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Mag HagsSidebar: Unpacking the Vogue wine and eggs dietIn 1977 Vogue published a crash diet that advocated three days consuming nothing but white wine and boiled eggs. In 2018 this diet was unearthed and went viral as people shared it, horrified (but also somehow smugly vindicated) to learn that this was the advice women were being given in the 70s. But the idea that something like this would be published uncritically didn't sit right with us and we decided to investigate... Welcome to Mag Hags “Sidebar” where we talk about the stuff we couldn’t fit into the main episode. Or else go off on a mad ta...2025-07-3014 minMag HagsRiva, September 1988Remember RIVA magazine? Nope, didn't think so. It lasted just seven issues!. And Lucy's got an inkling as to why. This week she’s taking us back to 1988 on a tour of a short-lived mag attempting to bring the gloss of a monthly in a fast-moving, weekly format.There’s plenty for our duo to rake through in this existentially confused mag. Like, why have we got such a sexy denim editorial against an ad for an extra-cold fridge? And where is our oral history of the shoulder pad?Elsewhere, there’s a highly...2025-07-231h 02Mag HagsSidebar: Hot tips to blow his mindCling film, coital alignment, and reverse cowgirl: 90s and 00s magazines promised to help us "drive him wild." But does anyone actually *want* to be surprised during sex? If you've ever alternated an ice cube with a sip of tea while going down on a partner, this one's for you.Welcome to Mag Hags “Sidebar” where we talk about the stuff we couldn’t fit into the main episode. Or else go off on a mad tangent about something that’s sparked our interest. Join the conversation!Got a suggestion for a topic y...2025-07-1613 minMag HagsMinx, November 1996Are you MAD FOR IT?? This week, the Mag Hags are in 1996, scaling Peak Britpop and working their way through a magazine determined to prove that women can objectify men too. Sex by the inch! Tastiest man in the world stripped bare!! In entirely coincidental timing, the Mag Hags meet some real life Patsys (as in Kensit) and Liams (as in Gallagher). Unfortunately, some of what passed for passionate, rock ‘n’ roll love in 1996 would have the Hags devising escape plans and calling Women’s Aid in 2025. But it’s not all public rows with...2025-07-091h 02Mag HagsSidebar: Tough loveEmbarrassed to go to the doctor? Cheating on your boyfriend with another man? Worried you might be a nympho? Put your Big Girl pants on, we’re diving into the world of magazine problem pages.Welcome to Mag Hags “Sidebar” where we talk about the stuff we couldn’t fit into the main episode. Or else go off on a mad tangent about something that’s sparked our interest. Join the conversation!Got a suggestion for a topic you think we should cover? Have an insight into one of the features we discusse...2025-07-0212 minMag HagsOver 21, March 1974It’s March 1974 aka the last moment in history before anyone had heard of ABBA! Striking coal miners have brought down a Conservative government and the UK is gripped by its first post-war recession… but the Mag Hags are boldly wading in, armed with a copy of Over 21 magazine.This week, we come to terms with some hang-ups in a feature that takes us to some unexpected places – most notably, mid-century trans rights. Elsewhere, we’ve got a delightful fashion and beauty hack, a guide to getting on the property ladder pre-Sex Discrimination Act, and a comprehe...2025-06-251h 04Mag HagsSidebar: Magazine lingo cheat sheetDo you know your masthead from your standfirst? Could you make a pull quote out of a vox pop? And what, oh what, is a slug? Welcome to Mag Hags “Sidebar” where we talk about the stuff we couldn’t fit into the main episode. Or else go off on a mad tangent about something that’s sparked our interest. This week: Lucy talks us through some common magazine jargon.Join the conversation!Got a suggestion for a topic you think we should cover? Have an insight into one of the...2025-06-1816 minMag HagsElle, July 1987The Mag Hags are back! It’s July 1987 - aka Lucy’s birth month - and to kick off the new season she’s leading a voyage of “style with content” to Elle magazine!The contradictions of