The Far End of the Newsstand: 'CO-ED Magazine'
"A few years ago I read that you cannot be truly successful unless you love what you do for a living. To say that I love CO-ED is an understatement. To me, CO-ED is like the euphoria you feel when you're in college. It's the freedom and the feeling that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to."
So writes David Allen Liebler, President and Founding Publisher of CO-ED, a new magazine that bills itself as "The Best of College Life." CO-ED just appeared on the newsstand like an apparition. A dewy, plaid-skirted apparition in knee-high socks beckoning with a lollypop.
It's easy to see why Liebler loves his job so much: his two-page publisher's letter is accompanied by five photos of him with gorgeous college-aged girls in various midriff and cleavage-enhancing outfits. We haven't seen so much free-range chicken on parade since that Fourth of July barbecue we went to at Frank Perdue's.
From cover-to-cover, CO-ED is a PG-13 print version of Joe Francis' frightfully successful Girls Gone Wild video series despite the fact that—this is brilliant!—it's aimed at the wild girls as much as the guys who love to ogle them.
CO-ED's got the Maxim-esque non-nude photo spreads (replete with the girls'—some of whom are freshmen— schools and majors) alongside helpful service articles ("How to Spot a Fake ID") and pictorials that show you the proper way to do a keg stand. So, you see, it's a magazine for everyone!
CO-ED's alternatingly pervy and perky worldview splits the difference between Barely Legal and Legally Blonde: Frankly, it's barely worth picking up (you can download a free copy here after giving over your precious info). That said, we'll offer you some highlights.
(Oh, and for an added frisson sure to make you want to eat Humbert-Humbert pie, try reading this oily rag on the subway across from a 15 year-old girl like we did.)
· "Post your pictures in our searchable photo gallery," request by Publisher David Allen Liebler, p. 14
· "We need the following from you: Photos of you and your friends doing crazy things around campus. Like studying," request by Executive Editor Kirk Miller, p. 16
· "Going Down South," caption on a photo of a girl named Robyn from Tulane, p. 21
· "I have a problem cuz one of my boobs is bigger than the other and it's noticeable...," question to the advice columnist, p. 25
· Ultimate Spring Break Online, article, p. 49
· "Need to discreetly snap some pics? Use one of these sexy little digital cameras to document all your sick fetishes," display text accompanying a camera buying guide, p. 51
· Favorite thing about college: "Living with other girls my age," quote accompanying photo of Juli, a senior from Michigan, p. 65
· Kim Longschlongenstein, Nate Poontanger, William Manhandler, names of characters in "Co-Ed Dorm," a cartoon on p. 103 (co-authored by David Allen Liebler)
· "So that's what I ate last night!," caption accompanying a photo of a girl vomiting in an article called Top Ten Cures for Hangovers, p. 151
· INK: Show Us Yours, a 9-photo spread of (mostly) girls' tattoos, almost all of which are near their lower backs/panty lines, p. 170
· "Pole To Pole: We go inside the wild world of college strippers," teaser for issue 2, inside back cover.
We don't know about you, but we're working on our pitches already. How about an etiquette column ("When it comes to beer bongs, the lady always goes first"; "One way to smooth out the awkwardness of a date rape is with a simple thank-you note"). Maybe a make-over piece ("Turning science lab geeks art department chic!"). And then of course there's the classic careers piece ("Turning your unhealthy obsession with college kids into a semi-lucrative business").
We even have a writer in mind for that one.
CO-ED Magazine [Official site]