Girl With a Satchel: June 2011

Glossy Talk: Giving Life Support

Glossy Talk: Giving Life Support

One of the good glossy news stories of the year has to be LifeSupport magazine, an initiative of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital's not-for-profit Chris O'Brien Lifehouse centre (due to open to patients in 2013) with editorial, design and production by ACP Custom Media.

"For too many Australians, cancer is a maze of fear and confusion, which they find themselves trying to escape from," said Timothy Dugan, CEO of Lifehouse, in a statement. "LifeSupport magazine delivers a user-friendly map, with practical expert information and real-life insights from Aussies going through similar experiences."

Professor Chris O’Brien was a leading cancer specialist who came to national prominence on the reality TV series RPA who experience an aggressive three-year battle with a brain tumor before passing away in June 2009. Lifehouse is part of his legacy.

Imbued with personal stories, case studies and expert insights, the magazine includes information on treatments, coping with fatigue, dealing with side effects, handling stress, telling people about your diagnosis, keeping house, managing money, negotiating work arrangements, making fertility decisions, diet, logistics for isolated patients and being a carer.

Girl Talk: The flipside of mumpreneurialism

Girl Talk: The flipside of mumpreneurialism

While Mia Freedman gave us a glimpse into the corporate anxiety felt by mothers in high-powered jobs who need to leave work on time to attend to the kids in her Mamamia memoir, and the mummy blogger has given rise to discussion of domestic anxieties, it's still taboo in certain business and media circles to discuss the sacrifices made on the home front (and for one's sanity) in order to pursue one's career.

When that career is based in the home environment, as addressed by Carrie Hutchinson for Sunday magazine, the tug-of-war for women is perhaps even more keenly felt as the little faces are right there to see... as with the washing, the dishes and other necessities, like having "relations" (a Bill Clintonesque creepy term... I mean sex, non-shouty communication and friendship) with one's husband.

Husbands are largely out of the picture in Hutchinson's story, but I'm interested – for selfish reasons, but also after hearing of many marriages collapsing under the strain – in how the dynamic plays out in homes where women have one arm tethered to the computer, the other to the children's care. Does marriage play out as a par-for-the-course sub-plot? Does the husband automatically assume more domestic duties? How on earth do you function? Therese? Kevin?

Girl With a Satchel

Digital Talk: Katie May sells Kidspot to Murdoch

Digital Talk: Katie May sells Kidspot to Murdoch

In a move that's bound to set a precedent, and an incentive, for independent digital media properties across Australia, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is in the process of acquiring web entrepreneur Katie May's online parenting portal Kidspot for a reported $45 million.

"This deal makes us the leading player in the highly valuable online parenting market and, by combining Kidspot with the most dominant food vertical, Taste.com.au, and the most aspirational fashion vertical, Vogue.com.au, we now have an unrivalled presence in the online market for Australian women," said News Limited chairman and chief executive John Hartigan.

Glossy Covers: Kate Ellis talks female status in Sunday Life

Glossy Covers: Kate Ellis for Sunday Life (+ fun, fearless females)

Federal Minister for the Status of Women Kate Ellis spoke to Alyssa McDonald about the complex "tangle of issues that challenge women's career progression" for Sunday Life's latest cover story, 'Tipping the Balance'.

This is not the first time Ellis has teetered on fashionable stilettos for a magazine: last year, in her capacity as the Federal Minister for Early Childhood, Education, Childcare and Youth responsible for the Body Image Advisory Board, she posed for Grazia's body issue, which garnered her a few eye rolls and a, "What was she thinking?" right here.

On reflection, it's this sort of judgemental discourse that is part of the problem for women. And for that I apologize. However, I do think we have a responsibility to get the message out that it's not what you look like but who you are (and what you do) that is the important thing while aligning ourselves with media that places more value on women's non-physical attributes, and not that which undermines and distracts women with the perceived importance of the body's more superficial capacities (aka crimes against womanity).

Girl Talk: Tempestuous Anne invited to tea

Girl Talk: Tempestuous Anne invited to tea

"For Anne to take things calmly would have been to change her nature. All "spirit and fire and dew," as she was, the pleasures and pains of life came to her with trebled intensity. Marilla felt this and was vaguely troubled over it, realizing that the ups and downs of existence would probably bear hardly on this impulsive soul and not sufficiently understanding that the equally great capacity for delight might more than compensate. Therefore Marilla conceived it to be her duty to drill Anne into a tranquil uniformity of disposition as impossible and alien to her as to a dancing sunbeam in one of the brook shallows. She did not make much headway, as she sorrowfully admitted to herself. The downfall of some dear hope or plan plunged Anne into the 'depths of affliction'. The fulfilment thereof exalted her to dizzy realms of delight. Marilla had almost begun to despair of demure manners and prim deportment. Neither would she have believed that she really liked Anne much better as she was."

