I like my Bitch!

Maybe I have been living under a rock or something, but I recently made a discovery in the world of women's magazines.

I discovered it completely by accident at Barnes and Noble while searching for some obscure fashion magazine for my mother-in-law. My hubby's sister is an artist and fashion designer in NYC and was featured in a magazine whose name escapes me and which Barnes and Noble in Chesapeake, Virginia certainly did not have on their racks.

But during my search, my eye caught a title-Bitch. Who could resist? I picked it up, while my 12 y.o. daughter looked on, probably embarrassed, admonishing me with a sighing,"Moooooom!" "What? I'm curious." I responded.

I hate to consume magazines. I am a former magazine subscription junkie-from Time to Oprah, to Mothering-I had a subscription. I have since given up all but but one. I have eco-guilt over all the paper wasted, especially when I wasn't even getting around to reading most of them before the next issue landed in my mailbox. For those of you who share my eco-guilt, or who just want to check this out online, Bitch's website is bitchmagazine.org.

That said, I am currently thoroughly enjoying this blatantly feminist magazine. It's sub-title is "Feminist response to pop culture." However, I find it to be feminist with a dose of reality and balance-and I like that. For example, in replying to the many letters to the editor Bitch received bitching about how anti-feminist Twilight the book and movie are (in case you've been the one living under a rock-Twilight and its three sequels are a HUGE hit with not only female teens, but many female adults as well), they printed a letter that while acknowledging some of the obvious religious, abstinence until marriage, anti-feminist messages, the book had been written by a female, read by females-in large numbers, and had been made into a successful movie by a woman. The point was-a woman wrote a succesful novel, a woman produced a successful movie, females were showing their power as a consumers, and just maybe this woman writer will make it that much easier for the next one. Hmmm...could Bitch truly be a fair and balanced medium unlike the television news show which makes this claim, but so clearly does not live up to it? I'll have to read some more...

A few articles and topics covered in the issue I have are: Rachel Maddow and what it means for America to have a "hot, smart, lesbian pundit," "Bug sex as gender revolution," an interview with a woman who has been working for years on the rights for women in prison, and "How to market a vibrator on TV without mentioning sex."

There are book reviews about a woman who "had a baby, a breakdown, and a much needed margarita," surviving life as a freelancer, and "One Big Happy Family: 18 writers talk about Polyamory, Open Adoption, Mixed Marriage, Househusbandry, Single Motherhood and other Realities of Truly Modern Love."

My mother always told me I enjoyed a smorgasbord.

I enjoyed a piece covering a TV show, "Smart Girls at the Party," in which Amy Poehler interviews girls between ages eight and fourteen, introducing them as who they are NOW-i.e. "Please welcome Jane Smith, a twelve year old activist, writer, and avid skate-boarder." She honors them by discussing their passions seriously, not sayings things such as, "and here we have Jane Smith, a future writer and activist." The goal is to foster their enthusiasm.

While I am not ready to give this magazine a full-fledged endorsement ( I have not finished reading it yet), I wanted to go ahead and share it with you now while I was feeling so enthusiastic and intrigued.

I'd love to hear from anyone that has read this mag before-what do you think? It appears they are having some difficult financial times (who isn't?"), so if you do like it, now may be the time to buy it, my fellow bitches! ;-)