Recently, I've found that I'm constantly on social media - day in, day out. Being on my phone is a great way to keep in touch with the rest of the world, but I needed to cut down on the mindless scrolling. If I'm not on Instagram, I'm watching something on Netflix. I wanted to start being more productive with my screen time.

I've always said I wanted to read more, and now I feel like I finally have time to sit down and get into it. I was asking a friend for some recommendations on things to read when she recommended an app called Readly.

Readly is an online platform and app that has thousands of different newspaper and magazine titles available, all in one place. Sounded good, but I wasn't sure if it was for me. I had a few news apps on my phone and didn't see the point in paying for more.

My friend mentioned that it's not just news publishers, but many more including big titles like Time Magazine, Good Housekeeping, The Daily Express, and lots of different categories including News & Politics, Fashion & Beauty and Celebrity Entertainment - the list goes on. She said it's like Spotify for magazines.

Given that I wanted to read more but didn't know exactly what to look for, Readly could be a good starting point because of its many options. I was sure a service like this with so many reputable publishers would cost a lot, but I decided to look into it.

Turns out that after a 6 week free trial with Readly, it would cost just £7.99 a month. Readly offers 5000 titles, so this is a great deal.

I decided to give it a shot. The process was easy, I just signed up and entered my details and credit card, but I didn't mind as the subscription is flexible and I can cancel any time.

As soon as I signed up on their website, I was excited to finally be able to browse a large selection of titles. I found myself reading things I didn't expect to be interested in, like cooking magazines. I was inspired to try some new recipes that I never would have before!

With Readly, I love being on top of all the current affairs and knowing that the news I'm consuming is coming from the most reputable sources in the world (instead of Facebook). Now when I get on Zoom calls, I'm always able to contribute to conversations on what's happening around the world. And of course, it's always fun to read anything to do with pop culture.

I love browsing and reading before I go to bed instead of being on social media. Another great thing about Readly is that you can share things with people in your family, all under one subscription, so I've been sending my brother a lot of things that he might be interested in, especially the Car & Motor magazines.

My free trial is almost up but I'll definitely be keeping my subscription. I'm learning so much thanks to Readlyand my access to all these amazing titles. If you're someone who likes to read magazines, or is just looking to get into reading I'd highly recommend Readly.

6 Weeks Free Trial, Unlimited Magazines and Newspapers, No Commitments

Recently, I've found that I'm constantly on social media - day in, day out. Being on my phone is a great way to keep in touch with the rest of the world, but I needed to cut down on the mindless scrolling. If I'm not on Instagram, I'm watching something on Netflix. I wanted to start being more productive with my screen time.

I've always said I wanted to read more, and now I feel like I finally have time to sit down and get into it. I was asking a friend for some recommendations on things to read when she recommended an app called Readly.

Readly is an online platform and app that has thousands of different newspaper and magazine titles available, all in one place. Sounded good, but I wasn't sure if it was for me. I had a few news apps on my phone and didn't see the point in paying for more.

My friend mentioned that it's not just news publishers, but many more including big titles like Time Magazine, Good Housekeeping, The Daily Express, and lots of different categories including News & Politics, Fashion & Beauty and Celebrity Entertainment - the list goes on. She said it's like Spotify for magazines.

Given that I wanted to read more but didn't know exactly what to look for, Readly could be a good starting point because of its many options. I was sure a service like this with so many reputable publishers would cost a lot, but I decided to look into it.

Turns out that after a 6 week free trial with Readly, it would cost just £7.99 a month. Readly offers 5000 titles, so this is a great deal.

I decided to give it a shot. The process was easy, I just signed up and entered my details and credit card, but I didn't mind as the subscription is flexible and I can cancel any time.

As soon as I signed up on their website, I was excited to finally be able to browse a large selection of titles. I found myself reading things I didn't expect to be interested in, like cooking magazines. I was inspired to try some new recipes that I never would have before!