- This excerpt from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery sees Anne anticipating going to tea at Mrs Allan's home after receiving an invitation in the post ("such a thrill!"). What a beautiful message for girls; that while self-control, conformity, manners and rules have their place, that a girl might be embraced for her unique quirks and disposition, too.

Girl With a Satchel

GWAS Bulletin Board: Beci Orpin Showing

GWAS Bulletin Board: Beci Orpin Showing

Sometimes it seems like Melbournites have all the fun as with the Beci Orpin pop-up shop and artist-in-residence/work-in-progress exhibition at Harvest Workroom. Visitors can buy Beci Orpin stationery, cushions, mobiles, giclee prints, tote bags, painted wooden brooches and a limited number of quilts as well as viewing Beci's new works based around folk tales in cut paper with a screenprinting element. The new pieces will be on display to the general public (and possibly still in progress) on Wednesday June 29 from 6-9pm. Brushed with the creativity stick at birth, Beci is known for her whimsical, intricate creations and feminine dreamscapes, Beci has exhibited in Japan, the UK, Spain and the US and has designed for the likes of Bloom Cosmetics, Gorman Mercedes Benz and kit cosmetics.

Girl With a Satchel

Pop/Media Talk: An unpopular culture niche (+ HuffPo of Oz)

Pop/Media Talk: An unpopular culture niche (+ The HuffPo of Oz)

In her memoir, Tina Fey is hilariously honest when describing the niche appeal of 30 Rock, which she lovingly calls her "weird little show": "Though we are grateful for the affection 30 Rock has received from critics and hipsters, we were actually trying to make a hit show. We weren't trying to make a low-rated critical darling that snarled in the face of conventionality. We were trying to make Home Improvement and we did it wrong."

Irish actress, writer and comedian Sharon Horgan, who penned The Guardian's Guide most recent cover story and starred in a little-known show called Pulling, is similarly bemused but totally in favour of low-rating but well executed sitcoms:

"There is a surprising amount of merit in going to all the time and trouble of making a sitcom only to have a risible number of people actually watch it. In fact I would go so far as to say it's an inadvertently important act of importance," she writes, adding that, "these programmes have that special combination of being original and perfectly formed with detail and nuances that make you feel like you're watching something that's been made especially for you... With a smaller audience you're more likely to push back boundaries – you can do a lot of things a mainstream sitcom would like to but can't for fear of not appealing to a wide and wieldy demographic."

The same theory applies online.

Girl Talk: Georgie Carroll on tween pressure

Girl Talk: Georgie Carroll on tween pressures

"I was surprised at myself, actually, when I found myself thinking, 'Oh, why can't I be Miley?!', throughout the entire concert. She is absolutely gorgeous, has (and has had) beyond gorgeous boyfriends, a brilliant career... all while being only a year and a half older than me. Some days I feel that my obsession with teen stars and the internet (embarrassed to admit I spend up to nine hours per day on here D:) are not harming me at all, but then other days, like yesterday, all I can think is how unfair it is that I don't look like them, or have their lives and I can feel myself spiraling downwards, and it's not a good thing. I consider myself a pretty mature seventeen-year-old, so if I feel like I don't want to be at one of the concerts, or while watching their tv shows or seeing pictures of them on the internet, how much worse will it be for a tween?"

- Teen Girl with a Satchel Georgie Carroll responds to 'Body image in the new media landscape'.

Glossy Talk: Alix Clark to edit Feast magazine

Glossy Talk: Alix Clark to edit Feast magazine

Conjuring up visions of plentiful food, good company and an air of celebration; tantilising readers with an insatiable appetite for life, an attitude of enjoyment, a plethora of personalities and an abundance of experiences, the name of the Pacific Magazines/SBS joint venture title to be launched in spring 2011 has been revealed: Feast (tagline: "experiencing life through food").

Aesthete: Deep blue dreaming

Aesthete: Deep blue dreaming

Hello, yummy. Australian Good Taste Magazine, July 2010

Weekend reading material.

The denim shirt as worn by chef Kylie Kwong on a recent Good Weekend cover.

"And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace." (Luke 8:48)

Girl With a Satchel

Pop Quiz: Period Dramas (win a book pack!)

Pop Quiz: Period Dramas (win a book pack!)

Can’t get enough of the drama of the Crawley family and their scheming servants? Know your Jane Austen from your Emily Bronte and wish your wardrobe was full of corsets and petticoats? Favour Downton Abbey over Gossip Girl? Time to check your knowledge of all things period dramas with GWAS guest contributor, mistress of pop culture, Miranda Cashin...

To win a GWAS Winter Book Pack, email your answers and mailing address to hello@girlwithasatchel.com ASAP!

Deadline: Saturday 25 June, 5pm EST.
Answers now posted below!

