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And Sassy had to do their own thing if they were going to reach young girls. Feminism had a persistent PR problem, and not just among teenagers. Throughout the eighties and nineties, mass media continued to portray the women’s movement as a crusade led by a few angry, man-hating women to bring down the family, the economy, and American life as we know it. A 1989 Time magazine article claimed that “to the young, the movement that loudly rejected female stereotypes seems hopelessly dated.” And while Time is guilty of frequent exaggerated declarations that feminism is dead, it’s true that by the time Sassy readers were in high school, the Second Wave’s consciousness-raising sessions — women-only get-togethers during which they traded truths about their lives — seemed hopelessly dorky. In a way, a commercial magazine with advertisements for eye shadow and Doc Martens was the perfect place for the Sassy staff to get out the message that girls were equal to boys, that the right to abortion was imperative, and that being smart was more important than being popular. Sassy was like a Trojan horse, reaching girls who weren’t necessarily looking for a feminist message. --How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time
Full disclosure. Sassy changed my life when I was 20 or 21. Christina Kelly is the reason I'm a feminist today. Sassy did not preach feminism or theory but with fashion, celebrity gossip and Cute Band Alerts. I forget how shallow I was and look what a scary ass feminist I am today. Don't be confused by the boobs, sex, beauty talk and GGW. This is the language of young women today.
