Feminism and Women's Magazines

From their beginning more than three centuries ago, women's magazines have provided a public arena for debates and discourses about women's role in society. Their popularity is due not only to their offering a space for public discussion of women's concerns, but also for providing their readership with suggestions for and guidelines on everyday life issues, such as improving private relationships, beautifying the body, managing the household, spending leisure time, and buying and using commodities in the proper way. Many historical and cultural accounts have emphasized this medium's responsibility in contributing to the rise of women's consciousness of their identity as women, and in exciting the feeling of belonging to a group with specific interests and needs. They have been defined as the only products ...