I chose this topic because I wanted to expand my knowledge of feminist theory, for future conversation and referencing. I also thought it would give me some historical insight as I am looking towards a career in historical curation or something similar. Next to this, I also have a keen interest in publication design and studying magazines seemed to give a good insight into this.
1. Initially I discussed the first magazines made, this included the Ladies Mercury, created 1693. This was a direct result of economic changes, causing upper and middle class women to have increased leisure time. The magazine had a problems page which is comparable to modern magazines today. I then discussed the English Woman's Domestic Magazine, produced 1853, which was again a result of status change, with more women becoming housewives. Their master stroke was affordable fashion, which is something that has been carried forward in magazines throughout time. Finally I mentioned Peg's Papers which was introduced in the 1920s which was a fictional magazine produced for working class women, usually about 'cross-class romance'. Previous to this they would have had 'Servant's Magazine', so Peg's Papers would have been a refreshing change.
2. I then discussed suffrage pamphlets. Quite a few were created underground in 1850s and one of the most well known was 'Suffragette' which was made by Emmeline Pankhurst's daughter, Christobel. Publishers kept being shut down, the urgency and cheap quality, even the distribution reflects a lot about the status of women at the time. I also briefly mentioned health pamphlets made in the 1910s, in particular ones produced to inform on sex and contraception - which were illegal to distribute at the time.Once the pamphlets were produced the creators would sometimes flee the country.
I thought it was important to mention that at this time printing required a sizeable budget, so even though these publications were made from a position of subversion, they still don't entirely reflect the worries and thoughts of working class women.
3. I also wanted to mention that during the 20th Century, advertising became more prominent in women's magazines. It became the case that magazines had to appeal equally to advertisers and the female market. This explains why a lot of magazines aren't very political as advertisers don't want to associate with any kind of statement.
4. I then discussed modern day 'Glossies', which typically cover sexuality, fashion, careers and celebrities. I wanted to mention that there is a big debate about glossies and if they allow feminists to indulge in fashion, sex and appearance with independence or if they oppress women, suggesting they have to look a certain way to be accepted.
5. I also then did a study of feminst outlier publications, such as 'Nova' and 'Riposte'. These were more about design and liberation, they want to shock and intellectually provoke. Nova especially was very ahead of its time but only reflected the opinions of a niche amount of people. They were trying to sell to the 'new woman', which didn't quite exist yet.
6. Finally, I looked a participatory media and zine culture in the 1990s. Zines are interesting as they probably more reflective of women's views at the time, as they didn't have to go through editors, advertisers or publishing houses. Very raw. However they were only made by a select number of women and cannot be said to really reflect women's status at the time.
In terms of the practical I found several quotes that inspired an idea. Several writers were saying that the first historical magazines were being forgotten and it was important for young feminists to know about their roots. I was suggesting that I could create a delicate publication that would be in the style of one of the first women's magazines, with current content as its focus. I thought this could be inspiring and significant, indicating to women the importance of the past.
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