I Can’t Believe We Haven’t Talked About This

Now typically I don’t like to court controversy on my blog. I try not to push buttons. I like to keep it happy, light, upbeat – lo, even devil-may-care-ish – around here.

But every once in awhile, we have to tackle some tough topics. There’s just no avoiding it.

Which is why I need to confess something to you.

[sighing deeply]

A few months ago, after seeing the redesign of Southern Living magazine – a redesign that can only be described as displeasing and disconcerting and UNNECESSARY – I decided that I would not renew my subscription.

[sighing deeply]

Yes. Yes I did. Y’all may need to gather around me for a season of prayer.

And while I certainly realize that deciding not to renew a subscription because I no longer care for the look and feel of a magazine pretty much smacks of pure, unadulterated crazy, I just need to emphasize that THEY CHANGED THEIR PAPER AND THEIR BINDING, Y’ALL.*

Also: I LOVED THEIR PAPER AND THEIR BINDING.

In fact, I considered the old Southern Living as part of my heritage as a Southern girl. Those glossy covers looked great on my coffee table; the old pages were oh-so-durable if you needed to tear out a recipe or a decorating idea.

But then? SL WENT AND RURNT IT ALL. I’m telling you: that new thin paper – coupled with the new fonts and new layout for recipes – basically makes me want to claw all the skin off of my body with some very dull metal talons.

And so, when I realized that the changes were permanent, when I realized that my favorite magazine of all time was essentially something that looked like Generic Periodical Product (seriously. go to a bookstore. look at the magazine display. see if SL stands out from the crowd anymore.), I decided not to renew.

I mean, sometimes a girl just has to take a stand on principle.

(You might say that I had a somewhat strong reaction to the Southern Living redesign.)

(Clearly I am quite the social activist. Next thing you know I’ll be leading some sort of protest at the SL headquarters.)

And please don’t try to tell me that the new design is more environmentally-friendly. That’s just not possible – because quite frankly I don’t know a Southern woman in her right mind who has EVER thrown away an issue of the old Southern Living. In fact, I could go to Martha’s house right this second and find the July 1980 issue, and then Martha would tell me how she tried that blueberry cobbler recipe but not that tomato tart recipe, because after all there was a recipe in the November 1977 issue for a different tomato tart that is FABULOUS, JUST FABULOUS.

So all that to say: landfills are overflowing with many things, but old issues of Southern Living are not among them.

A few days ago I was at a little news stand in the airport, looking for something to read on a flight, and in a fit of forgiveness and mercy I decided to give Southern Living another chance. I shelled out the five dollars and some-odd cents for a copy of the September issue, and after reading it from cover to cover, I kept coming back to a single, sustaining thought: Well, that settles it. I totally stand by my initial reaction. Bring out the dull metal talons. Again.

I just don’t like it, y’all. It used to be such a treat to get the latest issue in the mail, but now Southern Living feels like something I might flip through in a doctor’s waiting room if I was hard-pressed for reading material.

And this saddens me. In ways you cannot even imagine.

Now I realize that in the grand scheme of things this is no big deal. I realize that my SL disappointment errs waaaaaay on the side of trivial. But nonetheless, I’m curious: since a lot of the readers here are Southern, I’d love to know what YOU think about Southern Living in its present state.

New and improved? Or not?

(By the way, if you haven’t even noticed that SL has been redesigned, this discussion may be a little too OCD for you.)

(A thousand apologies.)

(Thank you for being so patient with my crazy.)

(Now do have a lovely day.)

* – Edited to add: I stand corrected about the paper. Oh yes I do. It feels flimsier because the new pages are wider. But the paper is the same.

Share:
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • email

Comments

  1. I am so with you. It is the only mag that I wait on every month and read it cover to cover!!! You never know what interesting tidbit you may read that makes a big difference on your supper table, your garden or your travel budget. I am DISAPPOINTED!! Haven’t cancelled yet but you have gotten me thinking. I loved the binding also. I was sad to see it go. I am glad to know someone else had the same love for the magazine that I have.

  2. I totally agree with you! What were they thinking?!? It used to be a magazine that
    I truly savored, rereading it many times until the next one arrived. Now,
    I can easily flip through an issue and never reopen it! A sad day when they decided to “improve” something that didn’t need improving. If economics was the cause, I would rather have 6 quality issues a year than 12 of the new ones.

  3. You know, when I was at WalMart today, they didn’t have ONE on their shelves. In the whole store!

    Could it be…?

    They’re embarrassed about it and didn’t even want to put them out on display??

    Now my curiosity is realllly up.

  4. I thought it was just my age causing me to dislike the new Southern Living but you’ve just proved me wrong! I’m another who will not renew my subscription.

  5. OK – I’m glad I’m not alone – I haven’t bought a SL in at least a year – I couldn’t figure out what the problem was –

    is there any way we could send this whole comment section to their customer service rep?

