Nice. Congratulations!

Thanks! Now I just have to wait for the feminist police to come and chastise us for being featured in a women's mag. ;)

Yes. And for knowing the phrase, "the new black."

No chastisement here, congrats!

But I will note that I find the cover of the magazine extremely troubling... a naked woman in a suggestive pose, right next to a big bold-lettered promise of weight loss tips to keep women hating their bodies the further in they read... disappointing.

Hopefully the mention of feministing will have a balancing effect, then, and the readers will flock to the blog and learn that you don't have to be skinny, beautiful, naked, or an object to be valuable. Maybe Marie Claire will even learn that one day :)

Oh, and I'm wondering when feminism was ever not fun?

Congratulations.... I agree, feminism was never not fun. :)

Hey hey! Congrats!

Obviously, the Marie Claire gang needs to catch a performance of The Guerrilla Girls on Tour's "Feminists Are Funny."

Congratulations, Jessica!

You gals have hit the big time!

--preachy but edifying commenter dd

Pandagon made Playboy, you guys made Marie Claire... Where will it end? Feminism must be threatening to all men as well as all non-fanatical women; to have any mainstream appeal is to shirk your feminist duty.

About "the new black," it's always stricken me as more ironic than real. As with being black, it's cool to be one superficially but not to really be one. So phrases like "dork is the new black" or "feminist is the new black" really mean that it's cool to say you're a dork or a feminist but not to really be either.

Well done, folks! You're rockin' the free world.

Alon, "the new black" is a reference to clothes, as in the little black dress, and not to race:

in the 1960s noted the prevalence of pink in the native garb. She declared that "Pink is the new black", meaning that the color pink seemed to be the foundation of the attire there, much like black was the base color of most ensembles in New York.

In the 1980s, the phrase was reappropriated to indicate that other colors (frequently brown, navy blue or grey) were temporarily displacing the position of black in fashion or industrial design; that is a versatile staple that complemented all other aspects, and was generally unobjectionable. The phrase quickly became lampooned for its simplistic nature; The Wall Street Journal soon declared that "White is the new black". It soon degenerated into a complete cliché and is now used in a great variety of contexts, mostly ironic in nature.

Cheers,

TH

Ah, how I enjoyed that Gilmore Girls episode where "green is the new pink."

Wow, you guys are getting so MAINSTREAM. Sell-outs. (I jest, of course.)

Congratulations!

Offtopic, but I would like to know, has anyone here seen this? (Via Digby). It seems CNN referred to Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi as 'damaged goods'. Did CNN really refer to her that way? Now - perhaps I read too much MZB as a child, but I believe that phrase traditionally referred to a woman who was no longer marriageable due to having been raped. This strikes me as amazingly misogynistic to say about her, whatever their reasoning.

If it's any consolation, this 46-year-old male trolls across your site and appreciates your keen insights....

I am a feminist, too.

Congrats on the exposure.

And... I do feel kind of conflicted about Marie Claire. "How Snacking Can Make YOU SKINNY"?? "My Baby Or My Job"?? I suppose it's always a good thing to gain exposure, especially to that demographic, but I'd be wary of becoming -too- "fun," or "cute," or any other word for the kind of stuff people don't take seriously.

Well I'm a big fan of being fun, but I don't know if anyone could call us "cute." ;)

While I think the publicity is great, I'm a little confused by the whole cover. It says "celebrate you" only to have the words "hot tricks for holiday hair and make up" to the side "be the life of the party" and "how snacking can make you SKINNNY"...so I should celebrate myself by focusing on what I should be changing or improving this holiday season and viewing Ashley Judd cupping her breasts in a shot that would be a better fit on the cover of Playboy then a woman's magazine? UGH!

The publicity is great but women's glossies promote traditional gender roles and sexism.

word dd, but you should check out the "revamped" marie claire...they're trying to lean feminist these days content-wise. i'm not saying that this negates all the consumerism and unhealthy body image stuff from the ads, but there are some mags that are better than others. actually, glamour is trying to do something similar. it's a start at least...i guess

This is completely OT, but, is there any way to send you guys an article that I think is worth some attention?

Well I'm a big fan of being fun, but I don't know if anyone could call us "cute." ;)

Not collectively, perhaps, but individually it's something else...