Glossy Covers: Maggie Beer for Gardening Australia

Glossy Covers: Maggie Beer for Gardening Australia

I love olives and Maggie Beer, so it didn't take much for this Gardening Australia July cover to attract my attention. And, my, so much to learn and do for the amateur horticulturalist, like singing to the plants, potting natives, controlling the bindii and pruning. Creating little green thumbs is catered to by a review of books about plants and animals to foster an appreciation for the natural world from an early age (think The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Diary of a Wombat, Last Tree in the City... where is Possum Magic?), while cook and olive connoisseur Beer, who offers her tips for growing and pickling, says, "choosing the right olive depends on climate and personal taste". Skip past the python, take a trip to Darwin and contemplate "the new idealism of sustainability" as Michael McCoy awaits the earthmover.

Girl With a Satchel

Digital Talk: Techno-enabled workaholics

Digital Talk: Techno-enabled workaholics

"It seems to suggest we're a nation of workaholics. Australia has a reputation for putting a priority on work-life balance, and we may be losing that, with the uncontrolled introduction of technology into the workplace. We want flexible hours but too many of us are using the technology to stay plugged in to work 24/7. We need to know when to switch it all off... There's also a bit of believing we're all indispensable, and we like to feel we're an important part of the group.''

- David Page, managing director, NorthgateArinso, 'iPlod - Australia now a wired nation addicted to work,' The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday June 23, 2011. See also: 'Blogging up an addiction'

Glossy Talk: Brigitte magazine's iPad covers

Glossy Talk: Brigitte magazine's iPad covers

I just adore this "B-Covered" Vimeo for Brigitte magazine's iPad covers produced by Martin von Siebenthal and Mario Hipleh.

Girl With a Satchel

Pop Talk: Oprah's bookazine a timely tie-in

Pop Talk: Oprah's bookazine a timely tie-in

She's baaaaaaack! On the day "Oprah-tunity Gillard" celebrates her Prime Ministerial anniversary, Oprah's crew are commemorating the Queen of Talk's 25 incredible years with an O The Oprah Magazine one-shot spinoff bookazine keepsake which goes on sale on June 28.

Oprah’s Farewell Celebration: Inside 25 Extraordinary Years of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (148 pages, US$11.99), is "a joyful and comprehensive insider's look at the 25 years of aha moments, tears, surprises, and triumphs that have meant so much to so many", from the show's early days, when the team begged passersby to take a seat in the audience, to that time Tom Cruise leaped from his seat professing his love for Katie.

“The opportunity to have done this work for so many years – to be embraced by all of you – is one of the greatest opportunities that any human being could have,” said Ms. Winfrey, who now helms OWN, the cable network with great expectations which has thus far pulled up short.

Winfrey has also said, "I'm going to dive in, (and) I feel hopeful, confident that we'll be able to figure it out. The biggest challenge is aligning the network with what is my true vision and brand — hope and aspiration — and not acquisitions and reality shows. The other biggest challenge is getting people to know where the network is."

Hence helpful one-shot magazine tie-ins.

Guest Cute & Chic – Golden Girls by DDG

Who doesn't love a bit of Golden Girls? As Maggie Alderson has shown, a lady need not reserve

her golden garb for special occasions alone. Drop Dead Gorgeous Daily's Kate McKibbon dropped by to give GWAS the 411 on the gilded look...

"Brighten up the dreariest of wintry days by creating your own paired-back version of Leighton Meester's MTV awards style, or Zac Posen's 2012 resort collection vibe," she says.

Glossy Review: A little worldliness would go a long way in Cleo

Glossy Review: A little worldliness would go a long way in Cleo

BFF to Oprah, Beyonce makes some questionable "knock-your-socks-off" moves, but like Cleo editor Gemma Crisp – who confesses to being a naturally happy person in her editor's letter this issue – and the magazine's tough-talking, highly sex/fashion/body charged cover lines ("Ditch the bitch"; "Have electric sex tonight!"; "New fashion buys you will never regret"), Beyonce's dancing (and bandaged-up garb) is more a reflection of industry standards than her genuine wish to empower women. Misguided, misjudged or missing the big picture?

"Power means happiness. Power means hard work and sacrifice. To me it's about setting a good example, and not abusing your power!" Ms B tells Cleo. "My visit to Egypt was a really big inspiration for me. Once the sun went down, I saw not one woman; it was shocking and fascinating, because it was so extreme. I saw thousands of men walking down the street, socialising in bars, praying in mosques – and no women. I felt really proud when I performed [there] and saw the strength that the women were getting through the music. I remember being in Japan when Destiny's Child put out Independent Women, and girls there were saying how proud they were to have their own jobs, their own independent thinking, their own goals. It made me feel so good, and I realised that one of my responsibilities was to inspire women."

