How a Magazine Named After a Neutral Honorific Changed American Feminism Forever
In short: Launched in 1972, Ms. was the first national American magazine to bring feminist issues into the mainstream. By rejecting traditional domestic topics for investigative journalism on wage gaps and reproductive rights, it challenged the media landscape and created a platform for women to speak for themselves on their own terms.
Co-founded by Gloria Steinem and a team of editors including Patricia Carbine, Ms. emerged from the women in print movement to fill a void in journalism. While Steinem initially envisioned a newsletter, her peers advocated for a magazine format to reach a wider audience through a portable, visually engaging medium. The name itself was a deliberate choice; it was short, symbolic, and promoted the honorific 'Ms.'—a term popularized by Sheila Michaels to neutralize a woman's marital status, which was not yet widely defined by the media at the time.
The magazine’s debut was marked by bold, unconventional choices. Its 1971 preview issue featured a pregnant Hindu goddess Kali juggling domestic and professional tools, a cover that sold out 300,000 copies in three days. In 1972, the first independent issue featured Wonder Woman on the cover, a decision Steinem used to lobby DC Comics to restore the character's powers and feminist identity. Inside, the magazine broke taboos, most notably by publishing a petition of 53 women who admitted to having had abortions while the procedure was still illegal in most states, a move that predated the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Throughout its history, Ms. navigated the tension between its ideological mission and commercial reality. It famously refused advertisements that relied on demeaning stereotypes and, after 1991, transitioned to an ad-free model to maintain editorial independence. Despite its influence, the magazine faced criticism regarding its perceived elitism and lack of diversity, particularly in the late 1980s. Editors later acknowledged these shortcomings, and under later leadership, such as Marcia Ann Gillespie, the magazine significantly increased its focus on intersectionality and the voices of women of color.
Today, the magazine remains a quarterly publication under the Feminist Majority Foundation, which acquired it in 2001. From its early days of challenging holiday phrases like 'good will to men' to its modern coverage of indigenous rights and global feminist movements, Ms. has consistently sought to redefine the boundaries of women's media, proving that a publication could be both a commercial entity and a vehicle for systemic social change.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Ms. (magazine)
- Also: Ms. | History & Facts | Britannica
- Also: Wikidata — Ms. · CC0
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