A first impression is always the most memorable. A 2006 study proved that when it comes to people’s faces, we can form an impression in a matter of a second. The same goes for magazine articles: catchy, attention-grabbing headlines automatically mean more clicks.
The team at Reductress know this, too. It’s a satirical, tongue-in-cheek women’s “news” website in the spirit of “The Onion”. Their content is all about poking fun at everyday struggles with a twang of irony. We’ve collected the best and most relatable “article” headlines for your enjoyment, so, scroll down and see which ones might make you feel called out!
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Reductress calls itself “the first and only satirical women’s magazine.” Established by Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo in 2013, the magazine has been providing an alternative to the ‘outdated’ and ‘condescending’ tones of mainstream women’s media.
“We knew there was more to be said about women’s experiences in the world, and the kind of outmoded, condescending tone of women’s media in particular at the time,” Pappalardo told The Guardian in 2023. Some call Reductress a fake women’s news magazine, but the creators say it’s a mix between Cosmopolitan and The Onion.
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When the two women started working on the project in 2013, they would work in coffee shops. As the site grew more popular, they moved to an office in Manhattan. Today, the staff is comprised of even more women, some even younger than Newell and Pappalardo, providing insights of being a Gen Z woman in the modern world.
Today, Reductress even has a couple of books to its name. The first one, How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending: Productivity, Burnout, and Why Everyone Needs to Relax More Except You, pokes fun at hustle culture in Reductress’ signature style. The second, published later that same year, is How to Win at Feminism: The Definitive Guide to Having It All—And Then Some!
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Magazines for women have their own history. The first women’s periodicals in the 19th century were about the ways women can simplify their everyday lives. Readers could find sewing patterns, illustrations of the newest fashion trends in Paris, and sheet music for the piano.
But they also encouraged women to dream of more: some women’s magazines included poems and short stories by female writers. Other publishers even advocated for women’s colleges and the right for women to own property.
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As the 20th century rolled around, the more down-to-earth pieces about parenting, fashion, and etiquette populated the magazines. Historian Joanne Meyerowitz has found that 33% of 20th mid-century magazines featured “success stories” that highlighted powerful career women.
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Of course, modern magazines like ELLE, Marie Claire, and Glamour still do that. Yet, empowerment for women in popular media today often veers into the territory of awkwardness and cringe. The creators of Reductress say they’re going against the grain of “condescending” and reductive tone of mainstream women’s media, or what others call “Girlboss Feminism.”
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This type of representation often entails sentiments like “Women can do everything men can but more and in heels!” Associate dean for equity and inclusion with the Carson College of Business at Washington State University Leah Sheppard, Ph.D., writes that girlboss feminism underestimates women’s capabilities and tries to empower them in patronizing ways.
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When used by brands and companies, feminism becomes commodified. If women just hustle and spend more time working and getting that coin, they’ll be just as good or even better than men. But nobody wants to work anymore, or whatever our feminist icon Kim Kardashian said, right?
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#24 Fake Headlines
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In reality, the problem with corporate feminism is quite different. “A worthwhile feminist focus would be on the redistribution of wealth to redress the gendered effects of poverty and employment,” journalist Eve Livingston writes for The Guardian. Girlbossing doesn’t really help feminism; it just makes the rich richer.
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Popular media feminism also often gets criticized for standing up for only certain types of women. That often mean white, cisgender, and feminine-beauty-standard-adjacent women. Reductress’ team has been trying to shed some light on these shortcomings through their satirical pieces.
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Reductress’ Sarah Pappalardo notes that a lot has changed for the better in the media landscape since the birth of Reductress. “Many brands have taken note that women’s media was too white, too fatphobic, too heteronormative, and trying too hard to sell an unrealistic version of ‘femininity.'”
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