Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen, Editors: mary-kateandashleymagazine

Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen, Editors: mary-kateandashleymagazine

Maybe Warhol got it backwards, and in the future, everyone will be a brand name. A precursor: the cottage industry that has sprung up around the Olsen twins, who rose to fame trading off as the youngest of three sisters on the execrable sitcom Full House. At a time when most child stars have begun their frustrated descent into booze 'n' pills, the Olsens have retained a strong presence through albums, movies (mostly of the direct-to-video variety), and countless other offshoots. Now, the twins have dipped their identical toes into publishing by following Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O'Donnell into the vanity-magazine market with mary-kateandashleymagazine. It defies logic, if not explanation: "Because we want real talk for real girls," the Olsens insist in their magazine's inaugural piece, "The Top 10 Reasons We Created A Magazine." The list concludes with "Because we can," which might be the most honest explanation. In their jointly written editors' letter, which appears opposite a photo of the pair peering thoughtfully at an iBook, the Olsens insist their magazine will "stress positivity, achievement, and being a strong individual" in addition to the usual fashion and beauty tips. Oddly enough, it more or less makes good on the promise, with fashion advice largely overwhelmed by articles on body image, financial responsibility, volunteerism, and an advice column by (who better?) Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell of All That fame. Mary-kateandashleymagazine only really lives up to its potential for incarnating evil outside of its editorial content, dedicating about a third of its ad space to Olsen-themed books, videos, and video games, suggesting that their puzzling fame could continue through the college years. That's the bad news. The good news is that the magazine itself is content-heavy and thoroughly benign, even encouraging, if not so encouraging as to justify a sticker price nearly twice that of The New Yorker. The other good news: Your vanity magazine could be next.

 
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