22 & not a clue

This blog is brought to you from my bedroom. For a change. Normally it is ferociously typed out on my broken screen of an iPod next to the Thai lady in my armpit & the bearded man at whose feet I pay homage each morning.

Look here's the thing, I've been thinking. Uh oh. But really, how relevant are magazines like Vogue and Elle to twenty-somethings? I can barely afford TopShop. I mean, is anything in those beautiful pages affordable for a 22 year old, on a budget, with a penchant for red wine and vintage clothes? I think not. I spend more time checking for Judy's Vintage Fair updates and ASOS sales.

I bought Vogue in London when I wanted inspiration, if I was sick of the sight of my wardrobe & wanted advice on 'pieces' for the coming season I would delve within. I nearly always finished reading feeling even more broke and hopeless. Yet still I clung to the hope that each time I spent £4+ on it there would be something in it I could aspire to. Unfortunately not. It has left me with a crippling envy for all owners of Dior, Valentino & YSL instead. Now that I live in Melbourne Vogue is $7+ so it stands even less of a chance of leaving the 7/11 shelf for my handbag.

How many graduates actually buy Vogue? That's what I would like to know. If the photos are of 16-25 year olds then why is it only 30-50 year old women can afford the clothes? If the models are all my age and the designs aimed for my age group then why is it soo far out of the average twenty-something's reach? Maybe I should face facts; Vogue is not for me. I buy my jeans from Miss Selfridge because I'm a size 14 & my tops from TopShop Tall because I'm nearly 6 ft. I like vintage shirts and jackets & I will never fit into H&M because I have hips. The fact is I am too young, too big, too tall and too poor for Vogue.

Or maybe Vogue is too old, too small, too short & too unrealistically expensive for me ?
It's magazines like Look that I pick up these days, for less than £2 I can get an on-trend update with suggestions from affordable high-street (including Primark!) brands. Who, better yet, do real sizes that cross the double figures thresh-hold (Gasp!). Fancy that!

Look feels reachable, I can afford tops for £12 or jeans for £40. I can also aspire to their models. I recently met a winner of Look's 'Search for a Curvy Supermodel' competition, Lyndsey O'Hagan in Sydney. Besides being an absolutely blast to party with she was the most 'normal' looking model I have ever met. The Guardian wrote a lovely piece about the competition where she won her contract with 12+ modelling agency. O'Hagan believes she is normal & it's the industry that's fucked.

The high-street reigns supreme these days and so it should. What I want to see is magazines like Look gaining even more respect on the shelf so that it becomes that no-brainer fashion fix for women. Like myself, Look is slim, colourful but loud and proud. Really come to think of it, we have a lot in common, On a good day.