Bitch Magazine

I think our in-class discussion about Bitch allowed us to really grasp a firm understanding of "audience addressed" and "audience invoked." This magazine used feminist theory as a way of critiquing and commenting on what we are usually exposed to in society- mainstream pop culture. The fact that Bitch is so different from other pop culture magazines (Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Seventeen) adds a whole new dimension that puts it in an entirely different category.

I think that the writers of Bitch are very in tune with their demographic. Obviously, "audience addressed" is one of their primary concerns. These writers are speaking to women (and yes, men) who believe in the power of looking past Angelina Jolie's new Versace dress and focusing more on the charity event where it is worn. This magazine is written for college educated individuals who are focusing less on the superficial and more on the betterment of society. This magazine is for the women who want careers but not jobs, marriage but not becoming housewives, social lives but not watching Britney Spears shave her head on E! television. Bitch magazine wants to appeal to readers who are aware of the tabloid issues around us, but who no longer want to make them priorities. In short, Bitch is working to re-invent our societal agenda and put our focus back on the "stuff that counts."

As far as "audience invoked," I think Bitch appeals to a variety of individuals. After all, the name Bitch is controversial in itself. Whether people hate the idea or love it, they will still pick up a copy of the magazine and flip through it out of sheer curiosity. Bitch is thought provoking and has merit just on the grounds that it causes people to think outside of the box-- and maybe just that it causes them to THINK in general. After all, it is not typical of the mindless reading that most Americans have gotten accustomed to doing. Reading Bitch requires both an open mind and room to grow.

In a way, I see Bitch as the feminist counterpart to the "N-word" in the African American community. These two terms both fall into the category of taking negative terms and making them into something positive and empowering. By no means am I saying these two examples are identical- of course, this is comparing apples and oranges. The word "bitch" does not carry half as much meaning as the "n-word," but I do think that in some respects they are partially similar.