There Goes My Hero-Finally

janeecee.jpgMichelle Orange takes a heartfelt look at whatever happened to baby Jane:

…The fact is, Jane has invited the scrutiny, particularly from Sassyphiles, as almost every element of the magazine’s format was lifted wholesale from its predecessor. In the August issue alone at least two of Jane‘s features are blatant Sassy repeats (1993′s “How to Make Him Want You…Bad”, in which a writer tries out Cosmo and YM dating tips, and “I Worked for a Sleazy Tabloid and Loved It” from 1992). A 16 year-old might need to be told that dating advice from Redbook is bogus, but wouldn’t the “intelligent, self-determined 18-34 year old,” Jane claims as its readership know that already? Marketing itself as a place where “you’ll never find condescending articles,” Jane advises would-be contributors that if their idea “could appear in another women’s magazine, pitch it to them.” It all sounds mission statement-friendly, but what happened to Jane magazine feels exactly like what’s been happening in women’s magazines since Virginia Woolf was knee high to a curling iron.

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