The Lady, and Women's Magazines

The Hypatia collection focuses on works written by, about or for women. One strength of the collection is the number of women’s magazines available. Some of these include feminist publications such as ‘Spare Rib’ alongside more traditional magazines such as The Lady. The collection therefore includes magazines with different target audiences and objectives which reflect the contrast in social ideals. The Lady magazine collection has a vast catalogue of editions spanning around 20 years (from 1971 to 1990).  Having been in publication since its founding in 1885 by Thomas Gibson Bowles, The Lady magazine is “widely respected as England’s oldest weekly magazine for women”. The Lady magazine is still in publication today, and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2010, showing its prolonged ability to adapt to changing audiences.

The magazine’s content includes advice columns, health, beauty, fashion, lifestyle, leisure, opinion articles and advertisements for properties and jobs. The Lady is well known for its advertisements for job opportunities such as housekeepers, nannies and other domestic roles and therefore can be of particular use when researching female work. As the Hypatia collection includes a large catalogue of The Lady magazines, spanning over two decades, it provides an invaluable insight into the social changes and context of the time. It demonstrates shifts in beauty and fashion trends, the concerns of women and the expectations for women within these periods.

 

References

The Lady’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/theladymagazine/about/?ref=page_internal (Accessed 30 January 2018)

Lowri Williams

Ellie Tosey

Sophie Clark

Bethan Gilson