- This ten-episode series will see hosts Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas relive the glory days of women’s magazines and ponder how far we’ve truly come
- New episodes will be released fortnightly on Wednesdays
- To access a preview of Episode 1 which looks at the October 1982 issue of Cosmopolitan, please click here
October 2nd saw the release of the first episode of Mag Hags, a new podcast from award-winning journalists Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas which will examine the peaks and troughs of women’s magazines over the past 50 years.
Spanning back as far as 1972, each episode will see the hosts leaf through the pages of a classic women’s glossy magazine, from Cosmopolitan to Honey, Company to Marie Claire – stalwarts of the magazine industry of yesteryear and also the publications which first inspired Cookney and Douglas to become journalists.
In each issue of these magazines, once regarded as bibles of women’s lifestyle and culture, the ladies will select a number of stories to dissect in greater detail to find out what’s still hot and what’s definitely not.
This lighthearted history and culture podcast promises to be a celebration of these often groundbreaking publications whilst also asking the question: how far has the conversation really moved on when it comes to topics like sexual freedom and equal pay.
Mag Hags will deliver equal parts silly and serious as Lucy and Franki discuss everything from agenda-setting reporting on women’s health issues to making your own foot scrub out of yoghurt. They examine the significance of the stories for women at the time, how they’ve led us to where we are today, and what we can learn from that.
Franki Cookney is an award-winning journalist and podcaster who has written for The Guardian, The Mirror, The Independent, The Sun, Cosmopolitan, Red, Stylist, The Sunday Times, and many more.
Lucy Douglas is an award-winning editor. Before moving into brand content, she wrote for the likes of The Guardian and The Telegraph, and edited indy magazines including Positive News. Like many Millennial women, Lucy can trace her love of magazines back to poring over the problem pages of Sugar and Just17 in the mid-90s.
The pair of real-life friends are bonded by their love for this mostly-bygone era of publishing. Through this ten-episode series they hope to pay homage to the golden age of magazines, best remembered for its freebie lip glosses and cringe-inducing sex advice, whilst also offering listeners their professional insights and the crucial cultural context around the issues discussed both back then and today.
Franki Cookney commented: “Flicking through the pages of these vintage magazines, I got the same thrill I would get as a teenager walking home from the corner shop with a fresh new copy of Cosmo or Marie Claire. Women’s lives have changed in so many ways over the last 50 years and it’s been fascinating to take a deep-dive into pop culture and history. There have been unexpected takeaways too. I didn’t foresee how much I would learn about evolving eyebrow trends!”
Lucy Douglas commented: “We expected these magazines to feel really dated. But actually what was most striking was how familiar many of the stories felt. So many of the issues being tackled back then are still prevalent for women today. We’ve had so much fun discussing them, dissecting them, and rediscovering their charms. This podcast is our love letter to the titles that made us fall in love with magazines when we were young.”
Listeners can also sign up to the Mag Hags substack here for an exclusive look at all the content from the magazines that Franki and Lucy discuss in each episode and can follow the podcast on Instagram here.
Mag Hags will be available to listen to on all major streaming platforms.
