being used in another room. Remember this was a no cost redisign! I find that I can find most things on the web if I need ideas.
Sue says
Thank you for this post. 🙂
It made me laugh. It’s so true that the pictures in the magazines rarely match real live . I only know of one or two people who actually live in houses that look like something from a photo shoot . My home surely doesn’t look like that and I need a few hours notice before someone “drops in”. I would not feel happy in a show home either
I have also cancelled all magazines but one from Germany that is more about nature and craftsmanship in Germany .
I realized that since I don’t see all the “cool”stuff anymore I don’t feel the need to have it either. Sure I still drool over pictures on pinterest, but it is just that . 🙂
Victoria @ Creative Home Keeper says
Love, love, love this! I was laughing and nodding my head in agreement with you to every single one of your points and the pictures above. While I do love to look through the occasional magazine and gather some ideas, my home will never look “magazine ready” because as you so accurately mentioned above, WE LIVE IN OUR HOUSE TOO! Between a husband, a dog, a preschooler, a toddler and a newborn due any day now, there are foot prints all over the hardwood floors, the occasional cheerio dropped, books and toys everywhere (even though I am teaching my kids to pick up after themselves) and other signs of an active family. The biggest thing that always bothers me with those magazine photos is the lack of person family portraits hanging. I guess my wall of perpetually crooked portraits wouldn’t make the the cut 😉
Chris says
It seems like magazines aren’t as interesting as they used to be, to me.
Linda says
I just cancelled many of mine as well. Not that I was getting that many. I do go to the library with my grands and usually spend my rime just looking at the magazines. It’s free! I also cleared out hundreds of old magazines this fall and don’t want to collect more! Most of them have way too many ads anyway.
Katherine says
That kids room is funny. I know my 5 and 3 year old boys would have that room destroyed in minutes. Hilarious post!
Barb says
I stopped getting magazines because they made me unhappy with my own home, which is perfectly adequate and nicely decorated if I do say so myself. But it doesn’t look like the magazines. They fed my “I want more; I want different colors” greedy attitude. I’m much happier not looking at them and spending my time maintaining my rooms the way we like them and can LIVE in them, and decorating with items/colors that cheer ME up whether or not they are ‘magazine accepted’.
Abbie says
Yes! I agree. The interiors featured are NOT homes people actually do or could live in. I have quit all magazine subscriptions also.
Siobhan says
haha…very true! Once I had kids I stopped subscribing to magazines too…but I do enjoy flipping through while waiting at the dr. office.
Kellie says
This post is seriously one of the best posts you’ve written. I’m actually a HUGE magazine fiend but it’s so true that I always feel discontent with my home, family, appearance, etc. after reading! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. No more I tell you! I’m done!
Hana says
For REAL!! I stopped looking at magazines this past year or so, too. I realized that after looking at them, I always 1) felt inadequate and 2) wanted to buy stuff I didn’t need. Now, when I have a house project, or I have time or money for a craft or decorating project, I browse Pinterest and the web for some ideas until I find what I like and that’s it. I think we get lost somewhere using Pinterest/magazines/websites as tools and inspiration. They are, after all, designed to make us feel inadequate so we spend money. Thanks so much for this post and your honesty! I genuinely laughed out loud at the bench with no room to sit.
Terry says
I used to love reading magazines, but now I’m having trouble telling one from another. Better Homes and Gardens now has fashion and beauty pages. Most magazines have a list of “inexpensive” items to cheer up your home. More advertising, and more advertising disguised as “articles”. I am not interested in the stories about celebrity designers, I just want to see the designs.
Heather says
Haha! I’d like to add, articles about “reasonably priced” home accessories, furniture, even clothes & beauty products. A $400 outfit to stylishly walk the dog, with his $50 designer leash and collar set??
Susan Downing says
Love, love, love, love, love!!! Another tip for your readers, you can check out most (at least at the library I work at in Zeeland) popular magazines for a week from your local library for FREE! And then return them so they don’t waste space in your home. 🙂
Jane says
Well done. Add to your list all of the “Woman” magazines….. I learned a long time ago there was “real life” and there was “magazine life”. I love the philosophies dished out while I’m in the grocery line…..bake these amazing cookies and cakes…..and lose weight…..and have it all!
Andrea says
haha — I love that “bake amazing cookies, lose weight, and having it all” I suppose that’s essentially what magazines are trying to sell us!
Vickie says
Yes, yes, yes! A great post!
Amy says
I love #8!!!! I hate cushions on outdoor furniture…gross!
Organize 365 says
Well said. 🙂 I am finding it harder and harder to blog about organization. My home will never be perfect. And I don’t want it to be.
Hopefully the pendulum will swing back toward normalcy soon!
🙂
Lisa
Summer says
Thanks for the morning laugh! I love it! The color coded pantry right down to the food was a stitch!
Magazines HAVE changed so much, advertisement overkill, along with many overly posed photos. I haven’t actually PAID for a subscription in years, and I bring them to my 91 year old Grandmother, who passes them all over her neighborhood. They don’t collect dust here!
Also, I am sure I NEVER read a magazine when my children were your ages. Sleep was priority over reading anything non work related!
