Reading is reading

Let me set the scene...I'm sitting at work on my lunch break reading a copy of Cosmopolitan, only to be met with disbelief from a colleague that not only was I reading this magazine, but that I had actually paid money for it and brought it into work to read. Quite honestly I was a bit shocked that someone was openly criticising what I was reading with a tone of 'I thought you were better than this'. This got me thinking, what message would this send if I was someone who didn't read a lot and this led to me never picking up a magazine or book again?
 You shouldn't feel embarrassed for what you choose to read, and you shouldn't be put down by someone else because of it. I can't imagine the upper class white males who created the canon would include my blog in with Shakespeare, but you're reading this and *hopefully* getting enjoyment out of it aren't you?
 At the end of the day, it all comes back to the 'value of literature' and what is seen as high and low brow. Just because I have a literature degree does not mean I cannot enjoy reading about the latest trends or about celebrities. I have grown up reading magazines; from the Beano to Girl Talk, to Smash Hits and Shout, my magazine taste has changed over time along with my sense of self. I like the action of going into a newsagents, scanning what magazines there are and picking one up. I like that what magazine I read is dependent on my mood and I like that you can read as much or as little as you like. As with books there's so much choice out there dependent on your likes and this isn't something that should change.
 Any form of reading should not be challenged or frowned upon, but rather celebrated because literature - any form of it - is a fundamental part of every day life and without it the world would be a very different place.

Jess x