Girl Talk: Q&A with Dr. Amy Slater

Girl Talk: Q&A with Dr. Amy Slater

Following on from 'Body image in the new media landscape', a Q&A with Dr. Amy Slater, author of 'NetGirls: Adolescent Girls, The Internet and Body Image'...

GWAS: Tell us about your research project 'Growing Up Too Quickly: Body objectification in adolescent and pre-adolescent girls (teens and tweens)'.
Dr Slater: “I work primarily with Professor Marika Tiggemann – she’s my collaborator on this; it’s her grant. Our studies have mainly been looking at media use and body image and in the past that’s focused on TV and magazines because they were the primary media sources at the time. But now we’re moving into how girls are using the internet – social networking, Facebook, MySpace and those sorts of things – and how that relates to how girls feel about themselves and view their bodies.

The first round of data focuses on almost 1100 girls in Years 8 and 9, and while we’ve still asked about television and magazines, we’ve also asked about their internet usage – how much time they’re spending online and how they’re using it – and media consumption. And we asked them about self-esteem, body image, disordered eating, depression.

Glossy Covers: Dumbo feather (Issue #28)

Glossy Covers: Dumbo feather (Issue #28)

Reprieve! The arrival of Dumbo feather issue #28 in the inbox (due to arrive in your postbox or the newsagent floor on July 8) brings us interesting new people to meet, including TED Talks curator Chris Anderson, a former British publishing entrepreneur who moved to the US a decade ago, and Dateline reporter Foud Hady, who, editor Patrick Pittman told Mediaweek, "came to Australia as an asylum seeker and spent time in detention, got out of there and taught himself filmmaking and reporting and then went back to Iraq to report on the streets of Baghdad for Dateline."

Adds Pittman, "We could be publishing monthly or bi-monthly. That's something we're looking into in a year or so. We're trying to figure out how a magazine like Dumbo feather fits into the current publishing environment. It never fits in comfortably...it's always got its own space. If it's going to make sense to publish more regularly, that's something that we'd love to do but at the same time we might look at doing a lot of that through more online and digital media as well."

Hurrah!

Girl With a Satchel

GWAS Bulletin Board: Made on the Left

GWAS Bulletin Board: Made on the Left

Fern Vallesi of She Seldom Blushes

Our friends in Perth, or visitors to the windy city, have a craftacular event to look forward to on July 11 called Made on the Left. Now in its fourth year, and hosted at 140, an impressive-sounding space on the corner of William Street and Murray Street Mall, which has produced happy news stories such as this: "Inspired by vintage fashion from a young age Fern Vallesi began re-working preloved and broken jewellery components to create new pieces which she now sells under the label, She Seldom Blushes. Testing her designs at markets, including Made on the Left, she moved into wholesaling her jewellery at local boutiques and opened her own store in Atwell Arcade, Fremantle. With a retro and vintage aesthetic Fern also stocks a number of WA designers including current Made on the Left stall holder Mel P designs." For more good news: see the Made on the Left blog.

Girl With a Satchel

Girl Talk: Body image in the new media landscape

Girl Talk: Body image in the new media landscape (NetGirls, style bloggers, safe havens)

Happy girls c/o The Begin Within Blog

Sitting on the couch with my seven-year-old niece last weekend, she decided to bring up some video clips for me to look at on a laptop. As she logged onto Ninemsn to do her search, we were greeted by an image of a woman involved in a sex scandal. Her eyes gazed over the image as she waited for the search page to deliver the video link. I wanted to slam the computer shut.

After a painstaking few seconds, the video came up: it was of the group of eight and nine-year-old girls performing "Single Ladies" in skimpy costumes, not unlike the one her hero Miley Cyrus wore performing in Brisbane this week, which started a media debate about premature sexualisation (or "adultification") – both in the dance world and pop-culture – last year.

"They shouldn't be doing those moves, should they?" she asked me, looking for approval as the girls bumped and grinded before us.

Happy to engage her in a discussion about judgeing girls (not good) v judgeing the product of industry standards for herself (good), I was still disheartened: media literacy and critical thinking is a positive thing, but we're not yet certain it can inoculate girls from the harmful effects of consumption of sexualised and otherwise fetishized images and behaviours conveyed by the media and entertainment industries, and more increasingly the internet.

Glossy Covers: Frankie issue #42

Glossy Covers: Frankie issue #42

In the Biblical story of Joseph, brought to life in Andrew Lloyd Weber's stage musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, this man of God is gifted in interpreting dreams for the Pharoah, which gets him out of goal and into the good books (of the Good Book!) and into Egypt's plum role. Much the same, the Karen Walker patch blazer worn by Solange on the cover of Frankie issue #42 metaphorically represents (whether intentionally or not) the issue's "making of awesome things" theme.

