The Magazines That Didn’t Try to Fix Me

A love letter to the ones that let me just be… me.

When I think back to the magazines I read growing up, a lot of them were—let’s be honest—absolute chaos. From the cupcake-coded quizzes to the relentless advice columns on how to make boys like you (pass), they often felt like they were trying to mould me into something I wasn’t. And as an autistic, Aspec, wheelchair-using kid? That “something” always felt miles away.

But this post isn’t about those magazines. It’s about the ones that didn’t make me feel broken. The ones that felt fun, silly, even safe. The ones that didn’t try to fix me.

So here’s a little shoutout to the print-based comfort objects that let me live my best glittery, music-obsessed life without telling me I needed to grow up, slim down, or get a boyfriend.

🎤 Top of the Pops Magazine

TOTP mag was basically your fun older cousin who let you borrow her CDs and didn’t shame you for liking cheesy pop. It was bright, chaotic, full of glossy posters and unhinged captions—and crucially, it didn’t make everything about dating.

You could fangirl over JLS or McFly or whatever your flavour of the month was, and no one tried to pathologise it. Also, Basil Brush showed up more than once. That alone deserves legendary status.

💿 Smash Hits

Smash Hits was unfiltered anarchy in magazine form. And I loved it. The fonts were wild, the jokes were weird, the interviews were barely serious—and they always printed the full lyrics to the latest bops. Even the ridiculous ones. Especially the ridiculous ones.

It wasn’t trying to be deep or dramatic. It was just pop culture chaos, and it made me feel like I belonged in the madness.

Daisy’s Corner:

“Smash Hits was the only magazine brave enough to print the lyrics to Barbie Girl without censorship. An icon. A rebel. A lyrical warrior.”

✨ S Club Style Magazine

Now this one was niche—but elite. S Club Style was basically a fan club disguised as a fashion mag. It had just the right amount of sparkle, music tips, and DIY gloss without ever feeling like it was judging you.

You didn’t need to be sexy or popular. You just had to like S Club and maybe want to recreate Tina’s outfit with some glitter glue and a Tesco budget.

🐶 Animals & You

Listen. Sometimes I didn’t want to read about crushes or “what your body is really doing.” I wanted to look at pictures of kittens and maybe do a quiz to find out which dog breed matched my vibe.

Animals & You was pure, wholesome, and never once told me to “flirt with my eyes.” A gift.

💌 Girl Talk (early issues)

Before it turned into a more stereotypical teen mag, Girl Talk was about pets, crafts, jokes, and harmless celebrity news. It felt soft and safe.

It was one of the first magazines I read that didn’t immediately make me feel “behind” or “wrong.” It just let me exist. And that was kind of everything.

🧃 Final Thoughts

Not every magazine from my childhood was kind to kids like me. But a few of them? They were fun, silly, and safe. They didn’t try to fix me. They let me be weird. Be loud. Be neurospicy. Be me.

So thank you, Top of the Pops. Thank you, Smash Hits. Thank you to the editors who didn’t see us as broken.

You raised me right.

Daisy’s Final Thought:

“The true test of a magazine’s worth is whether you’d hide it in your bag… or wave it proudly like a glitter-covered flag of rebellion.”