''Dolly'' (stylised in all-caps) was an Australian bimonthly

teen magazine Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts. The teen magazine industry ...

started in 1970 by Fairfax Ltd. in

Australia and New Zealand Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

, and purchased by ACP in 1988. The magazine became an online-only publication, and the print edition ceased, in December 2016. In June 2020, the magazine was purchased from the

Bauer Media Group Heinrich Bauer Publishing (german: Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG), trading as Bauer Media Group, is a German multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Hamburg. It operates worldwide and owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 ...

by Mercury Capital. ''Dolly'' was the basis and inspiration for '' Sassy Magazine'' (1987–1996) in the United States. The magazine was aimed at teenage girls (13–17 age group) and covered celebrity news and gossip, fashion and beauty and various feature articles attractive to female teenagers and dealing with issues that are faced by this age group and gender. The magazine produced over 400 issues and as of 2007 had a readership of 505,000. Dolly now exists only as a website containing games, information on upcoming issues, quizzes and downloads.

History

The magazine was launched by Anne Goldie in 1970. The editor was Josephine Rozenberg-Clarke. The previous editor was Lucy Cousins. The magazine had its headquarters in Sydney. In November 2016 it was announced that the December 2016 issue would be the last print issue of ''Dolly''. In June 2020, ''Dolly'' was acquired by Sydney investment firm Mercury Capital as part of its acquisition of the

's former Australian and New Zealand titles.

Dolly Teen Choice Awards

Dolly Model competition

The Dolly Model Competition was a branch from the ''Dolly'' magazine. It is a competition held for teen readers to enter to have the chance to win a modelling career. The competition started in 1979, with Helen Moyes appearing on the December 1979 issue as the first winner and ended in 2002 when the then editor in chief of ''Dolly'', Mia Freedman felt it gave a negative impression towards young teenage girls and the ''Dolly'' brand. In 2012 it returned after a 10-year hiatus, with the winner announced as 13-year-old Kirsty Thatcher from Brisbane, Australia. The winner will be awarded a one year contract with Chadwick Modeling agency, a trip to New York to meet with Chadwick's US affiliates, and a fashion and cover shoot on ''Dolly'' Magazine. Miranda Kerr (who won in 1997) is now known world-wide and is a former

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest r ...

model. Past Winners

Dolly Doctor

Dolly Doctor was a segment that ran in Dolly since its first issue to answer readers' health questions. John Wright was the first Dolly Doctor.

Melissa Kang Melissa is a female given name. The name comes from the Greek word μέλισσα (''mélissa''), "bee", which in turn comes from μέλι (''meli''), "honey". In Hittite, ''melit'' signifies "honey". ''Melissa'' also refers to the plant ''Me ...

has been the Dolly Doctor since 1993, until the closing of the print edition. A Dolly Doctor standalone app was released in 2015. A comparison of Dolly Doctor with other Australian magazines found that Dolly Doctor gave the most accurate health advice. Dolly Doctor closed in 2016.

Controversy

In 2005, ''Dolly'' came into media attention for taking advantage of young people wanting to get into the magazine industry. Dolly was accused of soliciting, publishing and ridiculing unpaid articles from hopeful young women looking for a job in magazine journalism. In ''Dollys May 2007 issue featuring

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice o ...

on the cover, controversy reigned supreme when a picture of a

runway model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thou ...

genitalia A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, ...

was published on page 24 in a section called Dollywood Gossip. The accompanying caption which included an

arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...

pointing to the model's genital region said "Look Closer, Eww! Not that close" and "Umm, we think you forgot something".Dolly drops its knickers
''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 19 April 2007 Editor Bronwyn McCahon claimed that "''It's a long story involving mag terms like "dyelines" and "corrupted PDFs", but we did cover the area originally, and the little spot we used somehow fell off the page just before printing and we didn't notice''".A big ooops! from us
''Dolly Magazine'', 12 April 2007

References

External links

''Dolly'' magazine website
{{Bauer Media Group 1970 establishments in Australia 2016 disestablishments in Australia ACP magazine titles Mercury Capital Bi-monthly magazines published in Australia Monthly magazines published in Australia Defunct magazines published in Australia Magazines established in 1970 Magazines disestablished in 2016 Magazines published in Sydney Online magazines with defunct print editions Teen magazines