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  • Eve, November 1973
    Jan 21 2026

    Curious about the latest form of contraception? Is your friend’s husband mansplaining ironing to you? Wondering how on earth you can look sexy in just sixty minutes?


    This week the Hags are going back to 1973 to explore a very mysterious magazine called Eve. Not to be confused with Eve magazine that ran from 2000-2008 or for that matter with Eve magazine that ran from 1926 til 1955. This Eve was a weekly magazine that ran from… well, actually we don’t know. There doesn’t appear to be any record of it anywhere.


    Unfazed, we dive headlong into its features which, on closer examination, seem to ALL about about family planning. We debate the pros and cons of having kids, get a firsthand account of an IUD insertion (very newfangled back then), and get some very dubious skincare tips.


    Want more of these mags?

    Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter to see all the pictures, features, and adverts in full! Find us at maghags.substack.com


    If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee?

    Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.


    Mag Hags is created entirely by us – Lucy and Franki. So your support means the world to us and it’s what will allow us to keep doing it. Thank you so much!


    LINKS


    Read: Jack Hutton’s obituary in The Observer, 2008


    CHAPTERS


    02:06 - Introduction to Eve, November 1973


    14:00 - Would you like a baby, maybe?


    28:03 - *An ad break from 1973*


    29:56 - Living with someone else’s husband


    42:18 - Fashion and beauty tips from 1973


    47:17 - The IUD and me


    56:47 - What's Hot and What's Not in November 1973


    --


    Mag Hags was created and hosted by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas.

    Editing and audio production by Franki Cookney.

    Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Additional music: Leotard Haul, Dez Moran. Both courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    58 Min.
  • Sidebar: What body positivity looked like in the 70s
    Jan 14 2026

    Do you have a “big personality”? This week we’re talking all things body image and size, helped by 70s body positivity icon, Janet Webb. Janet was a plus-size actor and TV star who appeared in The Morecambe & Wise Show from the late 60s onwards. We’ve encountered her twice now in the pages of the magazines we’ve looked at and we cannot wait for you guys to meet her!


    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 discussed? Or maybe you just want to share your magazine memories with us. We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line via our newsletter maghags.substack.com


    If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee?

    Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.


    Mag Hags is written and hosted by Lucy Douglas and Franki Cookney.

    This episode was mixed by Siân Williams.

    Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    16 Min.
  • Diva, May 1998
    Jan 7 2026

    Have you faced discrimination at work? Knocking back one too many bacardi and cokes? Are you looking for the perfect hi vis jacket?


    It’s 1998 and we’re looking back in anger at 10 years of Section 28. It’s still legal to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation and equal marriage is yet a dream. But that doesn’t mean we can’t also have fun. It’s beer goggles at the ready as we dive into 90s drinking culture, coming out stories, and gay rights in none other than DIVA magazine.


    This week Lucy is taking a break from hosting and Franki is joined by a fabulous guest host: lesbian author, journalist, comedian, and podcaster, Rosie Wilby.


    Find Rosie on Instagram @breakupmonologues, buy her book, The Breakup Monologues, or check out her podcast The Breakup Monologues right here in your podcast app.


    Want more of these mags?

    Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter to see all the pictures, features, and adverts in full! Find us at maghags.substack.com


    If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee?

    Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.


    Mag Hags is created entirely by us – Lucy and Franki. So your support means the world to us and it’s what will allow us to keep doing it. Thank you so much!


    LINKS


    Watch: Rebel Dykes, dir. Harri Shanahan, Siân A. Williams

    Watch: Wedding ceremonies performed at New York Pride, 1998, YouTube


    CHAPTERS


    02:11 - Introduction to Diva, May 1998


    22:33 - Wine, women and trouble: lesbian drinking culture in the 90s


    33:17 - *An ad break from 1998*


    35:48 - What Ellen did next… the story of THE 90s celebrity lesbian


    44:37 - Fashion and beauty tips (after a fashion) from 1998


    49:43 - The challenges of coming out as gay in f1998


    1:01:58 - What's Hot and What's Not in May 1998


    --


    Mag Hags is created by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas.

    This episode was hosted by Franki Cookney and Rosie Wilby.

    Editing and audio production by Franki Cookney.

    Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Additional music: Leotard Haul, Dez Moran. Both courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.




    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 Std. und 3 Min.
  • Sidebar: Decoding men
    Dec 31 2025

    Why are men? It’s a question that has perplexed women for decades and, honestly, the jury’s still out. This week, we glance over the culture and history of the “what men really think” feature, which was such a mainstay of women’s magazines through the 80s and 90s, and find out what – if anything – has changed.


    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 discussed? Or maybe you just want to share your magazine memories with us. We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line via our newsletter maghags.substack.com


    If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee?

    Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.


    Mag Hags is written and hosted by Lucy Douglas and Franki Cookney.

    This episode was mixed by Siân Williams.

    Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    16 Min.
  • Cosmopolitan, December 1983
    Dec 24 2025

    Do you consider laziness a crime? Struggling to ask for what you want in bed? Is your anxiety actually a form of narcissism?


    This week, the Hags leaf through the pages of a magazine from a time when Thatcher was in Number 10, Michael Jackson was at Number 1, and Cosmo readers were spending their freshly minted £1 coins on gold lamé gloves and home highlighting kits.


    Yep, it’s 1983 and the backlash to bootstraps culture feels… weirdly familiar. Nevertheless, we ponder whether *doing nothing* could really be the antidote to “having it all”. Elsewhere Franki gets some surprisingly useful tips for reframing anxiety and Lucy finds a new idol in the form of the late childbirth campaigner and social anthropologist Sheila Kitzinger.


    Want more of these mags?

    Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter to see all the pictures, features, and adverts in full! Find us at maghags.substack.com


    If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee?

    Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.


    Mag Hags is created entirely by us – Lucy and Franki. So your support means the world to us and it’s what will allow us to keep doing it. Thank you so much!


    LINKS


    Read: Sheila Kitzinger’s obituary in The Guardian, 2015


    CHAPTERS


    02:16 - Introduction to Cosmopolitan, October 1983


    08:42 - The positive power of anxiety


    22:28 - *An ad break from 1983*


    24:14 - Embracing idleness in a bootstraps era


    32:59 - Fashion and beauty tips from 1983


    36:27 - Pillow talk: How to talk to your man about sex


    52:55 - What's hot and what’s not in 1982


    --


    Mag Hags is created and hosted by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas.

    Editing and audio production by Franki Cookney.

    Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Additional music: Leotard Haul, Dez Moran. Both courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    54 Min.
  • Sidebar: Everything that's wrong with you
    Dec 17 2025

    Fix up, look sharp! One of the biggest accusations levelled at women’s mags is that they promote unrealistic standards. But what if media is actually just part of… culture? This week, we examine everything magazines have suggested *might* be wrong with us and decide whether it’s really the editorial that’s to blame.


    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 discussed? Or maybe you just want to share your magazine memories with us. We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line via our newsletter maghags.substack.com


    If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee?

    Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.


    Mag Hags is created and hosted by Lucy Douglas and Franki Cookney.

    This episode was mixed by Siân Williams.

    Our assistant producer is Ella Glover.

    Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    19 Min.
  • Anarchy, lycra, and the lesbian moment - with DIVA founder Frances Williams
    Dec 10 2025

    Have you recently joined the Labour party? Are you searching for the perfect cycling shorts? Did you just accidentally stub out your cigarette on a priceless artwork? It’s probably time to launch a new magazine.


    This week, Franki catches up with founder of DIVA magazine, and self-confessed “delinquent mother” Frances Williams. From sipping tea with Derek Jarman to getting drunk in the pages of Time Out, Frances shares her memories of the optimism and anarchy that ran through mid-90s queer culture. And how  ”swirling in the world of lesbianism in London” led to her founding the world’s biggest lesbian magazine on a shoestring budget.


    Find out more about Queer Circle, their work, and the events they run here.


    Want more of these mags?

    Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter to see all the pictures, features, and adverts in full! Find us at maghags.substack.com


    If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee?

    Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.


    Mag Hags is created entirely by us – Lucy and Franki. So your support means the world to us and it’s what will allow us to keep doing it. Thank you so much!


    LINKS


    Watch: Framed Youth: Revenge of the Teenage Perverts, Channel 4, 1984

    Read: Shado magazine

    Read: Shocking Pink

    Read: Queer Creative Health, by Meg-John Barker for Queer Circle


    CHAPTERS


    01:21 - Intro to 1994


    05:43 - Embracing 90s optimism and the “lesbian moment”


    18:58 - “Keep it going, have fun” : The launch of DIVA magazine


    38:05 - Delinquent mothers and sensible children: How queer culture has changed


    44:21 - “We find ways” : DIY publishing is thriving despite the loss of print


    --


    Mag Hags is created and hosted by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas.

    Editing and audio production by Franki Cookney.

    Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Additional music: Leotard Haul, Dez Moran. Both courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    51 Min.
  • Sidebar: Infidelity - hot or not?
    Dec 3 2025

    Affairs, adultery, love rats, being unfaithful, infidelity, fuckboys, two-timing… however you look at it, cheating is a topic we don’t ever seem to get tired of talking and writing about. On this week’s Sidebar we look at how the narratives around sexual and romantic infidelity have shifted over the decades and ask: Is infidelity inevitable?


    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 discussed? Or maybe you just want to share your magazine memories with us. We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line via our newsletter maghags.substack.com


    If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee?

    Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.


    Mag Hags is written and hosted by Lucy Douglas and Franki Cookney.

    Our assistant producer is Ella Glover.

    This episode was mixed by Siân Williams.

    Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com.h

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    18 Min.