Redbook Thinks It Sucks To Be a Woman
Posted by: Intern Eliza
in General
on Oct 28, 2009
Oh, great -- another women's magazine that's afraid of periods! In this month's issue, Redbook reviewed Flow by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim, a book about the cultural history of menstruation. It sounds like a pretty interesting read -- and certainly shows great appreciation for the process so often referred to as 'the curse' by woman-hating tampon advertisers.
But now Redbook, a magazine supposedly for women, seems to have joined the He-Man Woman Haters Club, too. Their review of Flow calls the book 'One to Snub' and encourages the mag's readers to spend their cash on a period's worth of Ben and Jerry's. Ha ha ha, Redbook, I see what you did there. You made a joke about sad women on their periods needing ice cream to get through such a difficult time! You're so very clever. Somebody ought to give you a Peabody for that kind of hard-hitting journalism.
BUST's (positive) review of the book will be in the December/January issue. Check it out at the end of next month! And in the mean time, stay away from those other lady-hating lady mags.

UPDATE: The folks over at Adventures in Menstruating have whipped up a mock magazine cover making fun of the haters over at Redbook. Well played, ladies!
photos courtesy Macmillan and Adventures in Menstruating

We're also big fans of Chella Quint's work, and pleased to see her on the pages (screens?) of BUST.
If you can't get enough period talk, please visit us re:Cycling, the blog of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. We've got lots to say about all aspects of the menstrual cycle, throughout the life cycle!
I wish I'd known about the Lunapad review when Chella and I put the Bledbook spoof together: we'd have given them a shout-out on there!
Your friendly Bledbook Covergirl
Superficially speaking, you kind of have to question a magazine that insults the intelligence of it's readers enough to suggest turning the television of as one of their number one ways to spice a couple's sex life.
And I love how 250 pages = a tome. Read much Redbook editors?

