Jane (magazine)
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''Jane'' was an American
magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
created to appeal to the women who grew up reading '' Sassy'' magazine;
Jane Pratt Jane Pratt (born November 11, 1962) is the founding editor of '' Sassy'', ''Jane and'' xoJane. She is the host of the talk show ''Jane Radio'' on Sirius XM Radio. Early life Jane Pratt was born in San Francisco, California, to Sheila Marks Blake ...
was the founding editor of each. Its original target audience (pitched to advertisers) was aged 18–34, and was designed to appeal to women who did not like the typical women's magazine format. Pratt originally intended the magazine to be named ''Betty'', but she was voted down by everyone else involved in the making of the magazine.


History and profile

''Jane'' was launched in September 1997; the final issue was dated August 2007. The events surrounding the magazine's folding were chronicled through the experiences of two assistants on the Soapnet series ''
The Fashionista Diaries ''The Fashionista Diaries'' was a reality show that aired on SOAPnet in the summer of 2007 as a part of SOAPnet's original programming. The show could also be seen on ABC's website and is available for download on iTunes. The show followed six a ...
''. The magazine was published on a monthly basis. ''Sassy'', created by Pratt in 1987, was intended to appeal to adolescent girls, but because of its sexual candor and coverage of topics other teen magazines did not touch, such as the
riot grrrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. Riot grrrl is a subcultur ...
movement, its popularity exploded beyond its intended audience. When ''Sassy'' ended its New York editorial run in 1994, readers were left heartbroken and waiting for something to take its place. In September 1997, Jane Pratt's new magazine, ''Jane'', published by the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
-owned
Fairchild Publications Fairchild Media is a publisher of fashion trade magazines, websites, and conferences for the fashion, retail and beauty industries. Fairchild Media brands include ''Women’s Wear Daily'', ''Footwear News'' (FN), ''Beauty Inc'', ''M'' and ''Fairch ...
, hit the stands with
Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...
as its maiden
cover girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a maga ...
. Fairchild Publications was purchased by
Condé Nast Publications Condé is a French place name and personal name. It is ultimately derived from a Celtic word, "Condate", meaning "confluence" (of two rivers) - from which was derived the Romanised form "Condatum", in use during the Roman period, and thence to t ...
in 1999 and later sold to
Penske Media Penske Media Corporation (PMC) () is an American digital media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including ''Variety'', ''Rolling Stone'', '' ...
in 2014. On 25 July 2005, Pratt announced that she was resigning from her position as editor-in-chief of ''Jane'' and would be leaving the company on September 30, 2005, exactly eight years after the magazine's debut. In August 2005, Brandon Holley, editor in chief of ''
Elle Girl ''Elle Girl'' was the largest older-teen fashion and beauty magazine brand in the world with twelve editions. Launched in August 2001, it was the younger sister version of ''Elle'' magazine, and similarly focused on beauty, health, entertainm ...
'', was named to take Pratt's place. Stephanie Trong, who had been with the magazine since 1999, would remain as executive editor. Christina Kelly, managing editor of ''Elle Girl'', as well as a rumored favorite to take over ''Jane'' because of her decades-long friendship with Jane Pratt, took over ''Elle Girl''. When ''Jane'' announced that it was ceasing publication, the magazine notified its readers that they would receive one of a number of sister magazines ('' Glamour'', '' Allure'' or '' Lucky'') for their remaining subscription durations. ''Glamour'', ''Allure'', and ''Lucky'' were all Condé Nast publications that were suffering from lower circulation. Subscribers who did not wish to receive these publications in lieu of the cancelled magazine could call Condé Nast and request any of the other magazines that they published including the popular '' Vanity Fair''. The magazine appeared to be on a winning streak; however, the young target audience had moved on to digital and left print behind. ''Jane'' had the youngest average reader age of the women's magazines, and the demise of ''Jane'' was seen by some as a sign of what was to come to the other women's magazines. The millennial woman had moved to digital and were not going to "age up" to their magazine. This has proven to be true, as magazine circulation continues to erode in the double digits every year. An episode of the
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
animated show ''
Daria ''Daria'' is an American adult animation, adult animated sitcom created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis, Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It focuses on the title character, Daria Morgendorffer, ...
'' titled "The Lost Girls", from Season 3, would poke fun at Pratt's image and magazine. In the episode, an over-the-top name-dropping fashionista named Val, editor of ''Val'' magazine, visits Lawndale High after
Daria ''Daria'' is an American adult animation, adult animated sitcom created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis, Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It focuses on the title character, Daria Morgendorffer, ...
wins an essay contest. Ultimately, Daria confronts Val about the unrealistic expectations that these fashion magazines force on young girls and about the mass-marketing of popular culture.


See also

* List of ''Jane'' magazine cover models


References


External links

* (archived version)
Why Jane Pratt's ''Jane'' never quite lived up to Jane Pratt's ''Sassy''

Jane Magazine news at gawker.com



Press Release Announcing End of Publication
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jane (Magazine) Defunct Condé Nast magazines Defunct women's magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1997 Magazines disestablished in 2007 Monthly magazines published in the United States Women's fashion magazines