    MAYBE WE COULD START OUR OWN MAGAZINE – LET’S CALL IT “SOUTHERN LIVING THE WAY THE READERS LIKE IT”

  6. I had never had a subscription to SL until two months ago when I got my first issue (I had a gift certificate for a magazine website) I told my friend “I just got my Southern Living… not impressed… what is all the hype about?” Now I know why! Country Living… Cottage Living… Coastal Living YES… Southern Living NO :(

  7. I am coming out of lurking to post….

    Thank you, thank you for posting this. I totally agree and my husband has heard me fuss about it every month since it happened. I miss the old binding too and the content is not the same. I also did not renew for the first time in 15 years.

    My favorites that I am still getting and you would probably love…Southern Lady, Taste of the South, and Paula Deen.

    I will add that the big SL Christmas book was much better this year.

    Love your blog!

  8. Thank goodness someone is takling the tough issues facing a Southern girl. The old Southern Living was just that, SOUTHERN. Sturdy, reliable, darn pretty to look at, but with substance….a steel magnolia among periodicals. It’s a betrayal people plain and simple!

  9. Hornetmom97 says:

    I know Mr. Floyd lives in Trussville..so I am adding my two cents in the hope that someone will show it to him. I have friends that also work for SP and I know their company has went through alot of changes since they were brought out by TIME. I hate to say it but I am in the same boat with you…I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I haven’t eagerly anticipated opening up my mailbox to see my SL…I didn’t renew this year..With everything going up you have to make sacrifices and I just haven’t been enjoying them as much for what the cost of the prescription is (which is even lower then the newstand price).

  10. I’m with you and considered writing them back when they first started changing the fonts. I told my husband the whole magazine felt like one giant advertisement. And now with the Healthy Living section including things like buying shoes (in SL? really? I love shoes and all, but save the space in SL for things like a good breakfast casserole recipe or instructions on using clippings from your grandma’s hydrangea to plant in your own yard…) I’m reluctantly rethinking my love for SL.

    It’s sad, too, b/c whenever we have moved I have never felt at home until the SL started arriving in my new mailbox. This is the first magazine I got when I was a newlywed and I still often make the Savory Summer Pie recipe that was in that first issue. But at least I still have all my old copies to keep my company and reminds me of the good old days.

  11. This very same thing happened to me lately, except it was with Entertainment Weekly, and it was because the Managing Editor apparently went insane. You know how in an article, there will be a pull quote that is maybe in the center of the page, real big, perhaps in colored type? Well, why do you need those when you can just ctrl+b and have random bold sentences all over the page? Not to mention, they took Alynda Wheat off “What to Watch.” I realize that that is the second-lowest job on the EW totem pole, but she consistently made me laugh. I challenge her promotion.

  12. LOL! LOL! LOL!

    BooMama for president!

    That is all. :-)

  13. I cancelled my subscription, too; yes ma’am I did, and I wrote them a letter tellin’ them just exactly why.

  14. Bailey's Leaf says:

    Sit down, Boo Mama.

    I’m not southern and I’ve never picked up a copy of Southern Living magazine. I wouldn’t even know what it looks like. I’m sorry.

    But! I can sympathize in re: to the Martha Stewart Living magazine. When Martha was getting ready to do her stint in the clink, they changed to having someone else head up the magazine. Then they sent me a “because Martha’s in jail and we’re afraid that we’re not going to have jobs, here’s a super duper deal on our mag” dealie. Well, I took them up on the deal, but only for one year and not two like they wanted. For that next year, I was not happy. Then Martha came back and was all reformed of her very demanding, yet creative ways and I hated it. (Hate is a strong word. I don’t use it often, but here I do.) I wasn’t going to renew, but they took care of that for me. I guess that my 1/2 renewal was a slap in the face and I have never ever ever gotten any more offers or please come backs or anything.ever.again.

    That’s okay. Just keep my Guideposts coming.

  15. Annette Cheek says:

    I have subscribed to SL since the early 80’s and I am disappointed by all the changes. Some of the “Southerness” has slipped away…it’s lost the familiarity of the old trusted friend that I have enjoyed a relationship with for so many years. I am a life-long Southerner who moved to the Midwest 9 yrs. ago because of my husband’s job change. My SL magazines have been an important link to my beloved South and I would always pour over them when they arrived. The first thing I would look for would be the page on “Books About the South”. They only have that page in a few issues a year now…WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! Please be careful, SL….you are losing us as you grow to look more and more like just another Better Homes & Gardens. I can highly recommend the Hoffman Magazines…Southern Lady, Tea Time, Taste of the South, and Paula Deen. They truly satisfy my craving for anything Southern.
    I am SO glad you brought this up, BooMama. It is gratifying to see so many others who share my disappointment…I thought I was just being picky.

  16. Well, I hope you’ll still be my friend, but I like the change. Because I am a NEW generation of Southern woman, the sort who generally has to read her magazines on the go, and the lighter-weight feel (while not as klassy, perhaps), IS easier to grab in a hurry.

    And, I notice the binding stays open more easily than the old one, which would come in helpful if I ever cooked, you know, recipes.

