Do MOs / OOTs read Michpacha mag?

amother

Natural ↓

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 7:06 am

Mishpacha has been testing the waters for a while now. They keep "slipping" images in and making mistakes, and honestly, I doubt there are that many people who really care if they would start putting pictures in. And those who do probably dislike Mishpacha/Ami for other reasons too.

I've always felt that "quasi-Inyan" stems from the fact that they're originally Israeli and had to conform to more extreme viewpoints in order to be accepted. They needed to show they weren't unlike Hamodia/Yated. I feel like that is where it all started and ever since then everyone feels compelled to copy them otherwise they'd be called too modern and would be forbidden to be read.

What bothers me is that while they have this strong "principled" stance on pictures of women, they allow a whole lot of more problematic material, such as ads about natural healing methods that border on Avodah Zara, at times practices that are actually forbidden. The material they print is likely a driver of how tri-state area frum communities are absorbed with materialism and overspending, to the extent that is absurd. They've recently had an article downplaying the vaping problem

In addition, concerning the claim that allowing pictures will cause a "slippery slope" leading to inappropriate images, that's what the rabbinical board is for. Although I do find that interesting since I remember one of the "Big 2" magazines having a quote attributed to Anais Nin, a philosopher, on the back cover of their magazine in a clothing ad. Which must mean that the rabbinical board is letting things slip because she isn't a philosopher, rather an utterly filthy er otic a author.

In general, these magazines have lowered standards for everything but this. Every serial used to feature the protagonist going to a rav, now they slip into their car and turn on "planet Money" from NPR. Not that there is anything specifically wrong with that, it is just curious to see how they are ok with everything BUT pictures of women.

Because I too believe the only women my son should see is the full-length underwear billboard on the highway.

LittleMissMama ↓

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 7:07 am

Clearly there's a need for a more regular Jewish Action type of option. We enjoy it immensely in our home too. Mizrachi magazine, too.

You can check out the latest issue here to see what it's about and how they somehow manage this apparently tricky feat of featuring intelligent women in a nons*xual manner.

Jewish Action:
https://issuu.com/jewishaction....._copy

"Beware" of this one though - women who have impressive jobs and higher level degrees and large families and are in love with Torah and teach Torah to the masses and have bold voices and don't all cover their hair or collarbones completely and are photographed as such.
Mizrachi magazine:
https://www.calameo.com/read/0.....4c627

Last edited by LittleMissMama on Mon, Nov 04 2024, 7:10 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

↑ Tan ↓

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 7:12 am

mizle10 wrote:

If she's growing up with the philosophy that women should be treated exactly like men then of course she'll be upset when she's not. My girls are bh growing up very secure in their role as a woman who has a different role than a man and have no issue with women not having pictures in magazines.

One of my children gets pulled out of school once a week for speech therapy. None of my other kids are jealous because it's clear he has a lisp and this is what he needs. They are different people with different strengths and weakness and different needs. If I were to preach that all my kids are exactly equal of course they would be upset about not getting to miss class once a week!

My daughter is extremely secure in who she is. And she is a person who wants to see both men and women being portrayed in things she reads. But its ok, we dont bring those magazines into our home. NEver will. But we do bring in ample reading material with both men and women it them.

amother

↑ Daisy ↓

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 7:19 am

amother Tan wrote:

Right.

I can understand teaching that men and women are different, that is inherent in frum life with different halachic obligations.

The bit I'm not getting is how that extends to tznius pictures.

amother

↑ Natural

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 7:24 am

LittleMissMama wrote:

WOMEN LEARNING TORAH INSTEAD OF BEING OBSESSED WITH TABLESCAPES AND THE NEWEST STYLES OF CLOTHES!!!! THE HORROR!!!

amother

Lavender ↓

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 7:29 am

Interestingly, I just accepted a lot of this until my daughter got older and wanted clarification about frum life and why certain things are the way they are. Made me rethink a lot of what I just put up with. The reasons I gave her for certain things were just so paltry, such thin arguments, I had to completely rethink it all. What kind of daughter do I want to raise? Who do I hope she becomes? What kind of life do I want for her and who should her role models be?

amother

↑ Tan ↓

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 7:33 am

amother Lavender wrote:

And? Did you continue to bring thes magazines with no women, into your home?

↑ essie14

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 7:42 am

LittleMissMama wrote:

Women making aliyah! Doing sherut Leumi and serving in the army! Avert your eyes!

amother

↑ Forsythia ↓

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 8:03 am

amother DarkOrange wrote:

I occasionally read Jewish action. They've had a section that says OU PROMOTES WOMEN!
I thought that was very condescending. Why do MO women need to be promoted? If they were equal to men, why are they different? Chareidi women don't need to be promoted because we Are secure in our role. We know we're not less than. Separate but equal.

Please stop speaking for all chareidi women.

I’m a chareidi woman and I’d love to see other chareidi women promoted. I don’t like when people speak for me and say I should be in a role that’s hidden away. Nope, not for me.

I don't teacher my daughter that she needs to be hidden away and her “role” is only behind a man. If she chooses that out of her own free will, that’s one thing. But I’m not going to tell her that’s the only way she needs to live.

amother

↑ Tan

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 8:05 am

amother DarkOrange wrote:

Please show us what you are talking about "OU promotes women". You are so obviously taking this way out of some context.

And I can assure you that MO women are extremely secure in their roles.
You are pulling at straws to make some point, but I feel that that point has majorly backfired.

amother

Lightgreen

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 9:20 am

I love this site.

OP starts by saying that she is MO and doesn’t read this magazine and is wondering if it is her or cultural to a community-inquiring about both location and “brand” of orthodoxy.

The appropriate responses are:
I’m MO and I read/don’t read (maybe even include if you are in or out of town -which would be Teaneck/Riverdale/5T…not Lakewood/Brooklyn/Monsey)
I’m not MO but live OOT and read/don’t read
I’m not MO and live in town and this question doesn’t apply to me.

Not sure, but not surprised that it somehow desolved to MO bashing and a how MO women are apparently less secure 🤷‍♀️.

amother

Fuchsia

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 9:27 am

I live OOT and am probably either JPF or MO depending on who is doing the categorizing.

We don't subscribe. I don't like the no pictures of woman policy and, more generally, many of the articles don't strike me as particularly interesting or relevant. Not to mention the ads seem to be promoting a standard of consumerism that I couldn't afford even if I wanted to! LOL

Like others who've posted here, I do read it at other people's houses if I'm there and want something to read. It does seem like they've upped their standard of writing in the past few years, but that could only be my anecdotal impression.

I like Jewish Action but we don't subscribe. We probably should.

amother

Blonde ↓

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 9:37 am

amother DarkOrange wrote:

Separate but equal?? Seriously? Please list how we chareidi women are considered equal? We relegated to second class. The mere fact that we need to be continuously fed platitudes that we are considered equals is evidence alone that we aren't. Why else is there a need for it? You don't explain to the men that they're considered equals, right?

And be honest with yourselves. If pictures wouldn't be so powerful and have an impact on the story, then so much magazine real estate wouldn't be afforded for it. Why are there countless of gedolim pics and gedolim cards and similar being circulated in society, if a picture means so little?

We can brainwash ourselves all we want that not showing tznius pics of women has value. All it serves to push extremism into society, which adds to the Torah.

amother

↑ Forsythia

Mon, Nov 04 2024, 9:39 am

amother Blonde wrote:

Agree 100%.