the late 80s are writ large: we’ve got innovation and progress (portable CD players!! Iced coffee!!!) alongside depressing accounts of workplace harassment and laborious tips for banishing cellulite. But the Hags are pleased to discover two reliable constants: the timeless women’s mag tradition of the “should you have a baby?” essay, and author Jeanette Winterson being ico...2025-06-1153 minMag HagsSeason Two coming soon!Mag Hags is back! We've got smashing financial advice, explosive relationship drama, and the latest shoulder pad discourse. If you love magazines, 20th century pop culture, and questionable life advice, then join us every week to find out what’s still hot, and what’s definitely not.First episode drops WEDNESDAY JUNE 11 2025. Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to all the features and adverts we discuss, PLUS extra vintage fashion, beauty and lifestyle tips that we couldn’t quite fit into the show!Mag Hags is writte...2025-06-0401 minMag HagsCosmopolitan, October 1992It’s the end of season one! And what better note to end on than right back where we started: with the OG of having it all, Cosmopolitan.It’s October 1992 and Lucy is at the helm as the Mag Hags navigate post-Thatcher pre-Loaded gender politics to explore the timeless editorial territory of: has feminism been bad for men?There’s a recession on, but that doesn’t seem to have dented Cosmo’s advertising coffers because this magazine is HUGE. We have, inexplicably, four entire pages about the concept of Being B...2025-01-2258 minMag Hags19, June 1986Kicking off the new year with a bang, the Mag Hags are manifesting the season they want… with a June magazine issue. Franki is taking us back to the 80s to 19 magazine – a sister title to Honey that’s ticking all the women’s mag tropes. Directive diet features! Reductive psychology quizzes! The Mag Hags reckon with some food demons from their childhoods: notably the 80s/early 90s obsession with low-fat alternatives (Franki) and being the victim of egg-shaming (Lucy). There’s a glimpse into Banarama’s Siobhan Fahey’s unhinged eating habits, a charming little account of becom...2025-01-0856 minMag HagsCompany, December 1979Burn your bras, lads: we’re back in the 70s this week – only this time the magazine under the spotlight *has* caught up with the decade’s radical social progress.Lucy is leading the way through a tour of Cosmo’s little sister mag: the recently launched Company. There’s a report into how technology is about to transform work as we know it, some timeless fashion tips, and an ad for a 1970s-era Hinge.But it’s not all women’s lib. The Mag Hags get the ick over a Freudian feature about girls’ r...2024-12-251h 00Mag HagsMarie Claire, May 1998Gather round, high-flying spinsters! The Good Friday Agreement has been signed, the US president is definitely *not* having sexual relations with that woman, and we are hitting New Labour's economic zenith : it’s 1998 and the Mag Hags are reading Marie Claire. Franki is in the driving seat as the Mag Hags dive into plastic surgery tourism and ponder why Woman Of The Moment Gwyneth Paltrow is on the cover and yet mysteriously absent from the rest of the magazine. Elsewhere, Lucy gatekeeps singledom and there’s an exploration of the ultimate late 90s conundrum: how come you c...2024-12-1158 minMag HagsTatler, December 1980Grab your Barbour and don your wellies – it’s time for Tatler! Lucy is taking the Mag Hags back to Tina Brown’s formative career years and a festive issue of the high society bible. Here, Franki and Lucy learn some valuable lessons in how to *really* show off one’s status and discuss the British aristocracy’s take on Quiet Luxury. There is some questionable history on 20th century tax policy, the origin story of a ubiquitous old lady shoe, and a reflection on 1980 through the lens(es) of different magazines of the day: fro...2024-11-2757 minMag HagsWoman's Own, November 1972Welcome to Guess The Meat with Lucy and Franki! ... Only joking! That would be insane. This episode, Franki is taking the Mag Hags deeper into the archives than they have gone before… to Woman’s Own, November 1972. A relic of the mid-century suburban housewife, this mag is serving up hobby how-tos, a guide to hats, and