AARP: The Magazine For Us Old Folks
Written: Aug 18 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Short articles, multi-faceted, slick production, tailored for classic Americans
Cons: Lots of advertising, and more advertising
The Bottom Line: There must be some tremendous benefit to being this old. Yes, AARP the Magazine! If you can get past the ads, you'll enjoy the articles.
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| keithpruitt's Full Review: Aarp Magazine |
Yeah, I know all the jokes at this point. It’s all downhill from here, my friends reminded me. But my response was that it has been downhill since I turned 40, so I’m getting use to it. Besides it doesn’t take as much energy to go down hill, so I can coast home. There are multitudes of advantages of having lived for half a century. I just can’t remember any of them.
But when I started getting those letters in the mail asking why I hadn’t joined AARP, I realized I had arrived. I am still trying to figure out, however, the destination. Life doesn’t feel too different this side of the magic number, outside of the fact that I lost my job of 15 ½ years, am trying to start my own company and I now get this fairly impressive magazine AARP The Magazine. My first issue had Sidney Poitier on the cover. It can’t be all bad. So I perused it quickly and thought it worth coming back for a closer examination.
The magazine is the official publication of the American Association of Retired Persons a very powerful organization that is associated with the issues of classic Americans. You like that word classic. It sure beats senior citizens! Besides it kind of makes me feel like a 1958 Cadillac. Just wish I ran that well.
The magazine has a very slick presentation with full color inside and out. The articles range from special features about something of interest (this one on Poitier) to mature Americans to cooking, television, and the arts. There is myriad advertising (43 out of the 104 pages had advertising on part or the entire page), but specifically targeting an older demographic. The advertising deals with medicine, travel, insurance, hygiene, dietary needs, and, of course, the golf cart. (Well, not really an advertisement for golf carts but one that is used in an ad for Enablex. If you have to ask, then you don’t need it.)
Edited by Steven Sloan, the production quality is slick but steers clear of appearing like a tabloid. There are short articles after the rather lengthy table of contents and editor’s note. These deal with the rebirth of 90210, the new album from Natalie Cole, a new Phillip Roth book and new DVD releases of Star Trek. There is a travel column written by Peter Greenberg dealing with various issues (like rental cars, autumn alternatives of ballooning, and visiting microbreweries. Ron Burley is On Your Side discussing money issues. This edition found him dealing with buying foreclosed real estate, staying away from the mall when depressed, and using match making services. His column is based on questions from readers. Nice. There is also a health section that runs for several pages with a number of different writers. Yakov Smirnoff had a witty column in the Family section. Did you know he has a master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania? Here’s a joke for you. No seriously. Here’s a joke: A woman told me that when she got married, she told her husband she wanted a fur coat. Her husband got her a mousetrap. He said, “It’s a starter kit.” Yuck, yuck, yuck. I wonder if PETA has seen that, yet.
Marilyn Milloy’s cover article on Poitier was everything you thought it would be as she interviews the 81-year old legend. One of the feature articles is entitled 50 Reasons to Love Being 50+. Yes, AARP is all about a celebration of life. This article is both comical and, well…it’s mostly comical. Want a couple of reasons? Reason 1: Because you’ve finally become closer to your parents. Reason 11: Because you have the guts to change careers. Reason 19: Because you’ve been embarrassed so much, you’re all out of chagrin. Reason 44: Because you don’t tolerate bad service. And it goes on, and their all just as good (or bad, depending upon your laughter tolerance) as these.
Shirley Streshinsky reports on the harrowing experience of passengers in 2007 on the M.S. Explorer that struck ice and did the Titanic. There is an article by Sarah Mahoney and Brad Edmondson on the healthiest hometowns. Would you believe Ann Arbor, Michigan? (Charlottesville, Virginia was the only southern entry in the top 10.) There is a section of the AARP The Magazine dedicated to the Art of Living. It includes four segments: Passions, Good Food, Journeys, The Puzzle.
The photography and graphics are first class, with easy to read text size (that’s important for us classic types), short article lengths, and topics of particular interest. Because of the impactful reading base, the editors can pull in great writers and lots of advertisers just itching to pitch their products to the thousands who receive the magazine. The magazine is produced six times a year and bills itself as The World’s Largest Circulation Magazine. Hum, no poor circulation here. The cover cost advertises at $3.50 per issue, but it comes free with AARP membership. So, I guess I will be enjoying this magazine for years to come. Excuse me while I re-read all those reasons why I like being 50.
Recommended:
Yes
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keithpruitt
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 in Music, Magazine Subscriptions, Books |
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Member: Keith Pruitt
Location: Old Hickory, TN
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