    But I do understand your dismay, because there is definitely a less cultured feel to it. (I am from the hills of Arkansas, remember, so the occasional departure from klassiness doesn’t really bother me…)

  17. I agree whole heartedly with your assessment of the Southern Living Magazine. A few years ago, I felt led to discontinue my MANY magazine subscriptions and carefully chose only 2 to continue, Southern Living being one of them. With the last few issues I had already begun to think “What in the world am I going to subscribe to to replace Southern Living?!” It was unique and said southern classy to me as that what my mama said about the magazine when she subscribed. Not that we were southern classy. We were southern ordinary and now, so is Southern Living Magazine.
    Sincerely,
    Another disgruntled subscriber

  18. i’m very much a northern girl & i’ve been buying SL for many years now (even before i married my southern born & bred husband).

    i have every one of my SL Christmas Books, which i proudly display with my cookbooks.

    SL is the ONLY magazine that i’ve ever had trouble throwing away. (i did use to have a MS Living addiction & had trouble throwing them away, too, but i’m in recovery now.)

    when my stepdaughter was married in October 03, i copied every page on fall decorating from SL right down to the 4 ft. high pumpkin topiaries on our patio. all of this was done to impress my southern SIL’s who were coming for the wedding.

    all you southerners & SL mean a lot to me!
    but somehow, the big change went right over my head. i think it’s because i’ve been obsessing about an issue i’m having with another magazine.

    have any of you noticed that they are practically giving away subscriptions to some magazines now? i just got a rachael ray 1 yr. subscription for $12.00, & a parents mag. 3 yr. subscription for $12.00 (i’m a grandma but i gotta keep up on things).

    but the BIG DEAL offer was for Metropolitan Home which i used to love back in the 80’s (yes, i’m old). the offer was too good to pass up (or so i thought.) 2 yrs. for 7.00. yes – seven dollars for two years.

    well, i received the first issue & on the front it said “* time for a simply sexy summer” & i immediately thought “i thought this was a decorating magazine”. i looked inside & it was a decorating magazine so what’s with the cover words? & it really ticked me off that they had put that on the cover. i almost cancelled the subscription but thought i’d give them 1 more chance with another issue.

    the september issue arrived. on the front it said “*sexy new furniture from Milan”. what is with these people? i still haven’t cancelled (because i’m such a procrastinator) but i plan on it.

    now i have another decision to make. should i give up on SL, too?????????????????

  19. I like that it’s more environmentally friendly. As long as the content is still good (that is, as long as the rooms are overdecorated, the recipes are rich and unhealthy, and the weekends away are all in towns exactly like Franklin, TN), I’m happy. :)

  20. I felt the same way about Martha Stewart Living several years ago (pre-jail). Now I can hardly stand to look at it.

  21. Julie Curtis says:

    You got that right, sistah! Rurnt is a good word for it. I noticed about a year ago that it just wasn’t the same any more, and then here comes the new design. I. DO. NOT. LIKE. IT. PERIOD. The web site is still ok, though. For now, until they rurn it too. There. I feel better knowing someone else feels like I do.

  22. I thought I was the only one. I am so with you about SL. I had already cancelled and guess what? After a few months they send you HUGE HUGE HUGE discount offers (like a year for less than $20) to lure you back in. Stand strong, Boo. Stand Strong.

  23. Sophie,

    I sadly agree with you and most of the others. I have “been taking” SL for most of my long married life. I never, never threw them out and love to refer back to them. But these changes are disappointing. I loved the elegance of SL and the way the articles were presented.
    I have been a Southern Living at Home consultant since 2001 and I signed up to sell their products solely because of the good name of SL mag.
    Please try to forward these responses to the corp. headquarters in Birmingham. I think they need to know how their customers and their former customers feel.

    It’s the end of an era.

  24. My neighbor from Mobile and I from B’ham now out in the dry land of TX – just discussed this very thing, I can’t even read the recipes anymore…sad sad sad
    SL is losing us too and next to the bible – i loved that magazine

  25. Amen! You said it so perfectly, and I will not be renewing either.

    What were they thinking????

  26. I loved that magazine. They have lost me and I have subscribed for years and years.

  27. I am a Yankee transplanted to the South five years ago, and I love SL. Lat year, I did let it run out (budget priorities), but I missed it, so my MIL got it for me for Christmas.

    I have not gotten as much useful info out of the last couple of issues, but I was inspired for an amazing baby shower for a spring issue, so it’s staying!

  28. I hate it too! Every article looks like an ad. Seriously…why do they have to ruin a good thing??? You should see my “sideboard” in my kitchen. There are about 30 issues of SL in there. SL recipes are the best. My subscription ran out, but my mom still gets it. I just steal it from her.

    BTW, I got my Hymned Again CD…I love it…it’s playing in my car right now. I also got my Third Day CD. It ROCKS! Thanks for both of them!

