More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Dive into feminist history with “In the Ms. Archive,” a monthly column exploring key concepts and debates from over five decades of Ms. magazine’s groundbreaking coverage. Written by mother-daughter duo, professor Juliet A. Williams and Ms. intern Roxana Behdad, this column connects past and present feminist ideas, inviting readers to uncover the rich stories and surprising insights hidden in the Ms. archives. Whether you’re a longtime feminist or new to the movement, this column offers fresh perspectives and inspiration drawn straight from the Ms. Magazine Archive. For the first time, you can explore the entire digital collection of Ms. magazines, from 1972 till present, at your public or university library through ProQuest. Ask your librarian to add the new Ms. Magazine Archive to their collections if you can’t find it.
Femininity has long been the elephant in the room of feminism.
On the one hand, femininity doesn’t just name what it means, culturally, to be a woman—femininity lies at the heart of many women’s own sense of self. And yet, feminists identify femininity as a source of oppression, a straight-jacket imposed on women to keep us in our place.