Scarlet (magazine)

Scarlet
Categories Lifestyle
Frequency Monthly
Publisher Interactive Publishing
First issue 2004
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Website scarletmagazine.co.uk

Scarlet was a monthly women's magazine launched in November 2004 with the tag line, "the new magazine for women who get it".[1] It was published by Blaze Publishing Ltd, since sold to Interactive Publishing. It was distributed UK-wide at retailers such as W H Smith, Tesco, Superdrug and Somerfield.

Contents

Intentions

Scarlet claims to empower women to lead healthier sex lives through "frank informative features that talk to the readers the way women talk to each other when men aren't around." Its erotic fiction section 'Cliterature' attempts to promote safe sex through eroticising condom use[2]. It has recently launched a campaign against Fatism in the media[3]. Scarlet has received positive reviews in UK daily newspapers The Times and The Guardian.

Criticism

Although Scarlet has been described as having "feminist stripes" it is also said to promote sex as a consumer commodity[4], to depict little variety in women's body shapes and to promote a pornography-influenced view of women's sexuality similar to that described in journalist Ariel Levy's book Female Chauvinist Pigs[5].

Closure

Scarlet went into liquidation and ceased publication in June 2010.[6]

References

  1. ^ Front cover of the first issue
  2. ^ Scarlet Magazine - The Official Website
  3. ^ Scarlet Magazine - Fatism
  4. ^ Scarlet Magazine - The F-Word
  5. ^ Subtext Magazine, Issue 4
  6. ^ [1]