MC Malaysia

I do not normally buy magazines but for my flight home from Malaysia (25th April) I bought Marie Claire Malaysia because its front page was screaming out at me: ‘PROJECT ECO CHIC!’ I was intrigued and upon closer inspection of the contents found that it did indeed have eco-oriented articles including ‘can Malaysia really go organic?’ (they concluded yes, but with many difficulties), suggestions for eco-friendly hoovers, mobiles, i-pod speakers and a section on making fashionable clothes using recycled materials. It was a mixed bag though because it also had a bit about ‘green clothes’ and ‘green make-up’, which were so-called only because of their green colour! About their beloved eco-themed Avatar, MC Malaysia say ‘going green is finally mainstream thanks to Mr Titanic’ (p38).

I also bought Seventeen Malaysia because it said ‘157 new ways to be an eco-warrior! (the ultimate green guide)’ plastered across the front. It is easy to be cynical about the attempts of ditzy magazines to be seen on the green scene, but at least they are trying to engage a new audience by not being to preachy and making it fun, friendly and fashionable (even if that involves having a couple of pages about products that are simply green like Shrek!)