So Empty

I often enjoy picking apart commercials and various marketing text. However, this one just made me sad. It's text from an advertisement for a magazine called "Details" which I had never heard of until now.

DETAILS is the guys' magazine that's focused squarely on what's coming down the road. Style. Music. Film. Cars. Electronics. Careers. Money. Sex. Celebrities. Whatever you're into, DETAILS is all about what's next. What's on the way. What it is you should watch for.

As a DETAILS reader, you're virtually guaranteed of being ahead of the curve, and clued in to the culture. In DETAILS' pages, you'll meet people worth knowing. You'll dress and look better. You'll live the good life. And you'll know way more about everything.

Embrace what's new, what's coming, what's best. Get DETAILS today.

And from the flip side of that ad:

DETAILS is the guide to getting the most out of everything - pop culture, fashion, current events and technology. It's the men's magazine that understands what guys want - and what they want to know more about.

I realize this is one little advertisement for one little magazine, but the shallowness amazes me. Since when is "everything" considered to be "pop culture, fashion, current events and technology?" What an empty chasing after a fleeting image. Do some of these topics have great weight? Certainly. Do I think this magazine will treat them with more than an ounce of it? No.

I leave you, dear reader, with a thought from scripture. Though this is written to women, I believe the concept applies here.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. -Proverbs 31:30