With Readly, I love being on top of all the current affairs and knowing that the news I'm consuming is coming from the most reputable sources in the world (instead of Facebook). Now when I get on Zoom calls, I'm always able to contribute to conversations on what's happening around the world. And of course, it's always fun to read anything to do with pop culture.

I love browsing and reading before I go to bed instead of being on social media. Another great thing about Readly is that you can share things with people in your family, all under one subscription, so I've been sending my brother a lot of things that he might be interested in, especially the Car & Motor magazines.

My free trial is almost up but I'll definitely be keeping my subscription. I'm learning so much thanks to Readlyand my access to all these amazing titles. If you're someone who likes to read magazines, or is just looking to get into reading I'd highly recommend Readly.

Subscribe To Readly For A 6 Week Free Trial!

Julia Rose

JASON SZENES/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

On Sunday, Julia Rose and Lauren Summer—which are definitely their real names—made headlines when they flashed their breasts during the live broadcast of game 5 of the World Series.

While they didn't get quite as much attention as certain other attendees, they got enough to earn themselves lifetime bans from MLB events.



As far as I'm concerned, that's all great. Nudity is wonderful, being proud of your body is wonderful, and being an agent of chaos on live TV is among the best uses of anyone's time. But as it turns out, these women had much higher ideals in mind when they showed the world their breasts. They were apparently raising awareness for breast cancer, which, in case you weren't aware, is a type of cancer that occurs in the breast tissue and predominantly affects women. You probably hadn't heard of it before, because this is pretty much the first attempt at getting the word out—and there is no reason to think that awareness campaigns are the wrong approach entirely—but now that these women pulled up their tops at the World Series, you're finally aware, and you have the tools to contribute to prevention and treatment.



Oh, and they were also protesting the double standard that treats women's chests as fundamentally sexual objects, that need to be censored, while men are free to have their torsos exposed to the world without shame or fanfare. It's a fair point and the focus of the Free the Nipple campaign, which Julia Rose connects to their efforts. You can tell that this issue is particularly dear to these women because of the consistent effort they put into desexualizing their breasts. Almost every picture on their respective social media accounts practically screams, "It's just a chest, people! Get over it!"



Oh, and I almost forgot that they are also promoting Rose's digital magazine, SHAGMAG, which promises "SEX, BOOBS, SPORTS, UPCOMING ARTISTS & ENTREPRENEURS and a bunch of other fun surprises" and which Rose promotes as "the Millennial Playboy." It certainly sounds like the sort of place where you would find thoughtful discussion of feminist theory and women's issues.

Rose's mission statement puts it succinctly: "I wanted to create a (?)place that was fun but one that still had meaning. There is nothing wrong with sex and nudity, and wanting more of it but I definitely think our generation needs more of a voice. There are all these beautiful instagram models but who are they really? Who are the upcoming innovators and creators, and what the actual f*ck is going on in the world? So many questions and now there is an answer: SHAGMAG."



So… seriously? Obviously sex sells, and it's a recognized feature of our society that attractive young women can make solid careers out of selling it. If that's what they want to do, there's nothing to stop them, and there are some serious feminist arguments to be made for finding empowerment in the embrace of sexuality. But what does this half-assed veneer of selfless motives do for anyone?

Is your audience drawn in by the promise that SHAGMAG will explain "what the actual f*ck is going on in the world?" Or do they just want to look at some naked women? The entire business model is based on teasing at the edges of Instagram's nudity policy, so they can offer "exclusive and uncensored content" behind a paywall. So why bother appropriating Free the Nipple as your purpose—or breast cancer, for that matter—unless your goal is specifically to undermine the people who take these causes seriously?



As usual, the answer is probably to get people like me to write about it, and people like you to read about it, and it's clearly working well. Rose claims that SHAGMAG has already received $10,000 in new subscriptions, and she's planning future topless stunts.

Somehow it seems doubtful that any of that money is going to breast cancer research, but wouldn't it at least be nice if the shame of exploiting a good cause outweighed the temptation to draw in that extra attention? With that said, if you really want to pay a monthly fee to see an Instagram model naked, please consider any of the thousands of others who won't pretend they're being activists.