    Oh yeah, I forgot to give an update on our FUN after Hurrican Gustav. Well, after 2 nights with no electricity, my son, my sister, her daughter and 4 year old granddaughter high tailed it to Phoenix V in Gulf Shores (or should I say Orange Beach???). Oh the life of the spoiled and rotten. Couldn’t live 2 days without electricity. I was seriously moving into panic mode. The lines for gas were miles long, and don’t even think about buying milk. My son was about to cry on Wednesday morning when I told him that we were out of milk. So, the decision was made. We fled to Gulf Shores, and stayed until Sunday. My husband stayed behind to suffer through it. We did not get electricity back until Saturday afternoon. I still have friends without electricity. I am so thankful that we left and enjoyed our unexpected trip to the beach. My son was out of school until this Tuesday. I was so glad to drop him off on Tuesday!!! Things are getting back to normal here. You can actually find gas and groceries without having to wait in HOUR LONG LINES. We are blessed to have had no damage. Many people that I know have major damage from trees going through houses. I am thankful that it looks like Ike will not hit us. Pray for those in Texas that are waiting to see what happens to them.

    Amy K. in LA

  29. Thank you for raising this important social issue while everyone else is totally distracted by this thing called the US presidential election (although I am THRILLED to see a sister on the McCain ticket). But I agree completely with you!

    I’ve grown up in Atlanta, and Southern Living and their annual recipe books are fixtures in my childhood. In fact, I think I officially became an adult not when my sister and I moved away to college, but when we got our own subscription to Southern Living!

    Now on to the most disappointing aspects of this new fangled version of the magazine formerly known as SL…
    The absolute first thing I do (well, make that “did”) every month when my new SL arrived was to pull out all of the subscription cards and advertisement inserts. It was like working a good puzzle because you could easily find and identify the corresponding ends of the insert by simply folding the magazine backwards (i.e., open it) in the middle where the staples were holding all the pages together. I was able to grab both ends of the insert and remove it completely – leaving no evidence that it was even there. Now you’re stuck trying to rip out the inserts leaving an ugly little bit in the middle. I ask you, what’s the point in tearing it out if it doesn’t come out in a nice, tidy manner?! (And no, I am not OCD).

    Second problem I have with the new SL is the protective cover that’s attached to the mail order version of the magazine. Similar to my other concern, the staples in the middle were the key to removing the protective cover – you just ripped it off and left no evidence of its existence. Now it has this awful rubber cement running down the spine which you have to try to pick or roll off after trying to pull the protective cover off. Not a satisfying experience at all!!!

    Thanks again for giving us an outlet to vent our SL frustrations! I hope SL will listen up and make some changes to our beloved tradition. It has become too much like Real Simple (which I Iove but don’t have the same lofty expectations).

    Donna in GA!

    p.s. the last move I made, a friend came over to help me pack. He stumbled upon 4 boxes of old SL magazines and said, “what in the world is this? You must have 200 pounds of SL magazines.” He was mistaken – it was only 156 pounds.

  30. I’ve called ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News, HGTV, and TLC. Are you available for interviews?

  31. ChristyCate says:

    OK, Boo… This debate is SOOOOO much better than the presidential discussions of late. Who cares about pigs and lipstick? SL is in crisis!!!!

  32. Oh sweet baby Jesus. Yes, this change has been painful. Yes, there is disappointment and hurt feelings. Yes, there have been catastrophic binding mistakes but are we not family? We need to support SL through this awkward phase. Let’s pretend it is late onset magazine puberty shall we? Perhaps a midlife crisis? But not renewing your subscription? This is like waking up tomorrow declaring yourself a yankee and swearing off cream cheese. I am hurting for both of you.

  33. it is a lovely day when I realize I am not as crazy as I think :o) I too noticed the changes in SL and was quite disappointed…my grandma has always been a fan of SL and I get my love of it from her but will not be renewing my subscription either because the new layout, style, etc is a big disappoinment. I am glad to see others feel the same way. :o)

    Now my favorite is…Cooking with Paula Deen…that is one spiffy magazine! :o)

  34. My mama and I have been complaining to each other about the SL changes for months now. Her subscription is now expired, and I’m goint to let mine run out.

    Please, SL, if you are listening, change it back! Change it back! You should never be afraid to do the right thing!!!

  35. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an issue of SL.

    (ducking for cover)

    I’ve always been a northern girl so I was just never introduced to it.

    Now I want to look at an issue. Except for the fact that, according to you an many others, what I would now be looking at wouldn’t be representative of the SL you all know and love.

    **sigh**

    I guess I’ll have to travel south and find someone who has archives I can peek at. :-)

  36. Your post has solved a mystery for me! My MIL has given me a subscription to SL for several years now (probably beginning when she realized, as the daughter of two Yankee parents, I need some schooling in Southern culture). Suddenly, earlier this year, I realized the SLs were piling up on the coffee table without being read. That had never happened before! So now I know…

    It must be the redesign. The three paragraph articles are more like ads than reading material. What used to be oversized, homey, and interesting – a luxury to curl up with on the sofa at the end of a long day – is now ordinary, flimsy, and flat. And I hate, hate, hate the paper cover they glue onto the magazine. It simply won’t come off!

