Writer Kate Long posted this letter from The Lady magazine, sent in 1977, to Twitter yesterday, and it was widely shared.
And lastly for today, The Lady magazine 1977 rejects an advertisement for language reasons:
Long posts these vintage clippings twice a week – she's been doing it for about three years.
My Guy 1980 gives advice to boys.
She told BuzzFeed News: "I read a lot of mags like this, ranging from the youth titles such as Jackie and Mates, through the glossies and more specialist titles like Spare Rib."
"It’s just a personal hobby, possibly prompted by the fact I was never allowed such magazines as a teenager myself."
Two Sixties playwrights interviewed.
"In my reading, I’ve been struck by how incredibly sexist we were only a few decades ago, actually in my lifetime (I’m 50)."
Those Sixties playwrights again:
"Because I was only a child in the 70s, I didn’t fully appreciate how dire this country was for women before the Sex Equality Act."
Argh.
"And although a lot of the clippings I post are designed to make people laugh..."
God, yes, imagine his shock and disappointment.
"...outrageous fashions, silly advice on how to deal with boyfriends..."
And lastly: hurrah, ladies, we CAN make a positive contribution to UK industry!
"...some of the material is very dark indeed."
Horrible behaviour by French officials, from 1975:
"I have several examples on problem pages of young girls writing in to say they’re being pressured for sex by much older men, and getting very little help from the agony aunt."
"Kids effectively being told it’s their responsibility to sort it out."
(The above cuttings are from My Guy magazine.)
"There’s a particularly vile article from a woman’s magazine called Eve – no relation to the modern title, I think..."
A judge in 1975 on the subject of rape:
"...where the journalist waxes lyrical about 'the lighter side of rape'."
"Calm down, you poor, hysterical cow."
"I once posted an extract from that, but got so worried that it would upset people, I took it down."
Oh, cheers.
If you want to see the article in question, it's here.
What does this even mean?
She added: "So although I post to entertain other Twitter users, I’m keen to convey the message that the good old days were not so good for women..."
And women in the 1975 press:
"...and we have a lot to be thankful for and we owe a debt of gratitude to the people who fought for equal rights."
Further gains for 70s women:
"I know there is still lots of sexism about, but as we struggle on up the mountain, we need to pause sometimes and look back at how far we’ve come and what we’ve left behind."
Chat-up lines I still use.
BuzzFeed News also got in touch with Matt Warren, the current editor of The Lady.
He sent us a selection of covers to show how the magazine has changed over the years. The cover on the left comes from 1977 and the one on the right from 1974. As he says, the covers also show how much things have changed: "For a start, they only cost 10p in 1974. ... In a 1974 a picture of a rusty anchor on Glasson dock was deemed to be a draw. Who says women aren't interested in commercial shipping?"
He added: "Nor were cover lines the clever confections they are today. Back then, 'Tradesman's Signs' would get the readers salivating. One thing hasn't changed, though. Beauty sold magazines then as it does now."
He also sent us this fascinating cover from exactly 100 years ago.