Inside five creative types share their 'tools of the trade' in a still-life extravaganza, Frances Hanson opens up her delightful scrapbook and the Mother of Craft Pip Lincolne comes to the rescue with DIY fancy-dress costume instructions. Sombre illustrations, Patience Hodgson modelling clothes, a Poule au Pot recipe, photo essays with an humanitarian edge, a third-person feature on a young Aussie couple adopting a Ugandan girl, a teen abductee telling her story and a Kaufmann Illustration pull-out world map amount to a rewarding display of life in the Frankie lane.

Girl With a Satchel

Media Talk: Advance Australia Fair?

Media Talk: Advance Australia Fair?

'Is Rafa for Real?' read the headline accompanying Lynn Barber's hilarious profile of tennis ace Rafael Nadal in the last issue of The Weekend Australian Magazine. Today that story is chased by a picture of a shirtless Nadal on The Australian's tabloid sister site The Daily Telegraph with the strap line: "John McEnroe is tired of Rafael Nadal's modesty, demanding the Spaniard change and become egotistical."

Prime Minister Julia Gillard – disrespectfully referred to in seething tones by the leader of the opposition Tony Abbott as "she" during Question Time – might do well to be more egotistical: her Labor predecessors Paul Keating and Bob Hawke certainly were. But the 'real Julia', as we've learnt in the 12 months since her dramatic ascension to the top of the Party's ranks, doesn't do airs. Besides, we can tolerate arrogance in men; not so much in the opposite sex. Is this Australia fair?

Glossy Covers: The New Yorker's Dog Show

Glossy Covers: The New Yorker's Dog Show

"Dog meets dog" by John Cuneo for The New Yorker

In the health food store the other day, the owner couldn't help but point out to one of her customers how much he resembled his dog. Contemplating the thought after she spoke it out loud, she then commented that her dog, who looked nothing like her, had dental issues... and then admitted she did, too. I have no qualms with stating that I look a bit like my dog: long in the nose and all that.

The myth has some merit: besides manifold health benefits, including fighting off The Black Dog, which may endear an owner to his or her pooch, British researchers also found the bond is skin deep. But not by accident: more practicality/narcissism.

"There is a little bit of truth in the theory that owners look like their dogs, but if you are of a robust build you will probably have a more robust dog so that you can gets lots of exercise," Dr Lance Workman of Bath Spa University told The Telegraph. "If you are more slight you may want a poodle as you think that they need less exercise."

And on that note, a short poem for you all titled 'Who Left the Poopy in the Doggy Park?'...

Digital Talk: ASOS confessions (when is shopping not a "sin"?)

Digital Talk: ASOS confessions (when is shopping not a "sin"?)

ASOS is a leader in the world of e-commerce as far as young female shoppers go; like the fun little sister to Net-A-Porter, the site is trendy, cheap(ish) and on the pulse, and has a global community of dedicated shoppers buying from its worldwide wardrobe (with free delivery!).

The company reported a 41% rise in profits in the year to March 31, 2011, and is on track to achieve a whopping £1bn of sales by 2015. Seemingly untroubled by global financial conditions, it lives in a fashiony bubble buoyed by consumers – many who are Australians gravitating to its alluring offering – and fashion bloggers who happily sport the site's pretty banners (it's a win/win: a banner gives a site online street-cred as well as small financial kick-backs, while ASOS benefits from the affiliated fashion bloggers' followings).

Glossy Covers: Real Living, real bright ideas!

Glossy Covers: Real Living, real bright ideas!

After contemplating the plight of the homeless in these wintry climes, a 'media room' seems a trivial extravagance. Similarly, Network Nine's reincarnation of The Block seems a bit out of touch with the economic climate (watch it in your media room!), but might provide the escapism some of us need (other – attractive – people slaving away as we recline on the couch?). "Real Living mag, PJs, tea and peanut butter M&Ms" is how one reader and Facebook follower is celebrating the arrival of her new issue. It's an uncomfortable reality, much like couches covered in plastic in the name of preservation, this disparity between the have-much's and the materially needy. Still, Real Living (notably, not a charity) has tapped into these cost-conscious times with an alluringly bright 'Style for Less' issue. Phew. Good save. Boom-tish!

Girl With a Satchel

GWAS Bulletin Board: Goodwill tidings

GWAS Bulletin Board: Goodwill tidings

Volcom's Give Jeans a Chance denim recycling program = awesome!

Glum? Blue? All about you? Herewith a roundup of good causes and creative enterprises to think over and get involved in (self included)...

Mission Australia's annual National Survey of Young Australians is a powerful tool for practitioners and professionals in any area that represents youth, including community groups, government services, education and media. It canvasses Australians aged 11 to 24 about a range of issues relevant to their lives, gleaning information about their attitudes and behaviours and stimulating national discussion. The greater the survey pool, the greater indication we get about what's concerning, exciting and driving young people. Youngsters can complete the 2011 survey online at www.mayouthsurvey.com.au, closing Friday 1 July.

