Video: Quick and dirty women’s mags

I met Petra Boynton to discuss women’s magazines, and in particular sex surveys, dodgy experts, and the mixed and confusing messages that women’s mags send out about women’s sexuality.

The quick and dirty world of women’s magazines from Christine Ottery on Vimeo.

To put pressure on editors to improve their sex-related content, if you think it needs it, Boynton suggests:

- getting in touch with the editor

- blogging and creating a Twitter storm around the problem coverage

- or hitting magazines where it hurts by stopping buying them and writing to their advertisers to make them aware of duff practice.

This worked in the case of Danny Dyer’s column in Zoo. The editor was disciplined and an article on domestic violence was published, amongst other consequences. However, this was quite an extreme case, and it may be difficult to create the same kind of media outrage about simply badly-designed sex-surveys for example. But I think it is unacceptable that women are fed half-truths and inaccuracies. Are magazines trying to make us stupider? Perhaps now is the time to hold editors to account for the accuracy of their content?

Boynton also stressed that magazines aren’t the only place to get advice about sex or relationship issues. She says: “You can talk to your friends, family or your partner. You can read advice books around the subject, or websites, such as the NHS Choices website. You can also try the British association of Sex and Relationship Therapy.

“If you have pain or perhaps an STI or chronic relationship problems go to the GU clinic, or to see your GP, a counsellor or therapist.”

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