| Categories | Teen Magazine |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Matilda Publications (1988-89), Lang Communications (1989-1994) |
| First issue | March 1988 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Sassy magazine is a defunct teen magazine, aimed at teenage female fans of alternative and indie rock music. It was founded in March 1988 by an Australian feminist, Sandra Yates, CEO of Matilda Publications, who based it on the teen magazine Dolly, which is still in publication in Australia.
Contents |
Sassy's founding editor was Jane Pratt, and it had a half Australian, half American staff. Its original main writers were referred to by Pratt as "Sex" (Karen Catchpole), "Drugs" (Catherine Gysin), and "Rock 'n Roll" (Christina Kelly)[1] because of the topics they covered. The fashion department was headed by Mary Clarke and Andrea Lee Linett, and one of their discoveries was Chloë Sevigny, whom they spotted on the street and hired as an intern. The Australian half of the staff covered the art & design (Neil McCutcheon) and beauty departments.
Sassy was originally published in March 1988 in the United States by Matilda Publications with a circulation of 250,000. It was acquired by Lang Communications in October 1989, at which point its circulation was 450,000.[2] Petersen Publishing officially took over with the February – March 1995 issue,[3] and its editorial offices were moved to Los Angeles from Manhattan. It then stopped publishing as its own title in 1996, when editorial sections (and staff) of Sassy were absorbed into another magazine published by Petersen called `TEEN [4] beginning with the January 1997 issue.[5]
In 1992, Sassy spun off a short-lived title for teen boys called Dirt: Son of Sassy, which was edited by Andy Jenkins, Mark Lewman and music video director Spike Jonze (collectively known as "the Master Cluster"). It published seven sporadic issues until 1994.
According to Canadian author Douglas Coupland, "Dirt was a funny and smart magazine for young people".[6]
Sassy's in-house band was named after the Chia Pet, with various members from the editorial staff, including Jane Pratt on violin, Christina Kelly on vocals, her then-husband Robert Weeks on guitar, her then-sister-in-law (and Sassy writer) Jessica Vitkus Weeks on bass guitar, Mary Ann Marshall (also a Sassy scribe) on drums. Karen Catchpole also lent co-lead vocals to some songs.[7]
16. "Don't You Want Me Baby"
In April 2007, Faber and Faber released a tribute to and history of Sassy by former Teen Vogue editor Kara Jesella[8] and Marisa Meltzer called How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter To The Greatest Teen Magazine Of All Time. The book recounts the magazine's rise and fall; its unusual appeal to both men and women, teenagers and adults; and its influence on mainstream as well as alternative women's magazines. It includes interviews with staffers and fans.