Linda.

Linda de Mol is the first woman in the Netherlands to have a personality magazine successfully dedicated to her. Much of the credit for this success goes to the initiator Rozemarijn de Witte. Partly inspired by the magazine O. The Oprah Magazine, she came up with the concept for Linda at the beginning of this century. Initially, Linda de Mol said she didn't want to know anything about it. It was only when her friend Rozemarijn showed her a ready-made sample copy that she changed her mind. 

In the end, De Mol not only lent her name and approval to the magazine, she also remained very involved. For example, she was on the cover of almost every issue and faithfully wrote an 'editorial'. In her first contribution, she stated that the magazine was intended for women like her: 'a stubborn control freak with a hole in her hand'. The target reader was between 20 and 45 years old, highly educated, busy with love, work and friends, curious and full of life. The concept was a hit: the first issue, printed in a circulation of 125,000 copies, sold out within five days.

Contents

The topics covered often have a direct link to the world of Linda de Mol. A look behind the scenes of a film she plays in, a report on a world trip the De Mol family makes, the characters from the television series Gooische vrouwen highlighted or an interview with her brother, media tycoon John de Mol. Like every glossy, the magazine also contains many beauty tips, fashion reports, celebrity news and large photos. There is also room for articles that tie in with current social themes, such as breast cancer, asylum seekers or adoption. 

In Linda, Linda de Mol also tried to deal with her 'ideal daughter-in-law reputation'. In her 'Editorial', she is not averse to statements such as 'that you let yourself be photographed in your Sunday best, naked, from all sides and that no man can lift it up. That's really bad.' A quote that is further emphasized by the design. She also does not shy away from candid stories about cosmetic surgery and confesses that she had to get in the mood for sex after giving birth.

Controversy and success

From time to time, Linda came under fire. The magazine was in the news in 2010 when a gigolo was raffled off as a welcome gift for new subscribers. In early 2022, a scandal arose around the television program The Voice of Holland, where several employees, including Linda's husband Jeroen Rietbergen, were said to have been guilty of inappropriate behavior. As a result, an issue with the theme 'Happily Divorced' was postponed and Linda did not appear on the cover of the magazine for a year. In September 2022, there was criticism of an issue that featured nine well-known slim women with small breasts on the cover. Dutch journalist and author Tatjana Almuli felt that the image was insufficiently diverse. 

In the meantime, Linda continues successfully, with a considerable circulation of more than 150,000 copies sold per issue. In addition, several spinoff titles have been created, such as L'Homo, Linda.mode, Linda.meiden and Linda.wonen. 

Linda in the KB

The KB has all issues of Linda in its collection. You can request them for inspection via the KB catalogue (application number TE 17628). The spinoff titles can also be viewed in the KB reading room.

References

• Magazine! : 150 jaar Nederlandse publiekstijdschriften / red.: Marieke van Delft, Nel van Dijk, Reinder Storm. Zwolle: Waanders, cop. 2006. Request number: 5227695.
• Linda. Jrg. 1 (2003). nr. 1
• www.lindamagazine.nl