Real Women Magazine has gone under.
This is the London-based mag for which I wrote the January cover story on online dating and the upcoming (but now not upcoming) cover story on open relationships. I poured my heart, soul and spleen into the many articles and columns I wrote for them. And now POOF they’re gone putting an amazing editor, art director, sales staff and others out of work. Derek and I also appeared on the Real Women Live TV show once a month in a sort of live version of our gender-debate column, He Said/She Said. There was a competing London magazine for women but its url has expired and it appears to be gone as well.
It’s tough times for a freelance writer! What I perceive and believe to be a fear-based economic flu that has spread among advertisers is hitting publications where they live. Printing costs are astronomical and can’t be recouped through subscriptions alone. Real Women was available in area Chapters stores but the money raised by those sales was minimal. I’m sure there were several factors involved in its demise but whatever the reasons, it’s part of a trend. Some are making it and some are not but they’re all crying the blues right now. As for me, I’ve got no time to mourn. I’ve got to pound the keyboard in search of other outlets that will take me and my work on during this bump in the economic road.
I’m interested in your story on open relationships. What was your take on them?
I didn’t take a stance on them in the story. I just explored the concept and talked to some experts in love and relationships about whether they can work for some people and what type of people choose them. I also spoke to the owners of a swingers club and a woman who’s in an open marriage talked candidly about it. The article may get printed somewhere else. I’m talking to another publication about running it so I’ll let you know if they pick it up! But to answer your question – it’s not for me to judge how someone else wants to live their life as long as they’re not hurting anyone. An agreed-upon open relationship sounds a lot healthier to me than having an affair behind someone’s back!