I thumbed through a copy of Above magazine this evening. This issue, in fact:

It’s a parody, right? Paint a windblown model green and add a tag saying “for the earth.” But as my friend pointed out, “she actually researches vertical farming and stuff.” Indeed, she does. Plus, there’s an article on the Florida wetlands that’s decent, and the photography’s pretty fly.

Here’s what Above says about itself:

Above magazine is made by and for those who recognize that the true appeal of beautiful objects and places derives from their inherent rarity and fragility. For them, desirable often means simple rather than extravagant, and living more responsibly without succumbing to self-righteousness is one of the greatest forms of sophistication.

The transcendentalist-chic rhetoric matches the content. Mostly.

Above’s latest issue featured thoughtful articles on suspension artist Claire Morgan and photographer Richard Rothman, stories about environmentalists, fashion spreads and compelling graphics which, while somewhat inaccurately presented (see the “Billion Dollar O-Gram” on page 46 for obvious discrepancies), might be the most effective way for our generation to understand information.

Some of it comes across as attractive greenwashing. Some of it’s pretty solid. I still don’t know what’s up with the extra-thick pages, but at least it’s nicely presented.

I feel conflicted about it. My respect’s high for the art, iffy for the sustainability. Anyone can bank off of environmentalism right now—it’s sexy. Really sexy. So I get suspicious. On the other hand, if they’re reaching a certain audience with good messages, it’s not a bad thing, right?

Now that my college is half-finished, I’m on the prowl for magazines that might publish my writing. Funny how that softens one’s criticism. If the world were smaller and I were a phenomenal writer, I’d just aim for Orion and National Geographic without bothering with other things. For now I’ll just aim for more skill, more exposure, and more experiences and see where that takes me.

Or I could just become a model.