Understanding Women's Magazines explores the changing landscape of the women's magazine market. Tracing changes in women's magazine production, advertising and marketing practices, Gough-Yates analyzes the strategies and fortunes of a range of titles in a globalized market, including Elle and Marie Claire. She relates the revolution in the women's magazines' market to a consumer culture which has brought an increasing focus on consumer "lifestyles," and shows how magazines have tried to "get close to the reader" in their attempts to identify and target the "new" women of the contemporary world.