    I’m just not sure of any polite way to tell my MIL to stop giving me a subsription at Christmas…

  37. Laura Bowers says:

    Sophie, Coming out of lurking to say “I’m glad I’m not the only one”!! A magazine subscription was my official welcome to the family by my husband’s 86 year old grandmother. I have not had the heart to tell her to stop sending it (9 years and going strong). What southern grand-daughter-in-law would refuse a gift?? I have not cooked anything out of southern living in the last 6 months- used to cook at least 2-3 items every month. What is this world coming to??

  38. I do not have a subscription to SL but I usually buy a couple times of year. I took my daughter to the dentist this morning and looked at the Sept. issue. I noticed the difference right away. I thought maybe it was a cheap dentist office version of SL. You are right, I keep all of the issues I buy. I don’t blame you for cancelling your sub.

  39. LOATHE the new SL. My mom wants me to cancel my subscription….and it’s hard to disobey Mama! The font on the cover is so ordinary. The content has definitely changed, in my opinion. I like to gauge magazines by how many pages I dog-ear. And let’s just say, these last several issues have pristine pages, with not a dog-ear in sight. I wish SL would come to their senses. Hey, even Coca Cola admitted their mistake (new Coke, circa 1985-6).

  40. yes. like you (and so many other people obviously!) am so, so disappointed in the new design. I looked forward to that magazine every month. Some years I would not have a subscription but would drool over the cover in the check out line at the grocery store in inevitabley put it in my cart. The years I did have a subscription, it was Christmas in my mailbox when it was delivered. no more. really, really sad.

    We moved to the Midwest from the South last year and finding a SL in the checkout line was a little harder. We have “MidWest Living” here. I tried it. Nope. Not liking it. So I got a subscriptoin to SL. Well, darn it all! It is just not the same. I did not continue after my trial period.

    It hurts my heart. Really. so sad.

  41. Geez, I’m almost sorry I live in Seattle. Look what I’ve missed! ;)

  42. well. well. well. I’m not so strange after all. Grand and I decided a few years back that there WAS something different about the type of paper used, the pictures never popped anymore, and the flow of the zine ain’t what it used to be. I’m on the tail end of a multi-year subscription commitment and suffice it to say, “it won’t be renewed”! Let’s have a sit-in staging in the SL Test Kitchens!

  43. As usual your post gave me the first smile of the day! That’s what I love so much about ya Sophie…. you’re a woman who knows her own mind and sticks up for what she believes in!

  44. I totally agree with you. SL was a girl’s decorating/gardening/cooking/travel handbook. My mother-in-law and mom have given it to me as a Christmas gift since my husband and I got engaged. I will point out that they’ve been through several changes in the last few years until this past Christmas…I declined the gift. My MIL asked if I still wanted it, because she had noticed some changes, and I had to agree. I could no longer enjoy the new SL. However, I can always treasure the old issues I keep ready for reference.

  45. Oh, I’m so glad you brought this up. My subscription runs from Jan to Jan and I’m not renewing. I’ve had a subscription since practically birth. The changes made it ordinary, not the old friend it had been. Yes, like all the other magazines. I dare say it had been “northernized”. My husband is from NY but he clearly gets the difference of the north and the south. Hello- he lives in TX! It was the last truly charming and southern magazine out there. Now it looks like a martha stewart magazine– gasp!

  46. I have never left a comment on a blog before…a dear friend of mine has a great blog, you should really read it and another dear friend of mine, who hates to cook, I swear her family eats out every single meal, told me about your blog because of all the great recipes. I cook for her family because I care so much about her kids.
    ANYWAY, I had to let you know that you are so right about Southern Living! I am just about the most visual person you will ever meet. I always swore you could tell if you were reading Verdana, Southern Accents, House Beautiful Traditional Home or Southern Living by their paper and how the pages were designed. No I didn’t have look at the bottom of the page and see the magazines website either.
    Southern Living took all the class out of their magazine. I use to want to go visit Birmingham just because it was home to such a great magazine. Now, I go for the shopping.
    Thanks for all the laughs and I finally went and bought Hymned and Hymned Again…of course I didn’t enter your contest, because I don’t comment on blogs. Except for today and I made up for lost time with this long rambling of thoughts.

  47. I haven’t seen the new SL. I haven’t subscribed for a while, not because I didn’t want to, just couldn’t afford that luxury. You are so right though about not throwing them away. My mother saves hers for me. Unfortunately, she tears the best recipes out of them before she passes them down, so I’ve been disappointed with SL for a really long time now. My mother will probably end her subscription over the change too. She has not liked the changes they have made in the past. When will the publishers realize that the type of font they use is critical to the success of that magazine? I am with you. Stand firm.

