ABSTRACT
In the Conclusion, I make two key arguments bridging the gap between feminist organising and activism on the one hand and feminist academic research on the other. Firstly, I explore the significance of the finding that representations of heterosexuality and lesbian desire within the magazines, and the profile of the feminist movement outside of them, rise and fall in tandem, contending that this should breed hope among feminists that activism can translate into tangible positive change within popular culture. Secondly, I offer the hope that feminist academic work which seeks to understand and deconstruct harmful discourses can contribute to the feminist movement as a form of “analytical activism”. This represents an important weapon in the broader feminist arsenal. At the precipice of the digital age and with a surging feminist movement, the particular utility of conducting a longitudinal pop culture litmus test using magazine content is foregrounded. Magazine studies allow researchers to compare like with like over decades, in order to assess evolving sexual messages over time. By identifying trends in the representation of sexuality within women’s magazines, we can track the way that mainstream discourses interpret, contest or consume feminist gains and tweak the feminist project accordingly.
