Publisher of Mishpacha magazine explaining no-pics

ruchelbuckle

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 5:24 pm

Since I know that this is a topic that people care about, I thought some of you might be intrested in hearing this interview with Eli Paliey, publisher of Mishpacha magazine.

It's from the Inspiration For The Nation Podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPb6CBf8Pc0

This is not an issue that I feel strongly about, but I personally thought that his answer was very clear and made a lot of sense.

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 5:41 pm

I didn't listen to the interview but I used to get a magazine that had ladies pictures, but the pictures were getting increasingly not tznuis. So I unsuscribed. I don't need my husband and sons looking at ladies in skin tight clothes and really long wigs. I find myself to be very open minded but when it comes to this, I don't believe pics of ladies should be in mishpacha.

amother

Clear

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 5:46 pm

Eh, this is old news. I believe he put out a statement a few years years ago when pressed for answers on this issue. Reading between the lines, it came to $, a business decision. I personally would be ok with that as long as they own it. Beating around the bush and not being honest and upfront is what bugs me. Couching it as religious decision (when they never could produce a rav or psak they were following in this) is just sketchy imo.

For the pp, I am super curious which magazine you are referring to. The last time a mainstream in print frum magazine (not a freebie local community one) had pictures of women must be at least 10-15 years ago, probably Horizon magazine. Which mainstream frum magazine nowadays is printing pics of women at all, let alone in tight clothes Cool

I guess Jewish Action magazine maybe does, but I've never seen a woman in skin tight clothing in their photos. And the Jewish Press is not really a magazine. Also, no skin tight clothing pics!

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 5:49 pm

amother Clear wrote:

Lol it's called fleishigs. It has really good recipes

amother

Clear

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 5:50 pm

amother Dodgerblue wrote:

Lol it's called fleishigs. It has really good recipes

A recipe magazine? I can't imagine it has a huge male readership in any case.

amother

Dimgray

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 5:50 pm

ruchelbuckle wrote:

I don't feel strongly about this issue either, but if you're going to erase pictures of women at least erase pictures of men too. Otherwise, it just looks strange. You'll have an article about a woman holocaust survivor but the'll print a picture of her brothers and father alongside the article. Or an ad for a shabbos table with only men sitting around it. It just looks odd.

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 5:54 pm

amother Clear wrote:

A recipe magazine? I can't imagine it has a huge male readership in any case.

That's a good point. But my husband used to get all his meat recipes from there (he is the meat cook by us)

amother

Beige

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 6:44 pm

ruchelbuckle wrote:

Starts at around 33:30 to 47:30

shaqued_almond

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 6:47 pm

amother Dimgray wrote:

I agree!

amother

Crystal

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 6:50 pm

amother Clear wrote:

A recipe magazine? I can't imagine it has a huge male readership in any case.

I think this particular magazine is geared mostly towards men. Glad to be warned about the pictures, will keep away.

ETA: I want to add that I have gotten Jewish Action a few times in the past and I didn't see any problems...

amother

Aconite

Sun, Dec 11 2022, 7:11 pm

A friend of mine saw a mishpacha with pictures of only men around the table, 2 men walking a little boy... and remarked "I am shocked Orthodox magazines are so progressive!"

They should also realize what image they might be projecting... LOL

amother

Hyacinth

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 9:06 am

I can’t even see the pic it’s not clear it’s a woman but if you haven’t noticed for the last few months they’ve been slipping in pics of women. Very subtly and I think it’s great.

amother

Navy

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 9:42 am

Hamodia has a column where they print an old picture (I think most are pre-Holocaust) and have readers write in to identify people they recognize. They do not print pictures of women, obviously. I would love to ask them why they think this column is an important thing to do, and why those reasons do not apply to women.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 10:00 am

amother Hyacinth wrote:

I can’t even see the pic it’s not clear it’s a woman but if you haven’t noticed for the last few months they’ve been slipping in pics of women. Very subtly and I think it’s great.

What the poster circled in red is not a woman.
It has a choiced curse word.
So Im understanding her post to say, they can put curse words in the magazine but not women?

amother

Cobalt

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 10:27 am

I don't get it.
If you don't like magazines without pictures of women in, don't buy them.
There are plenty of mags with pictures of women in for you.

There are lots of people in the world.
Live and let live.

Personally I don't watch videos or news articles on the Internet, nor do my kids.
I am happy to to have clean Jewish magazines to read.
But I don't make a noise about the articles etc that I don't read.

You do you and I'll do me.

amother

Hyacinth

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 10:28 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

What the poster circled in red is not a woman.
It has a choiced curse word.
So Im understanding her post to say, they can put curse words in the magazine but not women?

Ha I looked at the sign now and I see your point no wonder I didn’t see a woman

amother

Blush

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 10:29 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

What the poster circled in red is not a woman.
It has a choiced curse word.
So Im understanding her post to say, they can put curse words in the magazine but not women?

Because their circulation will go down if they put in pics of women. Period.

Chassidim have the numbers and their leadership will not allow them to purchase the magazine if it has pics of women.

The magazines are part of a very lucrative industry. It’s always about the bottom line.

amother

Tuberose

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 10:32 am

about three weeks ago mishpacha had a small picture of a hostage, a teenage girl dressed in a low cut tank top. I didn't mind it but I have chassidish relatives who were disturbed. there is no reason that a man reading a frum magazine has to have that jump out at him where he doesn't expect it. (while walking on streets he does expect it and is careful)
He sent mishpacha a letter and they apologized and said it was an oversight.
I still think it was on purpose because they seem to be slipping it in wherever they can...