Jane (magazine)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jane Magazine | |
|---|---|
 Jane , cover dated January 2005 |
|
| Editor-in-Chief | Brandon Holley |
| Categories | Fashion magazine |
| Frequency | monthly |
| First Issue | September 1997 |
| Company | Condé Nast Publications |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.janemag.com |
| ISSN | unknown |
Jane is an American magazine created to appeal to the women who grew up reading Sassy Magazine, both of which were founded by Jane Pratt. Its original target audience (pitched to advertisers) was aged 19-34, and was designed to appeal to women who are irreverent. Originally intended by Pratt to be named Betty, she was voted down by everyone else involved in the making of the magazine.
Sassy, created by Pratt in 1987, was intended to appeal to adolescent girls, but because of its sexual candor and coverage of topics other teen magazines didn't touch, such as the riot grrrl movement, its popularity exploded beyond its intended audience. When Sassy ended its New York editorial run in 1994, readers were left heartbroken and waiting for something to take its place. In September 1997, Jane Pratt's new magazine, Jane, published by the Disney-owned Fairchild Publications, hit the stands with Drew Barrymore as its maiden covergirl. (Fairchild Publications has since merged with Condé Nast Publications.)
In April 2002, model and actress Pamela Anderson began writing columns for the magazine.
On 25 July 2005, Pratt announced that she was resigning from her position as editor in chief of Jane and would be leaving the company on 30 September 2005, exactly nine years after the magazine's debut. Insiders speculated that Pratt wanted a change in her life after she lost the twin daughters she had been carrying in April, and had been expecting in August.
In August 2005, Brandon Holley, editor in chief of ELLEgirl, was named to take Pratt's place, and Christina Kelly, its managing editor, took over ELLEgirl, which then folded after just 5 issues under Kelly, a veteran editor of both Sassy and Jane, as well as ym, and who was rumored to be the favorite to take over Jane because of her decades-long friendship with Jane Pratt.
An episode of the MTV animated show Daria entitled "The Lost Girls" would poke fun at Pratt's image and magazine. In the episode, an over-the-top name-dropping fashionista named Val, editor of Val magazine, visits Lawndale High after Daria wins an essay contest (Daria's English teacher had submitted the essay without her knowledge). Ultimately, Daria confronts Val about the unrealistic expectations that these fashion magazines force on young girls and about the mass-marketing of popular culture.