  48. Jennifer L. says:

    In public relations, the phrase “perception is reality” is the oft-heard refrain. I know the people over at SL have worked hard on this redesign. Yes, they likely based their changes on financial reasons. Yes, the designers were probably tired of looking at the old font and layout and believed that readers were ready for a change. Yes, they probably tried hard to find ways to create value for readers. My heart goes out to them because it’s disappointing to work hard on something like this and have it be less than well-received. I appreciate the comments by the SL staffer who stood up for her employer by citing her opinion about the improvements. However, I would say that the improvements, including more detailed photo captions, have probably been overlooked by many readers because of the visual noise and distraction of trying to read something that is no longer pleasing.

    Personally, I felt embarrassed for SL when the new design came out. Another co-worker agreed with me (we advertise in SL). Reading SL is no longer a treasured experience–it is common. Like many other commenters, I used to treasure the experience of opening my newest issue of SL, curling up on the couch and really savoring each page. Now, like many commenters, I flip through quickly or leave half of it unread because it doesn’t capture my interest like it once did. I just don’t enjoy it.

    The new design and layout may provide better value for readers in some ways, but perception is reality. I do not feel perceive that I am receiving greater value; therefore, I am not.

  49. Sophie, I don’t know if you’re still reading all the comments, but… I’m in total agreement. I used to be a SL at HOME rep, and they seem to have forgotten that I canceled, because they continue to send the magazine. I’m not complaining, but I sure wouldn’t buy it myself.

    Hate the rectangle spine!

    And have you noticed how they will cover towns that are NOT southern?? Bugs me.

  50. Preach it, girl. I cancelled my subscription, too! Actually, didn’t renew it – same same. My mother is also one of those decade old collectors of SL. She has YEARS of them in boxes in her attic.
    I’m wondering if some poor little graphic designer at SL has a job security problem right now – seeing as how the “new look” has killed subscription renewals…..
    And I’ve enjoyed reading some of the comments from our Northern sistas apologizing for not having read a SL. You’re excused. You haven’t been brought up on it like we have. However, if you’re a Southern gal who has never read one, then I seriously question your Southern heritage. It’s time to re-evaluate what’s important in life. Yes, it is.

  51. Hey, I didn’t know they had redesigned it either. I’m a Traditioal Home girl & long-time subscriber. It’s been a few years since I did subscribe to Southern Living & I think that only lasted a year. I always thought it has way too many ads and not enough “meaty” pics (and give me some pics!) and articles, so I gave up on it a long time ago. So, that being said…I surely didn’t know about the redesigning of the mag, cause I just haven’t paid that much attention to it in the last couple of years. I’ll have to pick one up & browse it.

    Too funny, Sophie! Now you may just get the attention of the magazine here in town, you know? I did a tour of Southern Progress headquarters when I first moved here & it was really interesting.

  52. DITTO! I don’t like the new binding either. I also think the magazine is lacking something it used to have. In “the old days”, I would get so excited to see my magazine arrive in the mail box, I would make plans to take a looooong bubble bath that evening, so I could read the whole magazine from cover to cover. Now, it takes me a week to get through it – I just loose interest quickly…

  53. Let me start by saying that I have never left a comment before but this subject has started my fire burning. I TOTALLY agree with you and feel so much better knowing that I am not the only person to feel so strongly about the redesign. I am so sad at SL’s downturn and will not be renewing my subscription.

  54. It might cause you pain and heartbreak to read this, but I just bought my first SL ever this past weekend. And I have lived in TX all my life. I bought it because it claimed to have the best apple pie recipe ever, and one of my goals this year is to make applie pie at home. Something I have never done. So I don’t know about all the changes you mention. But I probably won’t buy another one, unless it is once again touting some recipe I can’t resist.

  55. OMG!!!! You are sooooo dead-on with your comments! I’m GLAD to see you’re takin’ a stand. We have a love/hate relationship w/ back issues of SL in our house. I pick up STACKS of them at the library (for TEN CENTS EACH!) and my husband cringes when I bring them in the door! He say, “Ugh. Not more clutter” and I reply, “Nope. Just some more cobbler recipes.” My endless stacks of SL are worth more to me than gold!!!

  56. You are eactly right!! Unlike you, I do still subscribe to SL, but I definitely do not like the redesign. I still just love their recipes though – even if the magazine is not as “pretty” as before. And I thought I was the only one who noticed a change in the magazine.

  57. I NEED to know how Martha feels about this. I really do because if I don’t know how she feels about it I’m just not sure I can make an educated decision and I just can’t do this without Martha’s opinion. You must tell me what she thinks. You must.

    I just love Martha stories….can you tell?

  58. I could not agree with you more! I STRONGLY DISLIKE the redesign! I received a subscription last Christmas as a gift, and I am so glad that I didn’t spend my own money. I just this week stumbled across some old issues (aren’t the November issues the best? I mean who doesn’t love all those amazing and festive Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner ideas!)and yearned for the days of old. See, I feel so passionately about this I delurked for it. 8-)

  59. I am soooo glad you are addressing this! I thought it must be just ME….I noticed the difference with the very FIRST “new” issue! The pictures, which I use to cut out and put in folders for future decoration ventures, are just terrible. Lack luster and almost out-of-focus! I’m not sure exactly what it is but it is definitely not the old SL. How I miss the old. The new is cheaper quality.I can not tell an article from an advertizement. I did not renew my subscription which brings me great saddness!