It'd be nice if magazines that didn't have content playing to women's anxieties about obtaining and keeping a man were big sellers. However, feminists have to work with the world we've got, not the one we want. Weirdly, if we had the one we wanted, there would be no need for activism.

"...have to work with the world we've got, not the one we want."

Whoa, uh, way to paraphrase Rumsfeld there...

Isn't there a place in feminism, though, for Ashley Judd holding herself (I mean, at least she looks like she could be one of her readers, and isn't some airbrushed 20-year-old with implants out to Wyoming), for dieting and dating tips for those who want them, and so forth?

I'm more worried about the unhealthy ads, which admittedly are still a problem with MC, but I have to agree with Jessica that the magazine is cleaning up its act. "How to be skinny" is fine with me; "Get rid of your fat thighs" or "Look good in a bathing suit by summer" is not. Some people want to be skinny; some don't. That's not a value judgment, and as long as it gets away from value judgments and towards options, I'm inclined to see that as progress.

Of course, if if MC did something about those dreadful ads, maybe fewer people would want to be skinny--but progress is still progress, and covering Feministing is part of that. So kudos to Jessica, and kudos to Marie Claire.

Cheers,

TH

The_becca, the difference is Rumsfeld was discussion the tool and I'm discussing the environment. How are we to change the environment for women while pretending that it's something it's not?

Also, Rumsfeld was defending a course of action that wasn't going to work. I suspect a lot of the people who don't want to befoul feminism by promoting it in the general media might also think true equality isn't a goal worth fighting for, but I do humbly disagree. Man, it really couldn't be different---invading a country with an army that isn't substantial vs. seeking ways to attract ordinary young women to feminism. I mean, it's *possible* that you think that Marie Claire readers could never actually be interested in feminism, so it might be alike that way.

Congrats!!!

I'm just thrilled that a women's magazine is willing to cover Feministing! I think that in itself partially redeems the magazine. So, basically, I have no issues with it being one of those evil women's magazines that talks about dieting.

Admittedly, the diet thing could go, but that's life right now.

We're making progress. :-)

You flashed your tits at them, didn't you, Jessica?

Glamour has had alot of feminist (that is, actually empowering) content for years. I haven't read Marie Claire for a long time and will give it another look.

As far as fun and cute. Feministing would lose readers if it was

fun but ugly
unfun but cute
unfun and ugly

so it's hard to strike that balance.

Whatever you galz are doing is right, because I see your bloglines subscription numbers go up every day.

I think it's worth pointing out that Ashley Judd is a self-described feminist. She has been on the cover of Ms. too. I think there should be room in the movement for her.

Congrats, Feministing!

I'm just thrilled that a women's magazine is willing to cover Feministing!

I know you didn't mean it this way, but that sentence makes me want to punch somebody, specifically, the editors of the women's magazines who dispense their monthly little how-to-be-a-female handbooks that continually reject straight-up feminist content. Gasp! The very idea! Woman-empowering weblinks in a women's magazine. Preposterous!

And, yes, I did have to bring it up. I think it was Ashley Judd's nakedness. Boobs, boobs, boobs. Hey, wanna buy some crap? Lookiee, boobs! I'm sick of it.

But, Marie Claire readers, welcome. I hope you find this site engaging, illuminating, and full of smart discussions. Unlike most of my posts. Heh.

you know, my initial thought on the cover was that Judd must be talking about breast cancer -- it's a fairly common shot for that kind of story these days. in fact though, the story's apparently about her work with YouthAIDS. the explanation being offered as to why she'd need to be naked to draw attention to this work is that the MC editor-in-chief wanted "an antidote" to the glittery materialism that most similar mags coat their covers in for the holiday season. (I would have thought a sweater or, god forbid! a sweatshirt would have done just as well, but whatever.)

It's also interesting to note that Ashley Judd scorned her inclusion on an FHM "sexiest alive" list, and said in an interview that the world would be a nicer place if such magazines didn't exist.

In other words, I don't think people should be talking about there being no room in "the movement" for a woman like that; or suggesting that Feministing would have done better to avoid mention in a magazine with a nekkid lady on the cover. Yeah, it would be great if the reason for snacking wasn't to be skinny. But I don't see any sudden shift in Feministing's articles to seduce its readers into body-hating or materialism. What possible harm could there be in people who pick up a Marie Claire hearing about this source of news as well?

