The famous psychologist Sigmund Freud is reported to have asked on his deathbed, “What do women want?” Most of you will think that if someone as perceptive as Freud couldn’t figure it out, there isn’t much hope for the rest of us. Indeed, sometimes even women feel they don’t know what they want – out of life, the people around them, and even themselves. Women are easily able to admit when they’re feeling lost and needing some direction, so they turn to many different resources to help them out in their everyday dilemmas. Friends, relatives, self-help books, all can offer useful advice, but one of the basic sources of a woman’s wisdom has always been the women’s magazine.
      Women have had a special relationship with magazines since time immemorial, when the first women subscribed to Cavewoman’s Weekly for advice and tips on interesting topics such as: how to debone mammoth meat, gathering plants and berries helpful for combating the common cold, and how to grow strong hair so that when your caveman dragged you to his cave, you would still maintain a luxurious crop. In the Middle Ages, women had to read in secret, because it was seen as socially unacceptable for women to be educated, and often they would have women’s magazines smuggled in between the pages of their prayer books (the only items of literature they were allowed to read). The nineteenth century saw a return of reading matter aimed specifically at women, and it is said that Elizabeth Bennett consulted Godey’s Lady’s Book in order to choose what to wear to the ball where she first captured Mr. Darcy’s heart. Next>