I remember purchasing the very first issue as if it happened yesterday. I was 18 and had just moved to Canmore, Alberta. Feeling lonely and bored in a small convenient store, I saw Liv Tyler’s blurry image gazing at me from the magazine rack. This is where my Nylon experience began.
Like any new relationship, there were butterflies in my stomach as I opened the cover and learned what Nylon was all about. From the very first issue--packed with info on all the up and coming indie music, films, art and fashion in the scene--I immediately fell in love with this off the cuff mag. Not a single mention of what the typical Hollywood stars were up to or wearing; finding Nylon was a dream come true. Finally, a fashion magazine I could relate to and actually learn something from.
I felt like I had stumbled upon a secret that needed to be exposed. I had to remain calm. We had just met. It was the very first issue, and we all know how first can also mean last. I decided to not jump into anything and just play it out casually. 10 years later I was still receiving monthly issues via my mailbox.
I owe a lot to this magazine. It was my introduction to many great musicians, artists, actors/actresses, cultures, films, and fashion. But, I felt my love slowly fading with each issue. I had even caught myself looking around at other magazines.
I guess it all started when I excitedly pulled the April 2007 issue from my mailbox to find Christina Aguilera in a busty pose on the cover. At first I thought it was a mistake, maybe they sent me the wrong magazine but the big blocked NYLON logo was sitting at the top of the page, and not FHM. I felt a sadness in my heart. I can relate this sadness only to finding out the new guy your into thinks that Nickelback is talented. I hoped that it was just a one-off. Maybe the editor was on vacation and left his teenage sister in charge? I decided to let it slide. Imagine my disappointment when I received Lindsay Lohan’s crotch shot on the May issue. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Lindsay and Christina (or crotch shots); I just don’t care about them and didn’t think Nylon did either. There are so many magazines for that type of audience and I happily never put Nylon into that category.
Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be? Maybe I am not a one-magazine girl. Open relationships are considered the norm these days. It’s not that Nylon doesn’t have good intentions; it has just changed a lot over the years. We no longer share the same interests. Nylon appears to be losing it’s confidence and seems to be seeking out trends in a desperate manner instead of its old ways of just discovering what creative people are doing. I have nothing bad to say about Nylon and I have no regrets about our years spent together, but I think I am ready to move on. I want to believe that there is a magazine out there for all of us and I am not quite ready to give up on this belief. I did not renew my subscription this May and I feel ok about it. I will still continue to check it out on the magazine rack just to see how things are going, possibly even purchase the occasional issue if it looks interesting, but our monthly commitment has definitely come to an end. Just because we will not grow old together like I once thought, we still had a good run. Goodbye Nylon. Goodbye.
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