The Cookie Has Crumbled
When Cookie launched back in 2005, it was around a period of time where a lot of my friends were starting their families. These were the new breed of yuppie-mom who were more likely to live in the city, buy organic, and make playdates at the local pub (yes, in Williamsburg there was a mommy cocktail hour at a local bar). It was luxurious, and it catered to the upper-middle class woman who had a career, loved fashion, enjoyed cooking, and also just so happened to have kids who they also wanted to keep hip and stylish.
To me, it was not much of a surprise that Cookie folded – right now people care more about substance over style, and Cookie presented a world that was not sustainable in these trying times. While the glossy publication proved aspiration for young moms, unfortunately it was not a realistic one. When a working mom is in the supermarket and sees a cover for Cookie, a glossy, high-end looking publication, next to Woman’s Day which tells you how to get dinner on the table for $10 or less, I would have to say that today’s mom will grab the magazine that speaks to her NOW. Today’s woman is concerned about money, her kids, and being able to manage her home in addition to work. Parents can afford to spend their money at Target for their kids’ back to school wardrobe, not Bergdorf’s. Also, a Tahitian vacation may sound wonderful, but Disney is a bit more realistic, you think?
After reading a bunch of mommy blogs, while many mothers didn’t feel that the glossy didn’t particularly speak to them, they did enjoy that the editors treated them as not just mommies, but as people who had interests outside of their children, who wanted to enjoy good food, not necessarily looking for shortcuts for everything, who weren’t constantly in the “mommy bubble.” Perhaps other parenting magazines can take a cue from where Cookie succeeded, without all the yuppie stuff, since new parents really, really find it crucially important to keep their identity while transitioning into family life.
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