Glamour magazine's UA visit viewed by some as 'negative'

By Hanh Quach

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Is image an element of success?

Some UA women who visited Glamour magazine's first-time "Elements of Success" tour on the UA Mall yesterday were not pleased with some of the messages highlighted.

Lorna Mack, Spanish freshman, said that although it was nice having a well-known magazine visit the campus, she thought some negative messages were implied.

"It shouldn't focus so much on looks," she said.

"Health helps women live longer," Mack said referring to the Monistat-7 display, which gave tips on staying healthy, "but how to apply makeup isn't that necessary."

Glamour magazine's 10-school tour intended to provide college women with practical, real-life information, said Kate Alaimo, associate merchandising editor for the magazine.

Tour planners concentrated on 10 specific elements taken from a national survey conducted by Glamour, asking college women to define success, Alaimo said.

The elements women voted as the keys to success were attitude, setting goals, motivation, intelligence, good health, image, personal style, giving back, determination and balance. Each was matched with a product to be represented during the tour.

Undeclared freshman DeAnn Smith said she also felt the tour sent negative messages.

"In magazines, women are portrayed as beautiful objects. This is all superficial. Makeup. Toothpaste. Nothing that really helps us succeed," she said.

"This is a research-based tour," Alaimo said, "This is what (the women) asked for, and we're giving it back.

"Success is a mixture of all these things and it's different for every student. We must figure out the different mixes and how we can achieve it," Alaimo said.

Alaimo said most women choose image as one element important in achieving success, but stressed that it was not the only element.

The magazine, she said, highlights women's achievements and opinions and offers advice in interviewing technique and dressing for success, along with features on beauty and fashion.

She added that of the thousands of women's magazines on the market, Glamour is the bestselling among college women.

Alaimo said she hoped the tour would "give the vendors an opportunity to tap into the college market and create brand awareness."

Leona Yu, nutrition junior, said she normally does not read Glamour, but would flip through the sample October issue handed out.

Smith felt the tour was more of an opportunity for vendors to promote products, and said she enjoyed picking up the free samples.

The ASUA Bookstore, in cooperation with Glamour, sponsored the magazine's tour and hoped that the different themes represented in the tour could help women achieve success, said ASUA Marketing Coordinator Angela Armstrong.

Glamour's "Elements of Success" tour will be on the Mall today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. before heading to the University of Alabama for their last presentation, said John Bonforte of Market Source, the company organizing the tour for Glamour.

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