History of women's magazines

Last updated

This article addresses the history of women's magazines.

In 1693 the first issue of the first women's magazine in Britain, The Ladies' Mercury , was published. [1] [2]

In 1857 the first women's magazine in Gujarati, Streebodh , was established by Parsi social activists. [3]

In 1886 the first Malayalam women's magazine, Kerali Sugunabodhini was published from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. [4]

In 1892 the first women's magazine in Egypt, and indeed in all the Arab countries, [5] [6] Al Fatat , was established by Hind Nawfal. [7] [8] [9] Another women's periodical, Fatat al-Sharq (Arabic : "فتاة الشرق) was first published in 1906. [10] [11]

In the period before the American Civil War, Godey's Lady's Book was a United States women's magazine that was the most widely circulated magazine. [12] [13] Its circulation rose from 70,000 in the 1840s to 150,000 in 1860. [14]

In 1919 Mabel Malherbe of South Africa founded the first Afrikaans women's magazine, which was called Die Boerevrou. [15]

Published from 1934 to 1945, the NS-Frauen-Warte , the Nazi magazine for women, [16] had the status of the only-party-approved magazine for women [17] and served propaganda purposes, particularly supporting the role of housewife and mother as exemplary. [18] [19]

In 1952 the first English language women's magazine in Ceylon was founded and published by Sita Jayawardana. Titled Ceylon Woman it had a tagline "The Premier women's magazine of Ceylon". It covered fashion, society events and short stories. The magazine helped launch a generation of designers and artists.The magazine also ran an annual fashion show and various other cultural activities to raise money for social causes.

In 1963 Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique was published; it is widely credited with sparking the beginning of second-wave feminism in the United States. [20] [21] In Chapter 2 of the book Friedan stated that the editorial decisions concerning women's magazines at the time were being made mostly by men, who insisted on stories and articles that showed women as either happy housewives or unhappy careerists, thus creating the "feminine mystique"—the idea that women were naturally fulfilled by devoting their lives to being housewives and mothers. Friedan also stated that this was in contrast to the 1930s, when women's magazines often featured confident and independent heroines, many of whom were involved in careers. [22] However, historian Joanne Meyerowitz argued (in "Beyond the Feminine Mystique: A Reassessment of Postwar Mass Culture, 1946-1958," Journal of American History 79, March 1993) that many of the contemporary magazines and articles of the period did not place women solely in the home, as Friedan stated, but in fact supported the notions of full- or part-time jobs for women seeking to follow a career path rather than being a housewife. [23] These articles did however still emphasize the importance of maintaining the traditional image of femininity. [24]

In 1992 the first women's magazine in English to be published from North East India, Eastern Panorama , was established. [25] [26] [27]

Satree Sarn Magazine was Thailand's first women's magazine. [28]

Caitríona Clear has conducted research on Irish women's magazines. [29]

Related Research Articles

The Culture of Domesticity or Cult of True Womanhood[a] is a term used by historians to describe what they consider to have been a prevailing value system among the upper and middle classes during the 19th century in the United States. This value system emphasized new ideas of femininity, the woman's role within the home and the dynamics of work and family. "True women", according to this idea, were supposed to possess four cardinal virtues: piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness. The idea revolved around the woman being the center of the family; she was considered "the light of the home".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Friedan</span> American feminist writer and activist (1921–2006)

Betty Friedan was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the second wave of American feminism in the 20th century. In 1966, Friedan co-founded and was elected the first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), which aimed to bring women "into the mainstream of American society now [in] fully equal partnership with men.”

<i>Godeys Ladys Book</i> American womens magazine

Godey's Lady's Book, alternatively known as Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book, was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1898. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civil War. Its circulation rose from 70,000 in the 1840s to 150,000 in 1860. In the 1860s Godey's considered itself the "queen of monthlies". After several changes, it ceased publication in 1896.

Equality feminism is a subset of the overall feminism movement and more specifically of the liberal feminist tradition that focuses on the basic similarities between men and women, and whose ultimate goal is the equality of both genders in all domains. This includes economic and political equality, equal access within the workplace, freedom from oppressive gender stereotyping, and an androgynous worldview.

Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, ending with the feminist sex wars in the early 1980s and being replaced by third-wave feminism in the early 1990s. It occurred throughout the Western world and aimed to increase women's equality by building on the feminist gains of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

<i>The Feminine Mystique</i> 1963 book by Betty Friedan

The Feminine Mystique is a book by American author Betty Friedan, widely credited with sparking second-wave feminism in the United States. First published by W. W. Norton on February 19, 1963, The Feminine Mystique became a bestseller, initially selling over a million copies. Friedan used the book to challenge the widely shared belief that "fulfillment as a woman had only one definition for American women after 1949—the housewife-mother."

<i>The Second Stage</i> 1981 book by Betty Friedan

The Second Stage is a 1981 book by American feminist, activist and writer Betty Friedan, best known for her earlier book The Feminine Mystique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Collins</span> American journalist, columnist and author

Gail Collins is an American journalist, op-ed columnist and author, most recognized for her work with The New York Times. Joining the Times in 1995 as a member of the editorial board, she served as the paper's Editorial Page Editor from 2001 to 2007 and was the first woman to attain that position.

During the 1960s, the United States underwent a sexual revolution. The revolution was a social and cultural movement that resulted in liberalized attitudes toward sex and morality. Social norms were changing as sex became more widely discussed in society. Erotic media, such as films, magazines, and books, became more popular and gained widespread attention nationally. Sex was entering the public domain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village Creek (Norwalk, Connecticut)</span> United States historic place

Village Creek is a coastal community in the South Norwalk neighborhood of the city of Norwalk, Connecticut which was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2010. It is also the name of a creek upon which the community is built. Managed and maintained by the VCHOA, residents are entitled to access a private beach, marina and tennis courts.

The NS-Frauen-Warte was the Nazi magazine for women. Put out by the NS-Frauenschaft, it had the status of the only party approved magazine for women and served propaganda purposes, particularly supporting the role of housewife and mother as exemplary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The personal is political</span> Political slogan and argument of second-wave feminism

The personal is political, also termed The private is political, is a political argument used as a rallying slogan by student activist movements and second-wave feminism from the late 1960s. In the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s, it was seen as a challenge to the nuclear family and family values. The phrase was popularized by the publication of feminist activist Carol Hanisch's 1969 essay, "The Personal Is Political." The phrase and idea have been repeatedly described as a defining characterization of second-wave feminism, radical feminism, women's studies, or feminism in general. It has also been used by some female artists as the underlying philosophy for their art practice.

Al Fatat was a women's magazine published in Alexandria, Egypt. The magazine was the first Arab women's magazine and was one of the earliest publications in the country. It was published from 1892 to 1894. Al Fatat is the forerunner of the women's magazines in the Arab countries.

This is a timeline of feminism in the United States. It contains feminist and antifeminist events. It should contain events within the ideologies and philosophies of feminism and antifeminism. It should, however, not contain material about changes in women's legal rights: for that, see Timeline of women's legal rights in the United States , or, if it concerns the right to vote, to Timeline of women's suffrage in the United States.

Betty Bone Schiess was an American Episcopal priest. She was one of the first female Episcopal priests in the United States, and a member of the Philadelphia Eleven: leaders of the movement to allow the ordination of women in the American Episcopal Church.

The following is a timeline of the history of feminism.

Patricia Hill Burnett, born Patricia Hill, was an American portrait artist and women's rights activist.

Talk to My Back is a 1980s manga series by Murasaki Yamada, serialized in Garo and published in Japanese by Seirindō. The English version is published by Drawn and Quarterly, with Ryan Holmberg as the translator.

