Popular Women’s Magazines in America, Past and Present
Subscriptions for magazines published specifically for women nearly match magazines for all other genres put together. The format and presentation have changed throughout the years, but the idea behind many women’s magazines has remained the same, catering to a desire for fashion and a need for housekeeping tips. Other categories such as career tips, health and fitness have become popular in the last century.
In the early days of magazine distribution, most ‘women’s publications’ were spin offs of popular general magazines. The first independent American women’s magazine to succeed was the famous Godey’s Ladies’ Book, originally published in 1830. The main editor was female, unusual in that day and age; Sarah Hale was a strong woman with modern ideas and is credited as being a quiet forerunner of the early feminist movement. She also was a driving force behind the institution of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, and is reputed to have written ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’.
The Godey’s Ladies’ Book was a staple of the American woman’s household for years, and set the tone for what would be the accepted format for women’s magazines for years to come. The highly personable style and feeling of personal connection between the readership and the editor added to the magazine’s appeal, which also included surveys, answered reader questions and provided a link between women in all classes of society. It was a particular favorite of pioneer women during the Westward Expansion, supplying a much needed link to home and civilization.
The notion of a prepaid magazine subscription was unknown at the time, so it is a testament to the quality of Godey’s Ladies’ Book and the devotion of its readership that it survived. Many earlier magazines had failed due to the struggling postal system and difficulties with distribution, but the Postal Act of 1784 helped resolve some of these issues and by the early 1800’s magazine subscription delivery by regular mail was well instituted.
Godey’s was followed by the Delineator in 1863, which was published by one Ebenezer Butterick. He provided fashion tips from the leading cultural centers of the world at that time - New York, London and Paris - and often included tissue paper dress patterns for women to use to copy the latest styles from abroad. McCall’s followed in 1874 (under the original title The Queen - Illustrated Magazine of Fashion), and Vogue in 1892. These were the forerunners of today’s popular magazine subscriptions, and the pattern companies are still in existence. Harper’s Bazaar, first published in 1867, was originally more of a newspaper type format showcasing high fashion from Germany and Paris.
From the beginning of the 20th century clothing became mass produced, and women could afford to buy dresses ‘off the rack’. It was with the advent of the world wide fashion industry that the focus of women’s fashion magazines shifted away from actual dressmaking tips towards being a guide to the goods available on the market. Being ‘in style’ remained a feminine goal and a driving force behind many women’s magazines.
The next style of magazines to become established on a country-wide basis included the Ladies Home Journal in 1883 and Good Housekeeping in 1885, both of which still enjoy wide circulation. They focused more on consumer tips and personal advice than fashion, and became a favored venue of readership interaction, with readers writing in to ask for advice or share tips and recipes. This correspondence between women through the medium of such publication only served to strengthen the common bond between the female half of society.
These types of general interest magazines included illustrations, stories and other attractions similar to those found in the fashion publications. With the advent of World War One, many women’s magazines became more narrowly focused on the need for the middle class housewife to learn how to fend for herself as ‘having servants’ in the States went out of style. This was due in a large part to the war effort; since ‘going into service’ in a wealthier family’s home was not the only option for young women, hired help became scarce and expensive.
Woman’s Day Magazine, founded in 1937, was the first publication that was deliberately geared from its first issue to provide advice for the average housewife. Originally available only at A&P stores, its circulation rapidly climbed to over 3 million subscribers. It focused not just on cooking and housekeeping tips, but introduced interior decorating as a topic for the women’s magazine industry.
With the close of World War Two, women previously urged to join the workforce were encouraged to return to domestic roles. However, many opted to remain in the workforce which resulted in a demand for magazines geared for the career woman. Several publications started and failed before Ms. and Working Woman debuted in the early 70’s and found a readership eager for tips on career building, workplace fashion, and finding a balance between job obligations and home life.
Emphasis on parenting and family relationships remains a strong influence in the women’s magazine market, and a host of specifically targeted publications such as Parent’s Magazine, American Baby and Family Circle enjoy healthy subscription and newsstand sales. Pregnancy and post pregnancy magazines are also popular.
The increased awareness of fitness in America has given rise to a whole subset of magazines devoted to health and exercise. Many of these are geared towards the female demographic, and overlap with the fashion circles as models become increasingly slimmer and more toned. Most women’s publications have a certain degree of common ground, as the emphasis on looks is stressed in American media - targeting women in particular.
Cosmopolitan Magazine, founded in 1886, was originally a domesticated magazine featuring a large amount of fiction. The magazine did a large about face in the sixties, appealing to a wide range of young women who had no plans for early marriage, children or a domesticated existence. Currently the magazine reaches out to the modern under thirty female crowd, and is the most popular subscription magazine in that demographic.
The underlying market for all types of women’s magazines remains strong in the 21st century, and even online publications seem unlikely to replace the glossy monthly publications beloved of women everywhere!
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