At the convenience store, you see the faces of Natalie Portman, Johnny Depp, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and other famous people on the covers of magazines. In People, US Weekly, Star, and other gossip magazines, it’s all about the celebrities, famous and up-to-date, and all the latest updates in style and trends based on them. But did it seriously happen that way—or happen at all? With people everywhere believing everything in those useless, understated magazines sucking them in with the fame and prestige of celebrities, the demand for the latest gossip is out of control! Plus, reading gossip magazines are simply just a waste of time and energy. The articles in gossip magazines must not be relied on and trusted for the following reasons: the news in it might just be rumors and suspicions, pictures might just be taken from a distance or may have been edited so the picture or the story behind that picture real, and editors might’ve twisted and switched around a phrase so it didn’t even come out of the celebrity’s mouth!

Although the news about relationships, conflicts, and other gossip readers find in a magazine can be entertaining, captivating, addicting, and can even be surprising, it’s most likely that it’s not even the truth—and could really waste a reader’s time. For instance, literature experts say that more that 75% of the content in a gossip magazine is not even true—but is certainly believable. It is even said that if you don’t touch a gossip magazine for a decade at all, you will become a well-focused person. Since statements in a magazine are believed, apprehended, and trusted, millions of people are seduced into their scam, supporting and enhancing the demand for millions more copies of those issues. These “news” statements are completely pointless, and they won’t provide real information. Gossip magazines are basically just false statements used to conceive and entice Americans, to buy more copies, using national celebrities as bait. Besides the fact that prattle and “up-to-date news” in gossip magazines may just be back stories, suspicions, and rumors, pictures may be changed up and distorted after they’ve been taken and may also be judged by what’s in the picture—and not the real story behind the picture.

Did you ever notice that an abundant number of pictures in gossip magazines are blurry and the celebrity in it may not even be facing the camera? This is another way you can find out the truth in a gossip magazine—the pictures! If it’s not a photo shoot, don’t even bother looking at the pictures. Like any normal person, celebrities all over Hollywood, California need privacy, but usually don’t get it. Nevertheless, if they’re doing things they don’t need other people to know about, paparazzi end up raiding in, taking a ton of photos. And the next thing you know, it’ll be “the next big story” on the front cover of a gossip magazine. Besides privacy problems, software and technology usage has increased. With that, gossip magazine pictures that are shown for proof to help support the story are actually illusions. With a single click of a mouse, a visual editor of a magazine could make you look like the ugliest person in the world. Still not convinced? The pictures that could’ve been edited on the computer are not just what’s wrong with gossip periodicals; words and phrases of what a celebrity could have said could’ve been distorted too.

Apparently, quotation marks aren’t what they’re worth anymore—judging from the acts of reporter of a gossip magazine. When reporters go out and search for a new story, they might look for a celebrity to confide and divulge with. They might ask questions like, “How’s life over there in Hollywood?” or “Do you have a celebrity crush?” or even “How’s your experience at the movie set?” Then, they could simply turn any phrase around. If Taylor Swift, one of the most famous country singers in America, clearly explained her life was “exciting and every second is something she would never forget,” a reporter could just alter everything in that sentence. Instead, they could put down that Taylor Swift hates her life. The outcome of this could be, “I hate my life. My fans won’t leave me alone and I hate every single minute of my music career. Why, you might even find a headline, “Taylor Swift is Depressed” or “Taylor Swift: A Fan Hater?” on the cover of a gossip magazine too. And that is, in fact, how 90% of all gossip magazines work. Did you know that anything in a gossip magazine could disintegrate the self-esteem of your favorite star? Robert Pattinson, Selena Gomez, Ke$ha, and Justin Bieber are all people we want the latest update on these days, but how would you know that what’s on a magazine is really what came out of the celebrity’s mouth? Gossip magazines can even hurt the career of your favorite star if millions continue to believe what’s in them. So, next time you go to the store and see a magazine with your favorite star on it, will you pick it up?

Clearly, magazines are a waste of time, no doubt. As much entertainment a gossip magazine provides doesn’t matter; they’ll do nothing but fool you into giving them your money, and in return you get false statements and “up-to-date news” about celebrities and stars. Again, gossip magazines must not be encouraged and trusted for the following reasons: it’s filled with rumors and suspicions, pictures may have been edited or may have been taken from a different from a different point of view, so the story behind it may not be real, and editors and reporters could’ve easily twisted phrases and sentences so it didn’t even come out of the celebrity’s mouth. And you, the readers, can support and encourage these reasons by doing something to help. You can tell relatives, friends, anyone, that gossip magazines are just lies printed on pieces of paper sold out to the public. Additionally, you can also avoid them at the store—and don’t look at them or pick them up, and it won’t suck you in. But, one thing is certain: you must not buy or read them. Who knows? You could spend about $200.00 or more on magazines every year. So maybe just watch the news, read a newspaper, listen to the radio, or just look up the celebrity’s name on the Internet. Together, we can drive gossip magazine businesses out of business. Will you a) buy a gossip magazine that will manipulate you into buying more or b) help stop the demand so it doesn’t allure a single person again? Maybe Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Eminem, and Victoria Justice can help you decide. So—is it truth or dare?