References

  1. ↑ Anzovin, item 4454, p. 294 "The first advice column appeared in the first issue (dated Feb 27, 1693) of the first magazine for women, The Ladies Mercury, published by London bookseller John Dunton. The entire magazine, filling both sides of a single sheet, was devoted to the advice column, which offered expert replies to questions submitted by readers on the matters of love, marriage, and sex."
  2. ↑ Kathryn Hughes. "Women's magazines down the ages | Media". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  3. ↑ Achyut Yagnik; Suchitra Seth (24 August 2005). Shaping Of Modern Gujarat. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 88–91. ISBN   978-81-8475-185-7.
  4. ↑ Pradeep, K. (2016-03-18). "A magazine much ahead of its time". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  5. ↑ Werner Ende; Udo Steinbach. Islam in the World Today: A Handbook of Politics, Religion, Culture, and Society. Cornell University Press. p. 639. ISBN   0-8014-6489-7 . Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Mervat F. Hatem (12 April 2011). Literature, Gender, and Nation-Building in Nineteenth-Century Egypt: The Life and Works of 'A'isha Taymur. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 114. ISBN   978-0-230-11860-7 . Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Boutheina Khaldi (24 December 2012). Egypt Awakening in the Early Twentieth Century: Mayy Ziydah's Intellectual Circles. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 46. ISBN   978-1-137-23530-5 . Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  8. ↑ Mona Russell (13 November 2004). Creating the New Egyptian Woman: Consumerism, Education, and National Identity, 1863–1922. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 58. ISBN   978-1-4039-7961-2 . Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  9. ↑ Earl L. Sullivan (1 January 1986). Women in Egyptian Public Life . Syracuse University Press. p.  172. ISBN   978-0-8156-2354-0 . Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  10. ↑ البلوي, فاطمة (2017). "نساء من أرض مدين". مجلة الاستهلال: 224. doi:10.37299/1591-000-013-040.
  11. ↑ Baron, Beth (1994). "Readers and the Women's Press in Egypt". Poetics Today. 15 (2): 217–240. doi:10.2307/1773165. ISSN   0333-5372. JSTOR   1773165.
  12. ↑ "Godey's Lady's Book archives". Onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  13. ↑ Rose, Anne C. (2004). Voices of the Marketplace: American Thought and Culture, 1830–1860. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, p. 75, ISBN   978-0-7425-3262-5.
  14. ↑ Fackler, Mark; Lippy, Charles H. (1995). Popular religious magazines of the United States. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, p. 241, ISBN   978-0-313-28533-2.
  15. ↑ Women Marching Into the 21st Century: Wathint' Abafazi, Wathint' Imbokodo. HSRC Press. 2000. pp. 254–255. ISBN   978-0-7969-1966-3.
  16. ↑ "The NS Frauen Warte"
  17. ↑ "German History". GHDI. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "NS-Frauenwarte: Paper of the National Socialist Women's League"
  19. ↑ "German Propaganda Archive". Calvin. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  20. ↑ Betty Friedan, Who Ignited Cause in 'Feminine Mystique,' Dies at 85 - The New York Times, February 5, 2006.
  21. ↑ Addison, Heather; Goodwin-Kelly, Mary Kate; Roth, Elaine (2009). Motherhood misconceived: representing the maternal in U.S. film. SUNY Press. p. 29. ISBN   978-1-4384-2812-3.
  22. ↑ Friedan, Betty (1963). "The Happy Housewife Heroine". The Feminine Mystique. W. W. Norton. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  23. ↑ Joanne Meyerowitz, "Beyond the Feminine Mystique: A Reassessment of Postwar Mass Culture, 1946-1958," Journal of American History 79 (March 1993): 1455-1482.p.1459
  24. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (2013-02-18). "'The Feminine Mystique,' Reassessed after 50 Years". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2015-09-22.
  25. ↑ "Magzter". Magzter. 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Assam Spider". Assam Spider. 2014. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Assam Times". Assam Times. 10 November 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  28. ↑ "THAILAND-WOMEN: Oldest Women's Magazine Succumbs to Cash Crunch". Inter Press Service News Agency. 5 March 1996. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  29. ↑ Murphy, Judy (2 June 2016). "Taking a leaf out of magazines for book". Connacht Tribune . Archived from the original on 3 June 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.