Sassy (magazine)

''Sassy'' magazine was a general interest teen magazine aimed at young women. Now defunct, it covered a wide variety of topics, and was intended as a feminist counterpoint to '' Seventeen'' and '' YM'' magazines. ''Sassy'' existed between 1988 and 1996.

History and profile

The magazine was founded in March 1988 by an Australian feminist, Sandra Yates, CEO of Matilda Publications, who based it on the teen magazine '' Dolly''.
Women Aglow, an evangelical women's group, boycotted ''Sassy'' due to its content about sexuality immediately following its start.

Editorial staff

''Sassys founding editor was Jane Pratt. The magazine's original main writers were referred to by Pratt as "Sex" (Karen Catchpole), "Drugs" (Catherine Gysin), and "Rock 'n Roll" (Christina Kelly) because of the topics they covered. Executive Editor Mary Kaye Schilling became Editor-in-Chief in 1990, when Pratt went on to host a daytime talk show. When Schilling left, Christina Kelly was promoted to Editor and remained in that position until the magazine's end. Kelly hired Erin Smith of Bratmobile as her intern in 1991. The fashion department was headed by Mary Clarke, Jacinta Dobson, and Andrea Lee Linett, who discovered Chloë Sevigny on the street and hired her as an intern. The distinctive look of the magazine was created by Cheryl Collins, who had worked at Australia's ''Dolly''. When Collins left, Schilling hired Noel Claro to art direct the magazine.

Publishers

''Sassy'' was first published in March 1988 in the United States by Matilda Publications with a circulation of 250,000. It was acquired by Lang Communications in October 1989, at which point its circulation was 450,000. Petersen Publishing officially took over with the February–March 1995 issue, and its editorial offices were moved to Los Angeles from New York City. It then stopped publishing as its own title in 1996, when editorial sections (and staff) of ''Sassy'' were absorbed into another magazine published by Petersen called '' `TEEN'' beginning with the January 1997 issue.

''Dirt'' magazine

In 1992, ''Sassy'' spun off a short-lived title for teen boys called ''Dirt: Son of Sassy''. It was created by Mark Lewman (words), Andy Jenkins (art direction) and Spike Jonze (photos), who went on to direct music videos and feature films. They were collectively known as "the Master Cluster." According to Canadian author Douglas Coupland, "''Dirt'' was a funny and smart magazine for young people".

Reader-produced issues

''Sassy'' anticipated "crowd sourced" content by over a decade, starting with their "every single little thing in this issue is reader-produced" December 1990 issue. Originally conceived by Alan Goodman's and Fred Seibert's Fred/Alan Inc., Sassy advertising agency.

Sassiest Boy in America

''Sassy'' conducted an annual search for the Sassiest Girl in America, and in 1990, ''Sassy'' magazine conducted a search for the Sassiest Boy in America''.'' Over 150 entries were received, with the eventual winner being Ian Svenonius of Nation of Ulysses. In the story highlighting his selection, Pratt states, "He's going to be a big deal. I'm sure he will be and we're going to be so proud that we were the first ones to discover him." However, it was discovered that Svenonius wasn't a "boy" at all, but rather lied about his age, as he was 22 at the time of his selection—too old, per contest rules. He was allowed to retain his title.

Chia Pet

''Sassys in-house band was named after the Chia Pet, with various members from the editorial staff, including Jane Pratt on violin, Mary Kaye Schilling and Christina Kelly on vocals, Kelly's then-husband Robert Weeks on guitar, her then-sister-in-law (and ''Sassy'' writer) Jessica Vitkus Weeks on bass guitar, Mary Ann Marshall (also a ''Sassy'' scribe) on drums. Karen Catchpole lent co-lead vocals to some songs including "Hey Baby" and "Don't You Want Me Baby". The band once opened for The Lemonheads at iconic now-closed New York City rock club CBGB.

Releases

* ''Hey Baby'' — CD single of original songs
# "Hey Baby"
# "Lunch"
# "Blind Date"
* ''Tannis Root Presents: Freedom Of Choice'' — various-artists pro-choice fundraising CD of 80s cover songs
16. "Don't You Want Me Baby"

Book: ''How ''Sassy'' Changed My Life''

In April 2007, Faber and Faber released a tribute to and history of ''Sassy'' by former ''Teen Vogue'' editor Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer called ''How ''Sassy'' Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time''. The book recounts the magazine's rise and fall; its unusual appeal to both men and women, teenagers and adults; and its influence on mainstream as well as alternative women's magazines. It includes interviews with staffers and fans.

In popular culture

Jill Sobule's " Supermodel" features several lines lifted from letter to the editors printed in ''Sassy''.

See also

* ''Jane'' magazine
* ''Dolly'' magazine
* "''Sassy's'' Sassiest Boys"

References

External links

''The Sassy Era''
at WWD

''Sissy Magazine'' at Blairmag: the lost December 1994 issue -- Sassy's Last Issue Ever




''KICKING SASS -- sassy's dead. R.I.P. Sassy. And it's about damn time.''

Why Jane Pratt's "Jane" never quite lived up to Jane Pratt's "Sassy"






Cute Band Alert: How ''Sassy'' magazine created a new sex object.




(archived site that went offline in 2006; may contain dead links and broken images)







* ttp://www.forward.com/authors/marjorie-ingall/ Recent articles by ex-Sassy writer/editor Marjorie Ingall
Confessions of a Sassy Girl article by writer Mengly Taing


NPR's Talk of the Nation on Sassy, April 25, 2007
* February 1990 cover

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514171326/http://www.thejumpingfrog.com/si/1175177.html , date=2008-05-14

Exploring Sassy Magazine's Role as a Pioneer of Social Media

1988 establishments in California
1996 disestablishments in California
Lifestyle magazines published in the United States
Defunct feminist magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1988
Magazines disestablished in 1996
Defunct magazines published in Los Angeles
Defunct magazines published in New York City
Defunct teen magazines published in the United States