Loved reading this. So much nostalgia but also disbelief that this was our norm. I’m aware of the shift but it was refreshing to see with such clarity that it’s no wonder we can be so mean to ourselves about our bodies.
I think because it was in print it felt more permanent, and while I do think body image stuff has become less toxic in the press and on TV, the stuff that goes on across social media (and the comments sections on newspapers) is a bit horrifying.
Love this. I had a heat subscription for years. What with that and listening to Chris Moyles every morning, imagine the amount of toxic I was consuming... 😵💫
I LOVED this so much- in the last few years it's felt so cathartic to reflect back on what we grew up with. I feel a smidge more compassion for myself!
Funny times. 1. I cannot believe we got paid to chat shit all day. 2. I am still just as untidy as my 2002 desk. 3. I can’t think about how What Were You Thinking?! must have made some people feel.
I think WWYT wasn't as bad because at least it was (mainly) fashion choices and not body parts - and it was genuinely funny. But it was all part of the general "everyone's going to stare at you/tear you to shreds" vibe for sure.
And yes it was a bit of a shock going to other offices and realising I couldn't just mess around all day. Amazing that we still managed to write loads and loads and get a magazine out every week!
What a time the 2000s were 🥴 I read a lot of mags in my early 20s, like heat. Looking back now, it’s terrible how they portrayed celebs and the features they ran. Sigh! A great piece of writing here though, thanks for sharing your experience.
I spent a small fortune on magazines in the late 90s/early 00's that often included buying heat. If my memory serves me correctly, was there a joke section too somewhere in amongst the celebrity body images? Or perhaps I am thinking of something else.
More to the point, not sure what I wanted from the magazines at the time when a) I couldn't really afford them all, and b) did I think I would somehow look like the women portrayed in them just by reading them? Who knows...
There wasn't a jokes section as such, but there were funny celebrity quotes at the back, and the Spotted page - both of which I was in charge of for a while!
My desk was similar to yours (still is, but now it’s not on view to the whole office). I worked for Chat mag in the 80s slightly before the celeb cellulite heyday. I loved magazines.
I absolutely LOVE this piece of writing - it's so honest, funny, thoughtful, generous and raw. I adored Heat - and it's really unusual and refreshing to hear someone being so frank about being part of something that could be troubling and toxic. (A friend was an editor of a notorious lads' mag and he's claimed that he was more or less on holiday every time they put boobs on the cover...) I think a lot about being a teenager in the late nineties, and how Kate Winslet was always being presented to me as the ultimate example of the biggest any woman was 'allowed' to be. This is brilliant, thank you for writing it.
Loved this! "“But it’s relatable and will make women feel good!” said the men." I LAUGHED. Great piece x
Loved reading this. So much nostalgia but also disbelief that this was our norm. I’m aware of the shift but it was refreshing to see with such clarity that it’s no wonder we can be so mean to ourselves about our bodies.
I think because it was in print it felt more permanent, and while I do think body image stuff has become less toxic in the press and on TV, the stuff that goes on across social media (and the comments sections on newspapers) is a bit horrifying.
Love this. I had a heat subscription for years. What with that and listening to Chris Moyles every morning, imagine the amount of toxic I was consuming... 😵💫
Really enjoyed reading this.
I LOVED this so much- in the last few years it's felt so cathartic to reflect back on what we grew up with. I feel a smidge more compassion for myself!
Thank you, what a brilliant comment ❤️
Funny times. 1. I cannot believe we got paid to chat shit all day. 2. I am still just as untidy as my 2002 desk. 3. I can’t think about how What Were You Thinking?! must have made some people feel.
I think WWYT wasn't as bad because at least it was (mainly) fashion choices and not body parts - and it was genuinely funny. But it was all part of the general "everyone's going to stare at you/tear you to shreds" vibe for sure.
And yes it was a bit of a shock going to other offices and realising I couldn't just mess around all day. Amazing that we still managed to write loads and loads and get a magazine out every week!
What a time the 2000s were 🥴 I read a lot of mags in my early 20s, like heat. Looking back now, it’s terrible how they portrayed celebs and the features they ran. Sigh! A great piece of writing here though, thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you. It definitely conjures up a unique mixture of pride, nostalgia and shame.
I spent a small fortune on magazines in the late 90s/early 00's that often included buying heat. If my memory serves me correctly, was there a joke section too somewhere in amongst the celebrity body images? Or perhaps I am thinking of something else.
More to the point, not sure what I wanted from the magazines at the time when a) I couldn't really afford them all, and b) did I think I would somehow look like the women portrayed in them just by reading them? Who knows...
There wasn't a jokes section as such, but there were funny celebrity quotes at the back, and the Spotted page - both of which I was in charge of for a while!
Loved this x
I was on my year abroad at uni 02/03 and my family used to send me copies of heat.
Oh wow! That's dedicated. Do you remember the "I'm going to London to buy a heat magazine" TV ads? Mad that we had the budget for that!
Why I needed to keep up with heat news from thousands of miles away I don’t know. I spent so much money on magazines 🤪🫣
My desk was similar to yours (still is, but now it’s not on view to the whole office). I worked for Chat mag in the 80s slightly before the celeb cellulite heyday. I loved magazines.
That must've been fun. There's nothing like the buzz of a magazine office back then - I do miss it!
I absolutely LOVE this piece of writing - it's so honest, funny, thoughtful, generous and raw. I adored Heat - and it's really unusual and refreshing to hear someone being so frank about being part of something that could be troubling and toxic. (A friend was an editor of a notorious lads' mag and he's claimed that he was more or less on holiday every time they put boobs on the cover...) I think a lot about being a teenager in the late nineties, and how Kate Winslet was always being presented to me as the ultimate example of the biggest any woman was 'allowed' to be. This is brilliant, thank you for writing it.