  60. I can’t wait to see Sophie’s follow up post to this topic!

    I think we should vote for Sophie for President!

  61. I had to laugh because right before logging onto the computer to check out my favorite blogs, I had just finished reading my October 2005 Southern Living.

    Maybe if I just live off of my old subscriptions, I can weather this aweful season in the hopes they will return the magazine to the way it used to be!

  62. I like others have turned to Paula Deen’s magazine….I have to support my Georgia Girl, now!

    Let’s turn to our old Southern Living magazines for the comfort we need during this trying time….

  63. Dee from Tennessee says:

    What in the world were they thinking?

    And who came up with the new format? Probably a recent hire in a powerful position….and I’m not trying to be smartalecky…I truly suspect that.

    I betcha that there were some people at the meeting thinking to themselves…”Self, this ain’t gonna fly…”

    I thought I was the only one who didn’t like it anymore. I mentioned it to my hubby and of course, it didn’t strike a nerve with him at all. I think I got a polite nod from him.

  64. Oh my gosh – my husband thought I was CRAZY when I went on my rant about the change they made to my Southern Living. He was sure that I had lost my mind. Eventually, he had to admit that I was completely right and that it just wasn’t the same anymore. There are just some things that shouldn’t be changed – EVER! A southern woman has the right to expect some things to remain the same. Don’t know what I’m going to do now!

  65. Gina Green says:

    Aggghhhh! Did I miss something? Am i not as detail orientated as I thought I was? Or did they leave the store version the same? IDK but I’m gonna hurry home and check it out! You see I’m a southern girl and loooong time subscriber to SL but I’ve been living in the midwest for nearly 10 years so at some point I decided that I needed to embrace my new region and subscribe to Midwest Living. (This was nearly as traumatic as ending my subscription to “Journey” magazine cause I wasn’t Southern Baptist anymore) Never liked Midwest Living near as much so occasionally, I’ll pick up a SL off the rack at Walmart or B&N. I can’t believe they would mess with it– We all know that you don’t mess with TRADITION. (BTW I’m showing your blog & comments to my husband who thinks there is something wrong with me for saving all my back issues!)
    Thanks for the alert!

  66. It’s so nice to know I’m not going crazy! I mentioned it to my husband, who will usually “just flip through the pages” and he just looked at me. I don’t like change, especially this one. But the funny thing is, because I don’t like change, I can’t bear to cancel the subscription! Just know that even though I still get the magazine, I stand strong with you and alot of the other women who commented!

  67. The most tragic flaw in the redesign is that they moved My favorite feature, “Southern Journal” from its easily-found last page location to some obscure place in the middle. HATE THAT.

  68. Oh my I cannot believe I am the one hundred and sixty seventh comment about a magazine lolol.
    I LOVE Southern living magazine, and while It is different I won’t quit subscribing because well I love the magazine. I am not that picky at all and there is more good about it than not.
    Sorry I hope i still will be welcome here lol.

  69. BooMama – Please don’t do anything this drastic. I’m disappointed too, but what about the Christmas edition?

  70. Amen. The FEEL is different. Mama got me a subscription as a gift a while back, so I can’t do much about that.

    SL has become the Atlanta of Southern Magazines.

    Like somebody put sugar on my grits.

  71. PS-
    Do you read Southern Lady? I love it.

  72. I have enjoyed SL for years as well, and to be honest I really just almost thought we were SUPPOSED to subscribe to it since we live in The South. Aren’t we? Don’t we get a fine or something if we don’t have it coming to our mailbox?
    Anyhow, I’m with you. I don’t like it either. It’s dull and not glossy and there aren’t NEAR as many recipes and the ones they put in there don’t have NEAR enough butter in them.

  73. Now you’ve gone and got me all curious. I’m going to have to run out and check the latest copy of SL.
    I am a HUGE foodie and recently canceled my subscription to Bon Appetit based only on their magazine redesign. It is an eyesore now and I just can’t stand to look through it!
    You aren’t overreacting at all… at least in my somewhat crazy opinion :)

  74. Lea Margaret says:

    I thought that it was just me! Now it looks just like every other magazine I get! I miss the staples! I miss the staples!!!! I have also noticed a good many more ads. YUCK! I could go on and on. Bring back the old Southern Living PLEASE!

  75. I JUST found this post. And OH MY WORD! I thought I was the only one who felt this way. SL seems like it is like ALL the other mags now. It does NOT stand out any more. The bulk of it is gone. But I LIKED the bulk of it. It made it different, homey, familiar, like my Mom’s or Grandmother’s house. I mean what were they thinking? My subscription was a gift… I was happy I got it. And for the first time in my life last month…. I read it and threw it away! It felt like sacralig (sp?)… I am eager to hear about your conversation with the lady from SL.
    xoxo
    Rox

  76. With Southern Living being the pride of every Southern girl and the Birmingham Belle being twice as proud that the SL home is and always has been in our lovely city, the first blow was when they sold out to Time Corp. years ago.

