One of my (many) dirty little secrets is that I’m a subscriber to ELLE Canada magazine. I don’t advertise this as I wouldn’t want anyone to label me as shallow, superficial and materialistic. Subscribing to a seemingly fluff magazine targeted at young, hip fashionistas would certainly lead one to think this is the case, but after reading the March 2015 issue I feel somewhat vindicated.

First of all, it’s the Canadian edition so I’m supporting Canadian retailers and contributors to the publishing side of the magazine. But it also surprises me from time to time with content that is intelligent and relevant to all age groups. For example,  the March issue’s theme is feminism and that’s definitely a subject dear to my heart. Baby Boomers cleared the way for a lot of the rights and freedoms that young women take for granted today such as subsidized maternity and paternity leave, gay/lesbian marriage, abortion rights and pay equity. The struggles are far from over but progress is being made.

Vakis Boutsalis in A Dangerous Game wrote a thought-provoking article about his conflicted feelings (yes, a guy discussing “feelings”) surrounding sports. As the father of a daughter, he wants her to appreciate the positive values inherent in sports such as teamwork and the value of hard work. However, he is equally concerned about the violence displayed by the players of professional sports and acknowledges that this is not a new phenomenon; professional sports has a history of domestic violence but with social and expanded media today we are now more aware of it. Boutsalis struggles with how to best explain this aspect of sports to his daughter.

In Feminism’s On-Line Renaissance Antonia Zerbisias takes on the issue of feminism and social media in describing the outpouring of discourse from women responding to #BEENRAPEDNEVERREPORTED. As the victims of Jian Ghomeshi have proven, women are finally speaking up and demanding action.

In The Ties That Bind Heather O’Neill, author of The Girl Who Was Saturday Night and Lullabies for Little Criminals describes her experience with friendships lost and friendships found and the value of female friendships, something Boomer Broads live and experience every day. And, there’s the usual assortment of eye candy—fashion, the latest birth control news, as well as skin, hair and makeup must-haves that promise to make all our dreams come true. I particularly loved Kate Spade’s ad with Iris Apfel.

As a confirmed magazine junkie (I subscribe to eighteen each month) I appreciate many forms of print but the March issue of ELLE reminded me that all may not be as they appear on the cover. The issue of feminism is still important and young women shouldn’t toss it off as not relevant to them. Boomer women covered a lot of ground over the years but we still don’t have equal pay and we are still subjected to prejudices that many men will never experience or completely understand.

My annual subscription to ELLE Canada costs only twelve dollars and I’d say I get my money’s worth. And my girlfriends love my hand-me-downs. We get a lot of mileage out of my bad habits. We just wish more publications recognized that we’re a huge demographic and Boomer women are not yet ready to be put out to pasture. And when we are, it’ll be with red fingernails, blonde highlights, sexy shoes and tight jeans. Because we are women and we still care about important issues beyond fashion.

For further insights into the Boomer perspective on business, fashion, mind and body, book and movie reviews, order my book, BOOMERBROADcast. It makes a great hostess or birthday gift as well as just a fun read.

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