Change 2009: Fashion Magazines

I didn't grow up liking fashion magazines -- at least those tween-teen magazines telling me how a normal teenager should look like. I studied in a private school and wore a uniform every day. Wearing make-up wasn't allowed and even fancy jewelry like dangling earrings were highly discouraged to wear. Because of these limitations, then, I had a certain dislike for teen fashion magazines, Meg, Candy and the like. I occasionally read Vogue though, and until now it looks like a giant book of well-laid out advertisments and I sometimes feel bad for reading something that I couldn't read because there was nothing much to read in the first place.

Despite my dislike for fashion magazines, I did grow up reading Time, Country Living, National Geographic back issues (because they were damn expensive, and still are!) and Tribute Magazine, a magazine very popular in Canada. My favorite was, and is, Time, for obvious reasons. Except for Time and National Geographic (I read issues in my elementary school library), I read the rest because I had to use them as scrap materials for my art projects.

It was when I got to Ateneo that my interest in one particular magazine, Preview, grew. Though I did not openly admit to buying an issue in 2007, later on, particularly this year, it became a hobby of mine to sneak into the Summit Media website and see what's in store in the new issue. I started to like fashion trends (but not wear them -- Paris, Milan, New York and London winter fashion just won't do in Philippine setting) because the writers told convincing stories with pictures; they did not just advertise the apparel. I eventually developed an appreciation for fashion magazines. After reading a few more issues I simply became hooked.

Since early June my interest in personal style grow, as well as my general interest in magazines. I presently read, aside from Preview and Time, I-mag|Photography and Interior Design (an expensive magazine. I buy this every six months -- p700 a month? Excuse me, but I need to eat). Aside from reading these magazines, I have a bar full of online magazines and art news websites: New York Times - Art News, Financial Times - Art and Leisure, ArtsJournal.com, LensCulture.com, Artdaily.org and Journalism.co.uk, to name a few. Not only did I start to get in the know of the latest fashion trends, I also learned of different names of people and places, particularly photographers and art galleries, respectively. But I think the most important thing here is that I dispelled all beliefs that fashion magazines were just a waste of money -- they aren't; because I learn as much as I learn from textbooks (I mean, not the technical nitty-gritty stuff, but about how to live today).

I consider what I'm reading now as a commercial break from all the news that I read in newspapers (I read the lifestyle section of the newspaper just to escape the bad news in the front page). After all 2009 isn't the best of years, financially and politically speaking. I simply decided to make the best of what's left of this year: I opened my eyes to a possibility of reading more than just textbooks and thriller novels. Before sticking my head out the window and see the present moment happening, I was something like a conservative librarian, believing the textbooks were the only key to the future. I have been wrong for the past ten years. Upon realizing this incorrect worldview, I actually began to seek the best in life -- for me it's knowing what's going on in the art world, understanding today's culture, seeing people live their dreams through photos and their articles, and of course letting myself grow in the right time.

So now, here I am, about to read the latest ish of I-mag|Photography. Tilak Hettige (I wouldn't know he existed if I hadn't read magazines) has an interesting article about how motion blurs add depth to a photo. Beside me as well is the latest issue of Preview with Anne Curtis on the cover. My mind is getting giddy since AFAR Media followed me in Twitter, and I just asked them when their magazine will hit Philippine shores.

And now I'm thinking if I should buy a new pair of earphones, a loudspeaker for my laptop, or an issue of Interior Design.