I say, hot damn for the exposure and well done Feministing writers for updating and researching as well as you do -- not to mention for creating a space where every news item is met with active discussion!
And welcome to anyone who headed over from Marie Claire's pages.

Agreed on all points, ktb. I'm not even troubled by the cover photo.

And I share Judd's sentiment; I hate Maxim and FHM with the passion of a thousand burning suns. I would actually say they're much, much worse than Playboy, because Playboy does nothing more than acquiesce to an old-school "gentleman's sexism," while Maxim and FHM represent a more aggressively and intentionally misogynistic Girls Gone Wild male sexuality that winks and nudges at all sorts of things that Hugh Hefner would never approve of. It's disgusting. They have much more in common with Penthouse than they do Playboy.

I would be able to do coffee with Hefner without throwing up; I don't think his ideology is much worse than that of any other sexist old grandpa of his generation. But the editors of Maxim and FHM? Keep them the hell away from me. Larry Flynt too, for that matter--he's no hero to me. He is, in fact, one of the very few people on Earth who could actually make me root for Jerry Falwell.

And women's magazines, at their worst, are still better than Playboy. They never get anywhere near the level of moral depravity displayed by Maxim and FHM. I would happily write for, or agree to an interview with, any women's magazine. I can't say the same of Maxim and its ilk.

And I say this as someone whose problem with the magazine isn't the photography--it's the words. Someone who honestly reads Playboy for the articles is probably not going to be assaulted by repulsive bullshit. The same can't be said of Maxim, FHM, and Penthouse.

Cheers,

TH

Congratulations!

"Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed."--Elle Woods, Legally Blonde.

Congrats you guys (well, girls (okay, women)). I heart feministing :)

Congrats.

Although the appearance of this website in the magazine is sure to raise some eyebrows. Given the cover and all . . . . :)

Way to go.

Be forewarned: The fame is fleeting. Six years ago, a website I created about the Stanley Cup got mentioned in ESPN: The Magazine. It was cool to boast for a while, but it's better if you start a blog or cut a book deal or something. :-)

Jill--just the left one.

but with a biting sense of humor that keeps things punch, not preachy

Ugh. Women want dating advice? Women want information on how to lose weight? Yes, maybe some women do want to read articles on the these subjects, because as women we are constantly told we are never good enough. Thats not feminist, that's not pro-women. Also, while men's magazines such as Playboy and Maxium may contain nude or partially nude women that are airbrushed to perfection, they also contain articles about political issues, finances and men's careers. If women's magazines started publishing the same kind of articles, maybe women could focus on their lives, instead of their figures.

but with a biting sense of humor that keeps things punch, not preachy Can't it be both?

preachy scares people away

dhsredhead, have you ever actually read Maxim? I'm not complaining about the photos; I'm complaining about the articles. Seriously. It's nasty, nasty stuff.

Cheers,

TH

I just went to Maxim to find a really disturbing example, and couldn't. Hrm. Interesting. Either they've cleaned up their act a little bit or I need more sleep.

Cheers,

TH

TH, I remember a piece in Maxim about how to turn a woman from a "man-hating dyke" to a baby-voiced, insipid, pink-lingerie wearing, catering-to-the-patriarchy sex toy in four easy steps, with pictures. Remember, women are easy to manipulate, and they really just want to please you, men! I also find their political commentary a little ridiculous. It's not very insightful, IMHO. Even their sports stuff is a little banal. Mediocre publications that keep themselves afloat by objectifying women.

I also find it funny that Mitchell said you should have gotten a book deal, Jessica, when you're totally publishing one next year.

Lastly, I've had a girl crush on Ashley Judd since high school. Not only will I make room for her in the movement, but I'll save her a seat.

Right--at its best, Maxim is insipid. At its worst...thanks for reminding me of that piece. I remember reading it now, and it was definitely disgusting.

Cheers,

TH

I think dhsredhead is really on to something here. I can't understand why we can't have a woman's magazine that is also intelligent and features social and political commentary, probably with a focus on women's issues. It could also have fashion articles and beauty tips (why not?), but I think it's quite insulting that every women's mag out there is just about fluff. Just because you're a woman, you're not supposed to be interested in anything besides clothes, beauty, relationships and babies?