a free sheet of ‘foil-edged cooking film’. No, we have no idea either. There’s speculation about Prince Charles’s love life, a quick lesson in menstrual history, plus a reader’s story of Loving Against The Odds (spoiler: it...2024-11-1349 minMag HagsNew Woman, September 1997Dig out your Union Jack tea-towel dresses, girls! This time, Lucy is leading the way through a magazine that’s channeling all the Girl-Powered benign anarchy of Spice World: The Movie. It’s New Woman, September 1997. There’s a ‘how-to’ for spying on your boyfriend, bafflingly horny ads and – in depressingly 90s style – a feature about how you can weigh 10st and still be technically obese (check the time stamps if you’d rather sit this one out). Then, stick around for the guide to disaster-free dinner parties that is less Ottolenghi and Instagram tablesca...2024-10-3053 min
Journalism.co.uk podcastHow did women's magazines from the 1970s remain relevant?Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas of the Mag Hags podcast take a flick through 50 years of glossy magazines and examine what has - and has not - stood the test of time2024-10-1700 minMag HagsGood Housekeeping, March 1988The Mag Hags are back and cooking with gas! This episode Franki and Lucy ponder on some cutting edge household appliances – cordless iron, anyone? Because, yes, Franki is guiding us on a tour through Good Housekeeping, March 1988. There’s Ovaltine innuendo, shoulder-revealing fashion, and a self-help book extract suggesting that Lucy could be a threat to Franki’s marriage. Plus, a questionable beauty feature calls for back-up, so Franki speaks to award-winning beauty editor and author Anita Bhagwandas. Want more of these mags?Sign up for the Mag Hags news...2024-10-1659 min
Woman's HourWomen's magazines, Dawn Sturgess, Female funeral directorsFor generations of women and girls, glossy magazines have been a guide to clothes, lifestyles, relationships and, of course, sex. Titles like Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Own and Sugar were pored over by thousands of us and now there is a podcast that celebrates those beloved back issues. Every week the hosts of Mag Hags, Lucy Douglas and Franki Cookney, read a different issue of a magazine from the 70s, 80s or 90s. As well as revelling in the 20th Century fashions, features and lifestyle advice, Lucy and Franki join Nuala McGovern to uncover a fascinating insight into the way we...2024-10-1457 minMag HagsHoney, March 1976Lucy and Franki are back with more dispatches from vintage women’s glossies. This week, Lucy is heading to Honey magazine March 1976 – but it’s less Patti Smith and Sex! on the Kings Road, more women named Sue and unequal division of household labour. We also meet the last of debutantes, contemplate a bath-time workout, and witness a disastrous PR campaign for British Rail. Meanwhile Franki is underwhelmed by “Strip Monopoly”. And the Mag Hags ponder: did the editorial staff of mid-70s Honey realise they were selling the bucolic lesbian dream...2024-10-0253 minMag HagsCosmopolitan, October 1982Welcome to the very first episode of Mag Hags, the podcast that every modern woman should know.Join Franki and Lucy as they dive into the glossy archives of women’s magazines to find out what's still hot, and what's definitely not. And where else to begin than the OG of having it all: Cosmopolitan.Franki has travelled back in time to October 1982, when The Pill turned 21 and publishers were just cottoning on to the idea that women buy books.Elsewhere, a hapless man gets some Thatcherite therapy and...2024-10-0249 minMag HagsComing soon... Mag HagsMag Hags is a brand new podcast that celebrates and interrogates the glossy women’s magazines of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.If you love magazines, 20th century pop culture, and questionable life advice on glossy paper stock, then join us each fortnight when we’ll be diving into a vintage issue to find out what’s still hot, and what’s definitely not.First episode drops WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 02 2024.Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to all the features and adverts we discuss, PLUS extra vintage fashion, beauty and lifestyl...2024-09-1101 min