Self (1-year auto-renewal)

I've subscribed to Self on-and-off for about 15 years, but have recently been feeling like I've outgrown the magazine. The articles seem to focus on issues facing single women who are just starting their careers. Fine, but not for me anymore! Also, their subscription department is terrible! My most recent subscription has been plagued with missed issues, double issues and late issues -and a customer service department that can't quite pull themselves together.

While I look to Glamour and Mademoiselle magazines for intelligent topics on women's interests and look to Cosmopolitan for sex and relationship advice and Vogue for the latest fashion trends, I look to Self for self-improvement. This glossy mag features articles on how to stay fit, eat healthy, look and feel great and delves into issues such as breast cancer and different types of painful menstruation as well as articles on what a difference it makes to eat strawberries instead of chocolate for snack and the importance of drinking water. (My skin is looking great for having started drinking more water.) It is the mag I look to to make me feel good! I have learned how to eat healthier snacks and different exercise routines by reading this gem. This is my first year as a subscriber to this magazine and I shall continue to subscribe to it every year!

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My Self subscription started when Women's Sports & Fitness was cancelled. While it's not quite as athletic as that magazine was, Self has an extra emphasis on participation rather than competition. They use "reader models" in a lot of their photo spreads, and really emphasize the idea of a healthy and strong body, over an idealized "fashion model" body. Articles discuss the latest gym class crazes, nutrition and supplement breakthroughs, and debunking of fad diets. They do include some fashion (focus on workout apparel) and makeup (emphasis on natural look and healthy skin) info, but this is not a foo-foo Cosmo magazine. There are healthy recipes, workout plans targeting a new body part monthly, and creative ways to workout outside the gym as well as inside. Overall, this magazine focuses on real women's lives and how to make them healthier, happier, and more fit. There's a lot of practical advice here that is very applicable to most people's lives.

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Self what? The entire magazine now pushes product on every inch of every page. Their product placements went from "convenient and subtle" to obviously pandering to their revenue sources. Plus the stories and tips are so far out of reality that anyone over 25 with half of a brain couldn't relate. I once enjoyed Self and their monthly self-help plans. Their core message has gotten lost in the sea of product pushing.

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I've been a Self subscriber for two years, and I just cancelled subscription. At first, I loved the magazine because it offers lots of nutritional advice, and the Self Challenge, which starts in March, is really helpful for starting an exercise routine.

However, after two years, I've noticed the following:

Content tends to repeat over and over. If you subscribe, you'll really only need one year to get the gist of what they'll say every month.

Too much emphasis on statistics. I tried to count the number of studies Self referenced in one issue, and lost count because ther were so many.

Too much editorializing on social issues. I don't like being preached at in the name of "women's health," but that's just my personal opinion.

Not enough discussion of exercises to do at the gym. If you don't have a gym membership, Self is great at providing exercises you can do at home. But there's almost no discussion of how to effectively use weight lifting machines, or even free and hand weights.

All in all, a pretty decent magazine. But not good enough for a renewal for a third year!

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