Article review concepts and applications

¶ … beauty is no longer in the eye of the beholder, but rather in the pages of fashion magazines and life style glossy prints. Most of us have become publicly aware of the need to constantly compare ourselves to stars and TV images to such an extent that we tend to fail to see the actual line that separates a manufactured impression from the reality of the day. This distorted image is the result of the daily informational bombardments transmitted via media channels such as magazines, television shows or even video fitness programs. These are all representative for the way in which the society works on the collective conscience and educates it towards a certain path. In order to illustrate this point, any article from a lifestyle magazine is relevant. While pointing out the benefits of a certain technique, practice or revolutionary aspect of a certain sport, the authors fail to take into consideration the negative aspects of promoting such a perfect like image, especially taking into account the fact that in most cases, there is little information on the side effects of achieving the respective indications.

Alwyn Cosgrove is a writer to one of the best known men magazines in the world, "Men's Health," a media trademark by now. Therefore, considering the wide spectrum of public the magazine has, any article written represents a small, yet sound statement in terms of male health and attitude. Throughout the magazine there are various sections that deal in particular with each segment of interest for a modern man. Therefore, there are articles on sex and relationships, health, guy wisdom, weight loss, nutrition, style, but most importantly a special area dedicated to the discussion on fitness strategies and applications. In this segment Cosgrove wrote about the perfect exercise that would build up our muscles in a matter of hours, "Your Best Body in One Hour."

The targeted public is rather clear: sport fans and especially those interested in fitness and working out. Indeed, the catchy title attracts the attention of most readers because it focuses exactly on the theme of the entire magazine: making the best out of your time in terms of exercising. However, there are a few aspects that can be pointed out. In the first place, the article presents, more or less, an attempt to attract those willing to follow a certain fitness routine. The entire piece however is presented from the perspective of a virtual coach that maintains the contact between the reader and the exact message he wants to transmit. In this sense, the respondent feels a sense of personalization of the message, especially taking into account the colloquial tone of the article. Therefore, the reader feels a first class athlete, possibly a body builder. This is a useful technique for attracting both the attention on the respective subject, and on the overall content of the magazine.

Secondly, the information provided in the article is rather specialized, a characteristic that clearly specifies the selective nature of the targeted public. However, it can be pointed out the fact that this specialized nature of the language automatically rejects the access to information to possible future body builders or even young adults.

Thirdly, the way in which the information is spread throughout the article is interesting. Indeed, because of the desire to appeal to its public, the author tried to present every aspect of the exercised, both with pros and cons, and the answers to any possible question the reader might have. This openness is worthy of all praise, however he does not touch on other sensible issues, focusing on the attempt to convince the reader to use the program. Thus, he mentions little to none about eventual costs and the need to acquire additional energizing drinks and the likes. Therefore, under the mask of total openness, there are certain issues that are not tacked by his article.