Digital Talk: Rebecca Sparrow joins Mamamia as Deputy Editor

Digital Talk: Rebecca Sparrow joins Mamamia as Deputy Editor

L to R: Mamamia staff Natalia, Rebecca, Nicky, Lana and Rick.

Prolific author/columnist/TV scriptwriter/all-round-ace-girl Rebecca Sparrow has joined team Mamamia as deputy editor, it was announced today. Joining managing editor Lana Hirschowitz and news editor Rick Morton, Sparrow joins the thriving women's website under publisher Mia Freedman.

In the past 12 months, Mamamia has grown 400 per cent in traffic with Twitter and Facebook playing their part in driving the site's online community. "Our editorial team is designed to help curate the day’s most interesting news for our readers to provide the best online experience possible for women,” said Freedman.

See also:
Media Talk: Rebecca Sparrow's last Sunday Mail column
Glossy Events: A (very) Girly High Tea
Pop Talk: Formative girl crushes and Saturday Disney dreams

Girl With a Satchel

Glossy Covers: Lydia Cole for Enhance magazine

Glossy Covers: Lydia Cole for Enhance magazine

I first heard Lydia Cole sing at a Christian music festival called Easterfest a couple of years ago, so it was a nice surprise to see her on the cover of Enhance, the Christian women's quarterly which provides me with helpings of spiritual sustenance and inspiration.

What's the gloss? Grazia, OK!, Woman's Day

What's the gloss? Grazia, OK!, Woman's Day
Keeping an eye on those naughty glossip magazines and the microcosm of life in the celebrity fast lane.*

It was a week in which we saw Australian aircraft grounded by confounding volcanic soot, battle-weary New Zealanders go into aftershock, rains pour down on northern NSW, and a tough-stance Queensland budget released after the Maroons copped a State of Origin flogging. But what, you ask, did the glossips have to say?

Over at Woman's Day, editor Fiona Connolly found herself confounded by questions about Bec Hewitt's kids, Kate Middleton's wedding dress and Posh Spice's baby name predictions at Mission Australia's homeless women's shelter in Sydney. "We all lost track of time gossiping and for an hour or two the ladies has escaped the heartbreaking reality of their situations," writes Connolly.

The 'Your Say' letters page reveals readers are similarly taken with The Day's updates on the lives of its cast of celebrities: "I felt happy for Dannii Minogue when Kris Smith came into her life," writes M. Johnston of Boronia, Vic. "Then came little Ethan, making a picture-perfect family – it looked like she had it all. It must be difficult living your life under the spotlight. Hopefully Dannii and Kris will look at their priorities, make time for each other and raise young Ethan – who they both obviously adore – together."

Aesthete: Just a hint of pink

Aesthete: Just a hint of pink

Barossa Valley foodie Cherie Hausler shares her baked delights in the June issue of delicious.

Pinchy-pink cheeks! Brow specialist Amy Jean and Palazzo Versace PR Stephanie Manning pictured at an Oscar Oscar party.

The pink path, Mount Tamborine, June 2011, c/o my iPhone (which I must upgrade... clearly!).

When we were younger, my sister was the "blue" one and I was the "pink" one, meaning those were the pyjama colours we were allocated according to our colouring (she's darker and fairer than I am but has blue eyes). The aesthetic dichotomy has kind of stuck: she is defiantly alternative, in a tomboyish kind of way, and I am more conservative and "girlie"; I don't mind a hint of a frill nor a bit of pink in font, in cheek or under foot.

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." (Proverbs 4:18)

Girl With a Satchel

GWAS Notes: Farewell to Revival by Amy Choi

GWAS Notes: Farewell to Revival by Amy Choi

It's annoying when columns disappear from magazines with nary a word as to why, let alone deserved fanfare, so a moment to tell you that the delightful Amy Choi will no longer be penning her 'Revival' column here at GWAS, owing to that familiar modern-girl conundrum "Too much to do!".

I've enjoyed having Amy here immensely and shall miss the delivery of her thoughtful, concise op-shopping prose each fortnight, right on deadline. She's an editor's dream.

Glossy Covers: Rose Byrne all smiles for Sunday Life (plus, musings on mixed messages)

Glossy Covers: Rose Byrne all smiles for Sunday Life (plus, musings on mixed messages)

It was so lovely to open up The Sun-Herald last weekend and see Rose Byrne smiling back from the cover of the Sunday Life supplement. Like Byrne, who has reason to be happy given the largely rapturous reception for Bridesmaids, Oakes should pat herself on the back, too.

Sunday Life contributor and Musings of an Inappropriate Woman blogger Rachel Hills has used her online platform to heap praise on Oakes and her mentorship today. While I, too, am indebted to Oakes, she should be proud of the magazine she oversees each week with its mix of smart columnists, on-the-pulse features, profiles of interesting characters and mix of intriguing cover subjects (landing the magazine a GWAS 2010 Best Covers of the Year spot).

