Niche Literature, Feminism, and You

In "Feminist Perspectives on the Media," Liesbet van Zoonen outlines the various sects of feminism, their views, and their channels/views (or lack thereof) in/about the media. The article covered a lot of ground, but I found myself focusing on specific things in my reading.
I saw a pattern and felt that women and fashion magazines were taking a lot of flak, some of which I believe was unfairly dealt. Romance novels and pornography definitely deserved the flak, though. That's all I'll say about them.
Anyway, magazines are part of what I think of as niche literature. The way I see it is that people buy and subscribe to magazines to read articles pertaining to a specific genre and catering to a specific demographic. They represent values and hobbies, and when someone immerses his/herself in them, they can help to structure that individual's identity. It's interesting to note that some see certain magazines as perpetuating sex-role stereotyping and they are therefore contrary to the feminist agenda; but there are others who see certain magazines as a vessel of liberation for the average, everyday, oppressed and unappreciated woman. I don't really see them as either. I see them as being marketed to a specific demographic. Whether or not that particular demographic actually exists seemingly doesn't really matter, considering some of these magazines have been around for decades.
In some ways the idea of niche literature could promote the intellectual development of women by allowing them to independently carve out niches and choose their community.