July 30th, 2008

Martha Stewart Living devotes nearly 25% of its August 2008 issue (pp. 108-147 of 176 pages) to survey “Authentic America” (discovered courtesy of my wife). Rich with vivid photographs of food, family and home furnishings in various idyllic countryside settings, a few phrases in the minimal word copy that accompanies the piece struck me as deliberately chosen to render Martha Stewart’s America authentic: “secluded valley,” “small-town pleasures,” “simplicity and practicality,” “new varieties…[of] ubiquitous impatiens…elevate this common beauty to uncommon heights,” “relaxed living with Low Country elegance,” and even “hearty chowder.” Few of course actually live in this airbrushed reality. But the desire to escape to it, simply through the pages of the magazine itself, or through attempts to recreate these scenes at home, or through travel to these spots — what Martha calls — “local pleasures across the country,” only demonstrates how unreal the everyday reality has become for many or most consumers.