It’s the end of season one! And what better note to end on than right back where we started: with the OG of having it all, Cosmopolitan.It’s October 1992 and Lucy is at the helm as the Mag Hags navigate post-Thatcher pre-Loaded gender politics to explore the timeless editorial territory of: has feminism been bad for men?There’s a recession on, but that doesn’t seem to have dented Cosmo’s advertising coffers because this magazine is HUGE. We have, inexplicably, four entire pages about the concept of Being Blonde. A...
It’s the end of season one! And what better note to end on than right back where we started: with the OG of having it all, Cosmopolitan.
It’s October 1992 and Lucy is at the helm as the Mag Hags navigate post-Thatcher pre-Loaded gender politics to explore the timeless editorial territory of: has feminism been bad for men?
There’s a recession on, but that doesn’t seem to have dented Cosmo’s advertising coffers because this magazine is HUGE. We have, inexplicably, four entire pages about the concept of Being Blonde. And there’s a feature about the women who have affairs with other women – which has aged like an outdoor shellfish buffet on a hot summer’s day.
Plus: the Mag Hags pay homage to the bygone era of women’s mags providing essential service journalism. And Cosmo recommends its readers try out temporary tattoos. Too cute.
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LINKS
READ - Power and the production of subjects: a genealogy of the New Man and the New Lad, by Ros Gill
WATCH - Men Behaving Badly on ITVX
CHAPTERS
03:35 – Intro to Cosmopolitan, October 1992
09:30 – “All you need to know about abortion”: A reminder of the comprehensive service journalism women’s mags offered their pre-internet readers
11:47 – “Poor darlings”: Writer Michael Bywater skewers men who are butt-hurt they aren’t getting more thank-yous from women
26:38 – *An ad break from 1992*
29:02 – “Are you going through a lesbian phase?”: INTERNALISED BI-PHOBIA KLAXON Cosmo attempts to unpick the hidden phenomenon of ‘lesbain tourism’. It’s every bit as problematic as it sounds so do skip ahead if you’d rather
46:13 – Fashion and beauty tips from 1992
48:55 – “More than just a blonde”: An exploration of that now-extinct creature: the Bimbo
56:24 – What’s hot and what’s not in 1992?
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Mag Hags is written and hosted by Lucy Douglas and Franki Cookney.
Editing and audio production by Franki Cookney.
Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Additional music: Leotard Haul, Dez Moran. Both courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.
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