DEFUNCT WOMEN'S MAGAZINES

I used to buy ‘pregnancy and birth’ late 90s I think ? I was a teenager and I should not have been into that but I wanted a baby (my dm went mad when she found them and I lied and said it was from my child development gcse class and was part of research for a project !) when in reality I was up to all sorts with a pregnancy obsession 🤦

I adored Jackie as a young teen then graduated into Just17 (when I was about 15)

I also absolutely loved Misty. It was a bit like Bunty but all the stories were supernatural. Some of them were utterly terrifying. I'd love to read that again...

I liked Easy Living. It covered a wider range of subjects than most women’s magazines.

Today, I found a copy of Bunty from 1993. It appeared to be aimed at 8-12 year old girls and had lots of cartoon stories, including old favourite The Four Marys.

I do remember Catch, but I read Mizz and Just 17 more (especially when it was the monthly mag, J17). Ah, the 90s were the days, back when the cover girls wore satin and glittery lurex plus a tiara and hair mascara, plus some face and body glitter to top it all off. These magazines had their own slang, “fave”, “spesh”, “boyf”, “sussed”, “thang” etc.

Shout was the magazine your mum would rather you read. It wasn’t sensationalist or raunchy at all, but it did cover some difficult subjects such as bereavement. Shout had an agony aunt called Cathy who promised a personal reply to everyone who wrote to her. I never wrote in myself, but I always thought Cathy deserved a round of applause for doing that.

I think Red is about the only one of these in print now. Such a shame, I used to love my magazine fix. So much more relaxing than scrolling online.

I was interviewed for Honey more years ago than I care to remember. 1980s. I can’t even remember what it was about! I think a neighbour was the writer and I fitted some category she was writing about.

I LOVED it.

I used to love Minx magazine, I still have the black vest. Also B and Company were good.

Nice to see so much love for Red. In a previous life I was a long term freelancer on the editorial team. Loved it.

One of my best memories is sitting for a fortnight next to a couple of Met police officers who were doing a stakeout on a drug den opposite the Bauer offices in Camden. Very exciting.

Ooh magazines! Do they still sell them? I’ve not been in a newsagents for decades. My mum used to buy She and I always had it when she was done.

I’m sure I must’ve bought them too, but I can’t remember any I bought regularly. When I was first married, my neighbour used to give me all her interiors magazines, Country Life etc.

yes, Woman's Weekly was full of knitting magazines
I used to see it often (60s-70s) as a family friend used to pass hers on to my mum
it also had a problem page, I think Mary Marryat was the person answering, every so often there would be an answer where the question wasn't printed, eg
Dear Miss S, what you describe is quite normal but you may find it reassuring to consult your family doctor
Dear Mrs B, please make every effort to put these thoughts out of your mind and concentrate on your husband and children

I used to pore over these...trying to make sense of them. I don't think people appreciate now how difficult it was then to get information!

I loved Easy Living & Red. Such a pure form of inspiration & escapism.

It really was! i didn't know that about about them getting sued for copying Red magazine.

Real magazine was absolutely FANTASTIC til they got done for using a red tab logo like Red magazine but it was way better! If any journos are on here please bring it back!! X

I like the look of Easy Living

Many of the ones mentioned I liked, especially New Woman and Mizz.

But I also loved Easy Living magazine. (I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet...) I still have a pair of oven gloves that I got from there as a free gift. (Around 2009.)

I liked Nova, Great photography, and fashion shoots. It closed when I was in my teens.

This reminds me of my lovely late MIL who got loads of mags - Top Santé, New Woman etc and she would always give me a bundle of them to take home when we visited her 💖

I can still remember ordering my Jackie to be delivered every Wednesday to the local newsagents, (8p) and the pure delight of going to collect it and relishing every page once I got home.

YES! I did this too. And then graduated to Just 17. They were the days!

I loved magazines, Look-In, Just 17 and More as a teenager 😆.

When I started working at 16, I didn't fit in with the older ladies at work and spent my lunch reading magazines as i wasnt into chatting about hosting BBQ's or picking wallaper etc, probably bought at least one everyday.

Chat was my favourite, think you can still buy that now though.

I can remember Bella, Best, Women's Weekly etc.

Was it Women's Weekly that always had a Knitting pattern?

I deleted mine when musk turned weird

I still have dozens of cuttings of the toys and sewing patterns from Woman's Realm and Woman's Weekly in the 1970s and 80s. Plus a few Jackie knitting patterns. They were brilliant!

The hot pink one??? I loved mine ❤️

Gosh how could I have forgotten She magazine? I think those were the days when the high street did amazing clothes too, so magazines were really exciting and had really well written features.

Miss those lovely beach bags that came free with the summer issues. I loved the denim bag that came free with Elle and a gorgeous clear pvc tote one time.

I always say you could kit yourself out for your summer holidays at your local newsagents via the free gifts with magazines - sunglasses, beach mat, beach bag, a novel or two to take with you to read, flip-flops, make-up bits, skincare in dinky sizes, make-up bags, evening clutches... it was amazing.

(Anyone remember Dr David Devlin on the last page? 🍆)

My entire sex education is down to Dr David Delvin in my mum's SHE and also Cynthia Heimel who was a columnist I think for Cosmo. She Magazine was very feisty and feminist but relatable and real.

I still comb my hair with a wide toothed comb that came free with Mizz Magazine in 1991.

I was suffering with my first UTI, too embarrassed to tell my mum and read about them in MIZZ.

Eternally grateful, quick trip to Boots followed.