Jet magazine touts itself as the number one African American newsweekly in the world. It had been decades since I last read an issue.
     In New Jersey, having an African American magazine on the coffee table was common. When I was a pre-adolescent, my father’s reading influenced everything I read. He read the newspaper and Jet magazine while my mother lived vicariously through her favorite romance novels. While it would be many years before I picked up a newspaper or a romance novel, I found myself seduced by the glossy pages of magazines early on. I often cherry-picked which Jet articles to read, but as a maturing young girl, I always looked at the beauty of the week feature. I would analyze her and if she were worthy, I would rip the page out and save it like baseball cards. Jet was the only magazine where I could see women of color celebrated for their beauty. As an adult, I had forgotten about this long lost ritual until recently when the first issue of my gift subscription arrived.
        Now over 20 years older, I looked at Jet magazine much differently. I read every article and when I came to the Beauty of the Week feature, it seemed so out of place–almost inappropriate. The little tidbits about the lives of the weekly beauties, tried to make these everyday women seem accessible while conveying the intelligence behind the smokin’ bod. It also told me as an adolescent that you didn’t have to be a model or a celebrity to be beautiful. But it also said, Not only do these women have it together at home, at work and between their ears but they look good in a skimpy bathing suit too.
      I didn’t think of Jet as a newsweekly. Yes, it had news articles about events that affected the African American community, but certain aspects of the weekly seemed more like an entertainment magazine. Actually, as a child, I skipped over the boring news articles. I went straight for the celebrity articles, the marriage announcements, the beauty of the week and the music rankings. I still remember reading about the death of Marvin Gaye in Jet magazine. Reading it as an adult, I took Jet’s articles on African American celebrities, socialites, and business folk, less seriously.
      When I think of newsweeklies, I think of Time, Newsweek, The Week and magazines along those lines. While there are usually celebrity features, the articles are still heavy on economic, political and world commentary. Jet still has an important mission to fulfill and serves a purpose to the African American community, but it doesn’t really fit my idea of a newsweekly. It appears to target the common denominator, delivering interesting news but not seeking to elevate its readership. After reading the National Report, the Health, Business and the Black History sections, it left me feeling intelectually starved. If I was looking to feed my sweet tooth, there was plenty of cream puff articles about marriages, celebrities, entertainment, and more celebrity activities disguised as newsmakers. Even the cover story was celebrity-oriented. After reading Jet‘s fluffy 50 pages, I felt like I had just eaten lettuce drenched in salad dressing–deceptively healthy, but not very filling.

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