How to Read a Trashy Magazine

Chances are, you already read "trashy" magazines, from time to time, although you won't admit it. And there's nothing wrong with reading, nor with refusing to admit it. But even if you're a trashy magazine expert, your reading methods might benefit from a tune-up. If you apply these few simple steps, you will maximize your trashy magazine enjoyment, and possibly improve your life. Whether you have a subscription, stole one from your sister's room or the dentist's office, or checked one out of the library, pick up your newest acquisition and follow along.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• magazine not requiring a high level of attention to absorb the content (examples: Cosmo, US Weekly, People, Seventeen)

1. EXPERIENCE THE WHOLE MAGAZINE. Let your eyes wander around the cover from headline to sub-headline. Feel the slippery (in term of gloss; hopefully it's dry) cover and pages. Flip the pages. Anything catch your eye? Stop, open, read a small paragraph, but not the whole page. Take it all in at once. Smell the perfume samples. For a quick tension-reducer, roll the edges of the pages in your fingers.

2. READ BACKWARDS. There's nothing wrong with reading forwards through the trashy magazine as though it were a book, but what other medium can you read backwards without losing any meaning? It's refreshing, and the magazine often stays open better if you try this approach.

3. DON'T FORGET THE SEX TIPS AND EMBARRASSING STORIES SECTIONS. The main sex or relationship tip sections are usually prominently advertised on the front, but there are often sex/relationship tips hidden throughout that are either educational, or, more likely, amusing-to-hilarious to read. Don't overlook them. The entertainment value of embarrassing stories is obvious, but they also serve as cautionary tales. Also consider them in their historical context as precursors to www.fmylife.com.

4. OPTIMIZE YOUR TRASHY MAGAZINE-READING TIME. The best time to read a trashy magazine is when you have to pay minimal attention to your surroundings. Maybe you're working as a lifeguard and there is only 1 healthy adult doing water aerobics in the shallow end. Maybe you're on an airplane, waiting for takeoff or your snacks/drinks to come around. Maybe you're on break at work and want to eavesdrop or listen for the phone to ring. If you try to read a novel, you'll read the same paragraph over and over without absorbing anything. Situations like this are the best time to read trashy magazine, and, actually, reading trashy magazines is probably the most productive and entertaining use of these situations. 30 minutes will feel like 5, unless you've read the whole magazine before, in which case it feels more like 20.

[Mindee94]

on 8/5/2009 Title alone made this a must read. lol. Very interesting thanks for the information.