Girl Crush: Janette Baker – graphic designer, art director

Girl Crush: Janette Baker – graphic designer, art director

"Just seeing your concepts come to life in print is amazing," says Janette Baker, a former advertising art director for Real Living magazine who since leaving her full-time role to bring up her baby (and blog her first-time mothering experience) has parlayed her passion for print into a flourishing business.

My Sweet Prints specialises in "original art for the home, nursery and heart". There is a warmth to Janette's work, which incorporates whimsical paper cut styles, birdies sitting in family trees, family homes, owls, alphabets, tandem bikes, love hearts, cutlery and genial admonishments ("Say Please and Thank You"), that her customers clearly appreciate.

Pop Talk: Bridesmaids

Pop Talk: Bridesmaids
Popcorn engagements with Emma Plant

Not an Aniston, Diaz or Alba in sight, the bird-watching in Bridesmaids showcases not hairstyles, but female comedic prowess. The lead protagonist, Annie (who so rightly lives up to her endearing name), is played by SNL stand-up Kristin Wiig. Normally a support actress, Wiig radiates with her honest humour and self deprecating wit.

The rambling musings that are normally only embraced by a niche female audience (does anyone remember how Gilmore Girls was incredibly annoying if you were not in the mood for super-duper fast talking?), has been combined with all kinds of funny. From slapstick to insightfully crude (and I myself am unashamedly prudish), this movie, excuse the cliché, really does have it all.

Girl Talk: Peppermint magazine asks, 'What is beauty?'

Girl Talk: Peppermint magazine asks, 'What is beauty?'

After meeting Lydia Jade Turner at a Collective Shout fundraiser last year, I was smitten with this passionate psychotherapist and advocate for positive body image, more particularly her positive approach to total wellbeing and her commitment to working towards change through education, information dissemination and cooperation.

Turner appears with other women, including grandmother Merle Hayne, in a vibrant and inspiring spread in the new issue of Peppermint magazine, on sale today. Her story particularly resonates with me. She says:

Glossy Covers: Treadlie magazine issue three

Glossy Covers: Treadlie magazine issue three

What lifestyle trend of the late noughties (and now) has so easily integrated the eco, nostalgia, slow, health, hipster, personal style and thrifty movements together but the bicycle (lifecycle)?

Once solely regarded the preferred transportation of choice for residents of Amsterdam, lycra-clad racers in the Tour de France, little tikes in training, dudes with facial piercings, Kevin and Winnie from The Wonder Years and BMX bandits like Nicole Kidman, city slickers and urban dwellers around the world have incorporated the humble bike – and its snazzy and pricey designer offspring – into their lives, replete with wardrobe accessories, tool kits, "saddle snacks" and bespoke magazines, too.

Now into its third issue and published by Green Press, Treadlie ($8.95, quarterly) documents the world of recreational biking, custom design and the lives of 'style riders' across the globe. The book opens with anecdotes of first bike love by contributors and a letter from editor Faith Hunter who recommends, "Layering up in woolly coats, hats, scarves and gloves...to enjoy the crisp, fresh air on a bicycle" this winter.

...with Margaret Tran

Harry Potter's Emma Watson appears crimson-lipped on the magazine's captivating July cover, sending fan-girls everywhere in a rush to mum's lipstick stash, but it was Harry Potter himself (aka Daniel Radcliffe) who presented American Vogue editor Anna Wintour with her Best Fashion Website trophy (for Vogue.com) at this week's Webby Awards, a fitting partnership given Wintour's "Sometimes, geeks can be chic" quip (in keeping with the Awards' requisite five-word winners' speeches... except if you are Will Ferrel, of FunnyOrDie.com, in which case a haiku is permissible). See all the YouTubed action here.

Image via Lonny Magazine

Niche content and a powerful blogging community are proving winners in the growth of interiors magazines online. The move from a loyal blog following to emulating print magazines is a way for the founders such as Michelle Adams of shelter magazine Lonny to legitimise their presence in a media industry steeped in tradition. The mark of difference, however, is the stronghold of followers cultivated organically through sheer word of the mouth. Indeed, Lonny boasts almost 37,000 fans on the Facebook page alone.

Long reads are becoming more social - and sustainable thanks to Twitter's hashtag #longreads. The hashtag in question has also just reached its second anniversary.

WWD reports that a growing e-commerce sector is contributing to the increasingly blurred lines between editorial and the sales business. Former Gourmet editor and New York Times food critic – and now editor of online marketplace Gilt Taste – Ruth Reichl says, "Content and commerce, the mingling of it, really makes sense to me... You have a normal magazine and you create editorial, and then it gets surrounded by ads for a lot of things you don't like. Here we have to be involved in what we're selling as well." While it's certainly no secret that great copy does wonders to help points-of-sale, what shall become of the aspiring writers and editors who've been raised and taught through a diet of print media?

