Commentary

Body + Soul

Now that Martha's taught women to glue gun and garden their way to perfect homemaking (and done yoga in prison), it was only a matter of time until she turned her brand of domestic self-help toward women's inner lives. Now her media empire is publishing Body + Soul magazine, the new-age antidote to all the neurosis created by trying to be the perfect host, perfect wife, and perfect cook. At a time when whole foods, yoga, and wellness has gone mainstream, it is also the perfect ad play.

Considering I'm a total cynic when it come to "new age" culture (I abhor crystals, angels, and group hugs) Body + Soul actually speaks to me. The magazine is like a good half hour visit to a clean spa that offers physical, mental, and "spiritual" care (and recipes!) without ramming too much ideology down your throat. The tag line "whole living" is appropriate. And, even though the magazine's point of view is a bit too nice, it's better than feeling like your being inducted into a heavy-handed, new-age cult. Then again, it's Martha, so you are!

The August issue features a boring cover shot of a typical blond Martha cultee with an eerie smile and a bouquet of wild flowers. "Relax! Go with the Slow," says the top cover line. "Take Yoga off the Mat," says another. Despite the unimaginative phrases, I was sold. The same woman appears on the contents page with an even more eerie smile, holding a knife, and I find out that I will learn why I should have better posture, get into touch with my inner farm girl, scrub my face with berries, find my center in the midst of change, travel light at the beach, condition my sun bleached hair with natural oils, and learn to judge water quality. None of this feels like a total waste of time, and the articles are actually well reported and easy to read.

The front of the book spelled out the benefits of fish oil, red clover, and hand written letters, and the feature on summer salads (Quinoa and Corn Salad with Pumpkins Seeds and Asian Slaw and Somen Salad with Spice-Rubbed Tuna) made me want to make one.

The feature that advises readers to take yoga out of the confines of the studio is solid, although it lacks actual poses with which to get started. The same eerie blond model appears again farther in the pages in a feature where different new age guru-types give their advice on how to unwind. (Listen to your inner rhythms, take mini breaks, absorb yourself, and remember to remember.) Like most new-age advice, Body + Soul overstates the obvious, but then again it is important to remember to remember.

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