Ms

Despite the genre's start-up of 'Rock for Choice' and consistent anti-racism/GLBT rights support, she somehow managed to list 'grunge' as an anti-feminist artifact the magazine survived. Ms. Lafferty is actually thankful Ms. has outlived a feminism which is important to the political consciousness of myself and many other gen-xers.

Instead of conceding her mistake, this same editor snappily responded to my letter with a sarcastic one. Age discrimination is this person's idea of progressive organizing. She does not care to realize that no feminist lives forever, and this magazine will fold if my generation and others are not taken seriously. Even agreeing on most other issues, we have little reason to continue subsidizing a project mocking our own generational identity.

Since Ms. is supposed to be a feminist magazine, I no longer need to subscribe. I am saddened by the lack of alternatives available in the 2004 media, but reason at least they will not insult my generation while then insisting they need our money to fight discrimination.

Ms. can fight discrimination only if it dumps Lafferty. Until then it is obsolete.


Definitely worth it   May 5, 2004
Edward Aycock (New York, NY United States)
13 out of 16 found this review helpful

Ms. is the most important women's magazine out there because it's about women as a whole, and not just diets and makeup and how to please a man. It's national and global news and spreads awareness without ever talking down to the reader. You may not always agree with it (I take particular offense at a 1993 cover story perpetuating the ritual abuse scare ... and the fact that it seemed like every woman who wrote in had been a victim of ritual abuse, a statistical impossibility) but Ms. encourages dialogue and feedback. I find it unfortunate that a reviewer of this magazine had a bad experience with the editor-in-chief and I hope she wrote back and demanded an apology for being rudely dismissed. You'll want to hold onto your issues long after you've thrown away those issues of "Jane." It's that worth it.


Needs a little updating   November 11, 2005
Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY United States)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

The very first issue of this magazine I read was their tenth anniversary issue from 1982, an issue my mother put away in my bottom drawer so I could read it when I was old enough. Looking back at that issue, which in turn looks back at older issues, and then looking at the issues since, it's dizzying to realise how far women have come in such a short period of time, and yet how far we still have to go before achieving full equality, rights, and representation. It's also downright scary to read some of these articles and updates about situations around the world and even in the United States itself; in many ways women in the U.S., as far as we still have to go, are far more fortunate than our sisters in places like Africa, Asia, the Mideast, and smaller towns in America. At the same time, such articles are not without hope, as they bring us the stories of women who are actively involved in making a difference in these other nations and smaller, more restricted, regions of America. I'm also glad that they no longer have ads in the magazine, and that they continue to run the "No Comment" segment on the back page, showcasing particularly shocking examples of sexist and misogynistic advertisements.

However, as other readers have noticed, this magazine can be too scholarly for some readers. While it's great to read these thoughtful in-depth articles about womens' struggles in other places around the world, sometimes you just want a change of pace and want something that's a little more lightweight, not so intensive in scope. People need to see that feminists aren't always so serious! I also agree that the magazine still has some way to go to reaching out to women of my generation and the younger generation (the tail end of Generation X and the older members of Generation Y), making these issues relevant to the third wave so that they won't dismiss the movement out of hand as being out of touch and outdated. Still, this is a great magazine, and I prefer it any day over something like Cosmo or YM.


Moving on Up   April 16, 2003
Katie (Oakland, CA)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

As a long time reader of this magazine I've noticed that, with the purchase of Ms. Magazine by the Feminist Majority, it's on the rise again! You get everything from current events to To-Do lists to book reviews. It is a must read for every feminist out there! Don't trust me? Read it for yourself.