LiveWorld Transcripts

Women.com presents

Lesley Jane Seymour
Redbook Editor-in-Chief

January 21, 1998

Redbook Editor-in-Chief Lesley Jane Seymour discusses her favorite celebrities and those who have graced the covers of the acclaimed magazine. Seymour talks to the audience about her everyday life as an editor, Redbook’s diverse readers, and the focus of past and upcoming issues.

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HomeArts: Home Arts and the Talk City Network would like to welcome you to today's talk with Redbook Editor-in-Chief Lesley Jane Seymour. Lesley Jane Seymour hosts her monthly on-line chat to learn what you really think of Redbook. She'll listen to your ideas, answer your questions, and share a few anecdotes from her busy life. Welcome to Home Arts Live and Talk City Lesley!

Lesley Jane Seymour: Good to be here! I always like talking to readers--in fact, it's my favorite thing to do. Either read reader mail or talk to readers. So, you wanna talk about celebrities! What do you want to know?

Wicked Says: Do you think we've become celebrity-obsessed?

Lesley Jane Seymour: Yes, absolutely. And I'm not sure why, except that they have become so close to our lives that we feel we know them very well and they are now our icons. And certainly nobody could look up to models so celebrities were the next thing. The problem is, celebrities are so overplayed now I wonder if their importance is going to be lost at some point soon. The point being when they become everywhere and when they have said everything a thousand times, do we hear them anymore? That's my question.

Whereowhere Says: Are there celebrities you just know will sell more magazines if you put them on your cover?

Lesley Jane Seymour: I hope so! And I'm trying to pick the right ones. But, it's a very dangerous game - you readers are very fickle. One day you like someone, and the next day you don't. So who would you like to see on the cover? That's what I want to know. You can write to me at lesley@hearst.com and tell me who you want. Vote for your favorite celebrity.

Possum Says: What's it like juggling a busy family life with your editor-in-chief role?

Lesley Jane Seymour: It's insanity. Every day is a new surprise.and I'm never quite sure it's all going to happen the way I want it to.and sometimes it won't. And, as every mom who is busy knows, sometimes you just have to let certain things go. And not freak out about it. But do I do everything right every day? Absolutely not.

Tcchakra Says: Any tips for the newly weds just starting a house and home, and husband?

Lesley Jane Seymour: Ahh-hh. Well, hopefully that's what Redbook is all about. In fact, you could say it is a handbook for newlyweds who are trying to create a life for themselves. Who are trying to have a house, have kids, have a romance - and still have a life for themselves. We specifically try to address how to keep your love alive in a relationship, how to not fight about money, how to keep loving and respecting each other as time goes on.

Micky Says: How do the new generation of women differ at all from previous generations?

Lesley Jane Seymour: I think the most important thing is that we know we can't have it all. And that sacrifices are going to be made in certain areas; we are more realistic, so instead of looking for "having it all," we are looking for balance.

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