Kim says
Great list! Funny and so true.
Laurel says
I really enjoyed this post, Andrea. I haven’t subscribed to magazines in years either, but not for the same reasons. I stopped because they we adding so much clutter to my house, I rarely read them either because of time constraints or I just never got to them and finally, I observed that basically the magazines that I am most interested in just recycle the same stuff and the same topics over and over again. Thanks for these kind of posts 🙂
Donna G says
Your post made me smile out loud. I still take Southern Living and BH&G, but I have been thinking for years about dropping them due to the fashion emphasis they seem to have added. I, too, used to tear out pages and no longer do. I have the time to read them, but they just don’t seem relevant to my life any more. Finding out how much they changed the ‘real’ places they photograph has rather disillusioned me…
I think maybe they’ll go the way of TV for me – not in my house but boy do I enjoy it when I’m traveling!
Mary says
Cracking up over your post! I’ve thought that for years. Nobody could maintain a house like that. How on earth could you have a pantry where even your groceries were the same color as your dishes?! Most of them are outrageously expensive for all the more they have in them.
Anna says
Too funny! I only take Better Homes and Garden and my beloved Southern Living (both free) and I have no plans to give either up any time soon. However unrealistic most of the content may be, I still love to look at them and can usually find some ideas in them. But as soon as I’m done reading I pass them on – no magazine hoarder here!
Sharyn says
I haven’t LOVED anything I’ve read in a blog as much as this in a long time!
While there is certainly nothing wrong with “daydreaming”, most of the magazine stuff simply encourages discontent and envy, all too often – at least that’s my take on it. Also, I prefer the real world to a fantasy one.
I love how you “keep it real!”
Jamie says
Too funny! And I completely agree! With 3 little kids, I simply don’t have the time to sit and read magazines. I haven’t cancelled any subscriptions yet (mine were all free too), but I’ve found them to be handly to roll up and put in my boots to keep them standing up in my closet 🙂
Kimberley says
Love this post! Your sarcasm is awesome!!! I much rather read your blog and get the REAL simple ideas instead of a magazine that gives me 10 ways to make my life simple! You practice what you preach! 🙂
Elizabeth D. says
What I found most hilarious is that I have that exact laundry room (not with the chair) picture saved for when we remodel ours 😉 to be fair, it is literally that size and width!
Glenda says
I agree with many of your comments Andrea. I love magazines in my life because I changed the type of magazines I was reading. We have collected several years of National Geographic and Soujourners, writing and biking magazines, a magazine about urban gardening. I am a learner so I love reading things that help me learn new things.
Leslie says
Bravo Andrea! I just got an email offer of 3 magazines for $3 each for one year. I deleted it. Magazines are all fantasy. What amuses me are the “picnic” photos outside. You know, the ones where no flies, gnats or ants are to be found, where no breeze blows, where no dust falls, where no birds poop, where no dog or cat jumps on the table. Get real! By the looks of the magazine offers I’ve been receiving, the age of printed magazines must be nearing its end. They all seem so desperate for subscribers.
Joy says
Thank you Andrea! You are so right on. I’m done with magazines! Lately I have been overwhelmed with paper clutter. By getting rid of the magazines, it will not only make me feel better, but will help me save money and lower my paper clutter 🙂
Donna says
I don’t read them anymore because so many of them are just page after page of ads.
Jen says
I’ve stopped reading magazines too but my main reason: I didn’t want them sitting around my house taunting me with their evil, cluttery-filled eyes! 😉 I just don’t have time to read them and since we all know, we make time for what we REALLY want to do, I figured I didn’t care about them that much any more, so out they went! They were always neatly organized in our home but now that space is free for something that matters more! And doesn’t give me the “clutter hives”.
Tammy @ SkipperClan says
Dying. Laughing. I do love Real Simple and HGTV and am keeping them for now BUT I seriously feel the same way when looking at them sometimes! I usually try to implement a part of an idea whether it’s scheduling or decorating. I find Pottery Barn to be the ultimate beautiful-yet-unrealistic of all publications! Thanks for the laugh,
Andrea says
YES! I literally was going to pull all my images from the Pottery Barn website — but then I thought I might get in trouble somehow, so I altered my plan. Pottery Barn is SO fake and unrealistic (and over-priced!)
Lee Ann says
EXCELLENT post! I often find myself feeling jealous of the magazine pictures, recipes, etc. and then realizing there’s not a chance in H-E-double hockey sticks the my house would EVER look that way or that I would actually have the time and materials to complete the recipes. I do enjoy a well written article appropriate to me but the rest can go!
Paulette Smith says
Yes. Yes. And yes! Those perfect photos invite dissatisfaction with my beautiful, comfortable, REAL home.
Evie says
That’s a good phrase, “invite dissatisfaction. ” Exactly right. And why? So we’ll spend money to become “satisfied”! And on and on.
OK, once in awhile it’s nice to have a little something new to spark up an area of the house, but do we need commercially motivated commentary to tell us what we want? Magazines and decorating websites might just be to women just what ads for sugary cereal are are to kids….
Sandy says
Amen, Sister! Couldn’t agree more!