Deluge of "Sassy" nostalgia

While avoiding work yesterday, I came across a blog post about the new book about the beloved "Sassy" magazine. It is remarkable to consider how much that magazine shaped my life; without it, I am sure that I would not be the reader, writer or observer that I am. And it's not just me: to a woman, each of my close friends who is my age feels the same way about the magazine. These are women who grew up in different places, in different situations, all of whom felt that the revolutionary no-bullshit publication profoundly impacted their lives for the better. We're talking about some smart women here: wherever you find an articulate, funny, aware 30- to 35-year-old, you find a woman who read "Sassy" in the late '80s and early '90s (before it was taken over from Jane Pratt in 1995 and had the life systematically extinguished from it).

While participating in a little more work-avoidance today, I decided to search eBay for back issues of "Sassy." (It is a well-established fact that I am still furious with my mother for throwing away all my back issues when I went to college. I have a friend who has this same long-standing anger with her mother for the exact same reason.) Issue #1 has a "Buy It Now" price of $400. You can pick up July 1989 for a mere $200. More interesting than the issues' value, however, is the fact that I remember each and every one of the covers. Obviously this one:

But also this one (I loved that "beauty tips for procrastinators" font):

And (for some reason) this 1990 cover:


(I remember being completely fascinated by this sparse cover. So unlike the screaming, chaotic, marginless, over-punctuated covers of some other teen magazines.)

Anyway: my point. Sometimes, back then, I read "YM." Can't remember a single article or cover image. "Sassy" was so powerful in its conception and execution that, 17 years later, the magazine's covers -- let alone the intelligent and unique content -- still bring back a rush of youthful memories and optimism.

Makes me yearn for my callously-discarded back issues of Sassy

My subscription to Jane expired sometime last year, and I didn't renew simply because I was receiving an excessive number of magazines in the mail each month. I just couldn't keep up with all of them, even if some titles didn't involve much actual reading (Lucky).

Now comes the news that Jane Pratt is leaving Jane. It sounds like things had gotten ugly for her, and while I haven't read the magazine in a while I have to admit that I like the idea of the old Sassy staffers still being out there (at Lucky, ELLEgirl, but thankfully not Teen People because that Lori Majewski has got to go with her terrible wardrobe and jewelry). It's comforting to imagine that they're still influencing young women to be interesting and interested, even if Jane was the only publication overtly carrying that torch (there's no "Cute Band Alert" in Lucky, sadly). But now....

I am almost certain that Jane will cease being Jane without Jane.