Is this where the future of writers lie? Sites like Groupon count their success towards clever wordsmiths and helping to create new areas for writing to flourish. Like many sites in the same field, there is a sense that visitors are coming to site purely for good deal and not so much as a 'guide to the city' as Groupon hopes to appear. Redefining the realm of writing is just one of its charms however, as it seems the idea of 'spam' and 'junk mail' (what all cheap, discounted deals unfortunately tend to fall under) is also part of this changing industry.

So what of "true" journalism? If no one wants to pay for news anymore, what is the value of journalism, asks Kathy Kiely of the National Journal. Monetising the news gathering process online continues to be a sticking point for many publishers with your average Joe (and Jane) preferring to get their news free. Not only that, but said Joe/Jane also prefers to pick and choose their news thanks to the intense range of content outlets available online.

In case you missed it, Gwyneth Paltrow now has a Twitter in all her Goopy glory.

While Zooey Deschanel has launched a website, Hello Giggles, with writer-slash-TV-producer Sophia Rossi and omnipresent blogger Molly McAleer. Pitched as the "ultimate entertainment destination for smart, independent and creative females," the site is the lovechild of Frankie magazine and toasty marshmallowy goodness. And the best part is? You can contribute! Oh, yes, six degrees of separation from the lovely Zooey – ever the motivator.

Whispers in the industry apparently say Apple has relaxed its subscription rules for publications in the app store. Techland has all the nitty gritty details.

Image via Flipboard

Time Inc's digital director, Josh Quittner, has jumped ship to popular aggregation business, Flipboard, according the NY Post.

Comments on news stories - are they eroding the journalistic process? A reporter shares his thoughts on Media Bistro.

Image via Jim Wilson @ NY Times

More and more businesses are turning to the iPad to enhance the shopping experience online, with hopes to bring in catalogue-based experience to a new medium.

That said, online shopping sites are a significant problem, according to a Dymocks senior executive.

Image via magCulture.com

Apple has unveiled Newsstand for its catalogue of magazines across iPhone and iPad devices. The folks at Stonewash have dissected exactly what this means for publications whose offerings are already available through the app store.

Springboarding off Apple's recent foray into cloud technology, Conde Nast has launched 'Idea Flight' for iPad. The app allows a group of up to 15 users to share documents, presentations, designs, videos and ideas via their iPads.

Glossy Talk: This week in That's Life

Glossy Talk: This week in That's Life (Back to Basics, crowd-sourcing & Go Back to Where You Came From)

My interest was piqued in this week's That's Life magazine – Australia's top-selling "reality weekly" – after hearing about two of the stories that appear on its 'The Buzz' page: one on middle-aged men suffering from 'hotness delusion syndrome' (a drought of single men in their 40s means they are being fiercely pursued, hence the inflated egos) and 'Gen Y More Fun', which provides survey evidence suggesting Gen-Ys are more fun to work with than Baby Boomers. Readers are paid the princely sum of $50 for 'The Buzz' page submissions – no big secret, the reality weeklies are the queens of crowd-sourcing content for cash rewards.

Glossy Covers: Adele for Glamour, Vogue, The Gentlewoman

Glossy Covers: Adele for Glamour, Vogue, The Gentlewoman

Fresh as a daisy for UK Glamour's July "Women of the Year" cover, Adele Adkins is a vision for summer, but there's a sadness to the beautiful British chanteuse's story hidden beneath the brash talk and puffs of Marlboro Light. Winner of Glamour's UK Solo Artist of the Year award and a self-described "self-help singer", Adkins recently cancelled her American tour, citing recurring laryngitis as her concern.

"I'm really frustrated. I was hoping with a week's rest I'd be better to sing again straight away. However, there is absolutely nothing I can do but take the doctor's advice and rest some more. I'm so sorry. See you soon," she said. Both her albums – 19 and 21 – have appeared in Australia's top 10 sellers of late, though, she tells Glamour, "It's not like I Google myself or go, "What are my figures this week?"."

Anyone who has ever met me knows I am the biggest Harry Potter nerd in the entire world. I have read all the books a minimum of ten times each, own a wand, regularly wear my Slytherin scarf in public, and, uh, may or may not have a playlist on my iPod entitled ‘Wrock’ (Wizard Rock, or songs written about Harry Potter for the uninitiated among us).

I’m heartbroken that the final movie is coming out next month (midnight screening with a giant box of tissues? I think so) but I was so excited when I discovered my local cinema is playing each of the movies one last time in the lead-up to the final release. I own all the movies on DVD (and may or may not own numerous copies of a few of them), but there’s something so magical about reliving them in the cinema, especially as I was quite young when the first two were released.

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