    From that day forward the magazine has been changing slightly. The first offensive change for me was the thiner issues, then they started copying Martha Stewart photo spreads. How dare they? SL is sacred and that particular change felt insulting. After all, Martha could never hold a candle to my beloved SL. I let my subscription go after that. Missing it yes, but not enough to support it. The newest change with the new binding and less content than ever before is enough to tell me the magazine is in real trouble. I would happily pay the $36 subscription rate if they would only go back to publishing pre Time ownership. Until then, it just makes me sad to skim through them now.

  77. I agree completely! I ended my subscription to Better Homes & Gardens for the same reason…not much content, lots of ads, flimsy materials. Southern Living is no longer on my coffee table. It’s been relegated to the general magazine basket. :) I still do get the yearly compilation book of recipes from SL though.

    LOVE your blog! :) You are so, so funny!

  78. I am with you girl! I have every issue since I was grown up and could buy my own and I even have some of my grandma’s old issues!

  79. Oh Boo – First, I never did get to hug your neck at the Siesta Fiesta, and I wish I had because YOU ARE A KINDRED spirit! Yes you are!

    I have loved Southern Living for years…and I don’t like the new format either. I too loved the paper and the binding. You could rip out a page and it would not fall apart – don’t rip now – the whole magazine falls to pieces.

    Whoever wrote that it has become the “Atlanta” of southern magazines – YES – that’s what has happened.

    I just found “Southern Lady” and it is a good one. Try it out – http://www.southernladymagazine.com

    I can’t cancel yet – I just can’t – but I may be close. I’ll have to decide before January of 2009 – that’s when my renewal starts again…which is automatic by the way.

    Sugar on grits, sweet cornbread –
    Oh, Fiddle-dee-dee…it’s rurnt – what a great word.

    Much Love,

    Georgia Jan

  80. I cracked up when I saw this because I really thought IT WAS JUST ME. I can’t STAND it. Every page looks like an advertisement! You know those “Special Advertising Section” page designs? That’s what every page looks like to me now! Blech.

    I am not renewing either. Until they go back to something more distinctive, comfy, non-blech.

  81. Wow…if Southern Living wanted a Readers Opinion poll they just got one in these comments! They should really consider going back to the way it used to be. For you southern ladies and your heritages sake.

  82. Yes. It’s horrible. I don’t know yet if I’ll cancel, because I’ve been reading since high school, but it’s so disappointing. I feel like an old friend has died.

    Like another commenter, I also didn’t renew my contract as a SL At HOME rep. The stuff is WAY too expensive and there’s nothing Southern about it.

  83. Very disappointed in SL. I found a different SL on the newstands here in Augusta, Georgia a couple of years ago and I enjoy it. It is called Southern Lady. It is published in Bham (where I am from) and I started reading it. It is bimonthly. Pulled out a recipe from Southern Living to use Labor Day weekend and it was 17 years old! Never throw them away.

  84. Amen sister. And don’t even get me started on what they’ve done to Guideposts.

  85. I am with you 100%!!! I loved the rounded binding and the old paper. It was part of my southern heritage and I am ANGRY!! It is rurnt for me. I am a sad sad southern lady. Good grief I might as well pick up Popular Mechanics.

    Lisa Q

  86. Southernchick says:

    Oh, I also do lament the change in our most revered periodical. It is so sad. I still have SL magazines from many years back, and my parents old copies’ are stored in various places all over their home. I am also a SL coffee table displayer. I have always loved how it warmed up the living room. I’m sorry if the folks at SL are going through hard financial times, as are we all. However, it seems to me as if these changes have cost them many subscribers. It’s just too bad.
    I do, however, love the wit of all you ladies on this post. I want to be friends with each of you. You’re hilarious and wonderfully southern. What a fantastic combination!

  87. I have been a SL gal for a long time. I am a bathbut reader, and on the days SL came in the mail, I couldn’t wait for the evening to get in the tub and read every last word. There was always at least one recipe I had to try. Lately, it seems like every recipe is “diet this” and “low fat that”. Thats not the way a southern girls eats!

  88. Oh my. I’m a SL grandaughter. By that I mean my mom has every copy from the time I was born until now and still gets it regularly. I just called her (it’s 7am) to see if she was as devastated as you. I’m sure she would be but alas she likes the new format. Ok, keep breathing, deep breaths. She’s my mom, you can’t attack her.

    That said, I think I’m going to buy one today just to see for myself.

    I’ll send you a box of tissue.
    And by the way Tumors Corner is almost like heaven in my husband’s mind. He’s a die-hard Auburn grad!
    julie

  89. Amen. I was wondering why I didn’t feel glee when it came in my mailbox this last month…thanks for clearing up the mystery!