On Saturday morning, curiosity got the better of me. I was walking past a handsome old building partly hidden by trees and discovered it was a public library. I wandered in, expecting quiet stacks and perhaps a few students. What I didn’t expect was the You magazine counter.
Behind the front desk stood several women, checking out piles of You magazines. For a moment I thought they were buying them — maybe a Saturday-morning sale I’d stumbled upon. But when I asked, the librarian smiled and said, “No, these are on loan.”
It was a small revelation: in 2025, when so many magazines have vanished or gone digital, You is still being read — and eagerly so.
That morning stayed with me. You magazine is everywhere in South Africa, not just in cities. I know a retired couple living on a large farm in Namibia who read it religiously and tackle the crossword every week. Here in Cape Town, a friend still buys it mainly for the crosswords. Pick up a copy anywhere and you’ll find something — a human story, a celebrity snippet, a recipe, a laugh — that keeps you turning the pages.
So what explains the enduring magic of You?
Let’s look beyond the numbers (though they’re impressive enough: about 91,000 copies sold weekly, reaching 1.5 million readers). The magazine’s real power lies in understanding who South Africans are — and what we want from a magazine that feels both familiar and a little daring.
1. The National Watercooler
South Africa is a patchwork of languages, cultures, and opinions. You doesn’t try to solve that; it gives everyone something to talk about. It’s the print equivalent of a national braai. The mix — from political gossip to a celebrity wedding, from consumer rights to a medical miracle — mirrors real South African conversation: lively, unpredictable, and democratic.
Its “real life” stories act as social glue. Love, loss, resilience — these emotions cut across every divide. A teacher in Pretoria and a farmer’s wife in the Karoo can be equally moved by the same story. That shared experience makes You part of the national rhythm.
2. The Comfort of Trust — with a Dash of Spice
Part of You’s strength is its tone. It’s never highbrow or condescending. It talks like a friendly, well-informed uncle or aunt — explaining complex health issues in plain language, giving advice without preaching, and mixing empathy with entertainment.
But there’s another side to it that people don’t always mention: You can be surprisingly racy. The magazine ventures into topics many South Africans might only whisper about — relationships, intimacy, taboos. Just glance at Dr Louise’s advice column. She tackles everything from marital strife to, well, queasier confessions like “I have feelings for my dog.”
That kind of raw honesty shocks some, but it also fascinates readers because it acknowledges what people actually talk about behind closed doors. You provides a safe, printed space for those human confessions that don’t quite fit into polite conversation.
This sense of personal intimacy — that the magazine knows what people really talk about — has been one of its quiet superpowers for nearly five decades.
3. Legacy, Ritual, and Reach
Being part of Media24 gives You unmatched reach — from supermarkets and petrol stations to libraries and salons. You can’t travel far in South Africa without seeing it. But ubiquity isn’t enough; habit is the real secret.
The weekly frequency fits perfectly into people’s lives: frequent enough to stay fresh, not so constant as to feel disposable. Buying You becomes a small ritual — a predictable pleasure in an unpredictable country.
In the End
Amid the noise of digital feeds and short attention spans, You magazine remains gloriously human. It’s not just pages of ink; it’s a shared living room — warm, a little chaotic, sometimes scandalous, always welcoming.
That’s why, nearly fifty years after its launch, You continues to thrive where so many others have faded. It’s a national conversation in print — one that still has plenty to say.
