Fashion magazines are ubiquitous: they can be found on the shelves of nearly every major bookstore, grocery store, and convenience store around the world. Their content is instrumental in stimulating consumer spending as well as on establishing fashion trends. Many fashion magazines also include written content that transcends the world of fashion, from brief biographical sketches of sports celebrities to detailed information about a health care issue. In addition to promoting new consumer-driven trends in clothing, shoes, gadgets, and cosmetics, men's and women's fashion magazines both mirror broad social and cultural trends from sexuality to family structures. Fashion magazines are instrumental for both retailers and for consumers: they help retailers select in advance their product lines and stimulate consumer spending. Furthermore, fashion magazines usually forecast upcoming trends rather than reflecting current crazes. When they hit the shelves, consumers will be inspired to purchase that which is presumably already on the...
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