Bitch (magazine)
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''Bitch'' was an independent, quarterly
alternative magazine Alternative media are media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media (such as mainstream media or mass media) in terms of their content, production, or distribution.Downing, John (2001). ''Radical Media''. Thousand Oaks, CA ...
published in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
. Its tagline described it as a "
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
response to
pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...
", and it was described in 2008 by ''
Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, ana ...
'' as "a respected journal of cultural discourse". As a feminist publication, it took an
intersectional Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of adva ...
approach. ''Bitch'' was published by the nonprofit feminist media organization ''Bitch Media''. The magazine included analysis of current political events, social, and cultural trends, television shows, movies, books, music, advertising, and artwork. Its print magazine had about 80,000 readers. The magazine's publisher, Kate Lesniak, estimated that it had an online readership of 4.5 million. On April 12, 2022, it was announced that ''Bitch Media'' would cease operations in June 2022.


History


Founding

The first issue of ''Bitch'' was a ten-page feature, ''Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture'', which started as a
zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...
distributed out of the back of a station wagon in 1996, published in January 1996 in
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. The founding editors,
Lisa Jervis Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), ...
and
Andi Zeisler Andi Zeisler (born c. 1972, New York) is a writer and co-founder of ''Bitch Media'', a nonprofit feminist media organization based in Portland, Oregon. Biography In 1994, Zeisler graduated from the Colorado College with a BA in fine art. After ...
, along with founding art director Benjamin Shaykin, wanted to create a public forum in which to air thoughts and theories on women,
gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...
, and feminist issues, interpreted through the lens of the media and popular culture. In a 2008 interview Zeisler stated that the zine published content of interest to the editors and which wasn't available elsewhere. Prior to founding the magazine, Jervis and Zeisler had worked as interns at '' Sassy'', another feminist magazine. Later speaking about the decision to name the magazine "''Bitch''", Zeisler stated that it was inspired by
reclamation Reclaim, reclaimed, reclaimer, reclaiming or reclamation means "to get something back". It may refer to: * Land reclamation, creating new land from oceans, riverbeds, or lake beds * Dedesertification, reversing of the land degradation in arid ...
of the word '
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
' by the
LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...
. The editors viewed the word '
bitch Bitch may refer to: * A female dog or other canine * Bitch (slang), a vulgar slur for a human female Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television * ''The Bitch'' (film), a 1979 film starring Joan Collins * ''Bitc ...
' as associated with a derogatory description of outspoken women so thought it best to claim the word in advance." Other reasons for the name included its capability to intrigue people, and the word's use as both a verb and a noun. Zeisler stated that: "Having the word 'feminist' in the magazine subtitle has been far more controversial than having the word 'bitch' in the title... the word 'bitch', for better or worse, has become part of our cultural lexicon. Yet 'feminist' is still one of those words that people find very hard to understand."


Expansion

In 2001, a loan from San Francisco's Independent Press Association allowed Jervis and Zeisler to quit their current jobs and work on ''Bitch'' full-time and the magazine officially became a non-profit. Around that time, Shaykin left the magazine. By the early 2000s, the magazine had achieved a readership of about 35,000, which grew to 47,000 by 2006. The magazine was the subject of an obscenity controversy when it published a
dildo A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for sexual penetration or other sexual activity during masturbation or with sex partners. Dildos can be made from a number of materials and shaped like an erect human penis ...
advertisement on its back cover for its Fall 2002 issue. Responses to this were mixed, and ''Bitch'' later published varying opinions about the incident from letters sent by readers. Later interviewed about the events, Zeisler expressed that there had been a certain naivety about the impact of placing the advert on the back cover. The
U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
contacted the magazine and stated that copies of the issue would be considered obscene literature and would have to be distributed in black polybags. ''Bitch'' celebrated its 10th anniversary in August 2006 by publishing a ''Bitch'' anthology entitled ''BITCHfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine''. Edited by ''Bitch'' founders Jervis and Zeisler, ''BITCHfest'' includes essays, rants and raves, and reviews reprinted from previous issues of ''Bitch'' magazine, along with new pieces written especially for the anthology. In March 2007, ''Bitch'' relocated from its offices in
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
, to
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
. In 2009, the ''Bitch'' nonprofit changed its name to ''Bitch Media'', covering expansion beyond publication of the magazine. The magazine's 50th issue was published in 2011. That same year, ''Bitch'' won an
Utne Reader ''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne'') ( ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...
Independent Press Award for Best Social/Cultural Coverage. In 2011, ''Bitch'' partnered with feminist
media critic Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly ...
Anita Sarkeesian Anita Sarkeesian ( ; born 1983) is a Canadian-American feminist media critic and public speaker. She is the founder of ''Feminist Frequency'', a website that hosts videos and commentary analyzing portrayals of women in popular culture. She has ...
to create the video series '' Tropes vs. Women''. The series examined common tropes in the depiction of women in media with a particular focus on
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
. As of 2012, ''Bitch'' hosted the Bitch YA Book Club for young women and girls, which focused on
young adult literature Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...
. The reading group's online blog included a forum for club participants. ''Bitch Media'' also hosted podcasts, and a college speaker series, "Bitch on Campus". "Popaganda" was hosted by Amy Lam and Sarah Mirk, who discussed politics, news, and media. "Backtalk" was hosted by Amy Lam and Dahlia Balcazar, who reviewed and discussed the week in popular culture through a feminist lens.


Decline and closure

''Bitch Media'' experienced difficulty funding its magazine in its final years. On April 12, 2022, ''Bitch Media'' announced they would be shutting down the publication after 26 years. The magazine's last issue was released in June 2022, for its Summer edition. ''Bitch Media'' ceased all operations the same month. According to ''Bitch Media'', its website would keep archives of its publications available for the "foreseeable future".


Notes

* Jervis, Lisa and Zeisler, Andi, Harpo eds. (2006) ''BITCHfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine''. New York:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...
.


External links

*
"Bitch Media cofounder Andi Zeisler on the word "Bitch"

Guide to the Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture Records at Duke University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bitch (Magazine) 1996 establishments in Oregon Cultural magazines published in the United States Feminism in the United States Feminist magazines Intersectional feminism Magazines established in 1996 Magazines published in Portland, Oregon Magazines published in the San Francisco Bay Area Political magazines published in the United States Quarterly magazines published in the United States Third-wave feminism Women in Oregon Women's magazines published in the United States Magazines disestablished in 2022