Paper short abstract:

Understanding the role of women's magazine in the formulation of the medical concept: Healthy Lifestyle – as a result of the similarity between it's ideologies.

Paper long abstract:

Healthy Lifestyle is an example of a medical concept that was not only covered by popular magazines but, my thesis will show, was actually developed and formulated on their pages. Healthy Lifestyle is a prevalent concept in the medical discourse, and has been used in policy papers, scientific publications and clinical guidelines. Still, one of the main sources of information regarding Healthy Lifestyle are popular Women Magazines and not the medical establishment.

By examining the rise of the concept in the Israeli women magazines during the 70's-80's of the 20th century, this paper will present a hypothesis as to why that has happened. The explanation will show that the ideologies that are being produced by women's magazines are very similar to the ideologies that underlie the concept of Healthy Lifestyle. Ideas such as individuality; personal responsibility; consumerism; seeing daily life as a subject of knowledge; redefining expertise and more ideas are essential to both women's magazine genre and to the lifestyle concept.