Real Women of the World: Why I heart Marie Claire Magazine!

So, I'm a fan of Reproductive Justice. I'm a proponent of all things related to women's empowerment.  I love talking about it, I love getting people riled up about it.  Because really, everybody has some opinion on the matter of sexuality, feminism, sexual education, abortion...

But I especially love it when main stream magazines spotlight real women of the world and air out their business for us American (I'd argue somewhat sheltered in our own bubble) women to see.  Each month, I am excited to get Marie Claire Magazine in my mail.  At first glance, it's nondescript.  You don't really hear about their magazine in the news.  When you go to their website, it looks like a women's magazine website.  It's got the required hot celebs, newest fashion, the best makeup and hairstyles (Nothing new here).  But it also dedicates a large portion of each issue to real, living, breathing women from all over the world.


I find articles about women who I might not ever meet in this life.  Marie Claire gives them the time of day to share their stories.  I was shaken when I read this article a few months back.  It follows the story of sex slaves in South East Asia. In this particular story, the woman had escaped and was trying to empower other girls to believe that being a sex slave forever wasn't their destiny.

I found "The Toughest Woman in America" in this month's MC and was in awe of them publishing a female positive piece about women in the military.  I've heard too much from the male dominated world of the military who think that women don't belong... well, so much for that.  Gunnery Sergeant Ronda Porter looks like she's tough as nails. Good for her.  But the best part of the article is that they show that she is complex.  She turns the "tough" on when she needs to... that's something all of us can relate to.

There are also some fun and interesting pieces... I particularly enjoy "What it costs to be me: Five women from across the world reveal how they spend their monthly paychecks." (I can't find a link to it, you'll have to go out and buy MC yourself!) You get to see what people make and how they spend it.  It's fascinating!!