''Sassy'' magazine is a defunct, general interest
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 is ...
aimed at young women. It covered a wide variety of topics, and was intended 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 ...
counterpoint to ''
Seventeen
Seventeen or 17 may refer to:
*17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18
* one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017
Literature
Magazines
* ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine
* ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...
'' 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
Dolly may refer to:
Tools
*Dolly (tool), a portable anvil
* A posser, also known as a dolly, used for laundering
* A variety of wheeled tools, including:
**Dolly (trailer), for towing behind a vehicle
**Boat dolly or launching dolly, a device fo ...
''.
Women Aglow, an
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
women's group, boycotted ''Sassy'' due to its content about
sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
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
Chloë Stevens Sevigny (, born November 18, 1974) is an American actress, model, filmmaker and fashion designer. Known for her work in independent films, often appearing in controversial or experimental features, Sevigny is the recipient of se ...
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
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. 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
Frederick (Fred) Seibert (born September 15, 1951) is an American television producer, co-founder of MTV and the CEO of FredFilms, an animation production company based in Burbank, California. His official biography states he has led five (working ...
'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
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
, 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
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member.
After their initial punk-influenced releases and tour ...
at iconic now-closed New York City rock club
CBGB
CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...
.
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
Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...
released a tribute to and history of ''Sassy'' by former ''
Teen Vogue
''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since ...
'' 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.
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 IngallConfessions 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 women's magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1988
Magazines disestablished in 1996
Magazines published in Los Angeles
Magazines published in New York City
Teen magazines
Feminist magazines