Mag Hags

Franki Cookney & Lucy Douglas
  • 5.0 (2)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The culture and history podcast that every modern woman should know. Join Franki and Lucy as they dive into the glossy archives of women’s magazines to find out what's still hot, and what's definitely not. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. FEB 11

    Mag Hags Unwrapped

    It’s the final episode of Mag Hags and what better way to bid you farewell than with a behind-the-scenes tour of the show! Find out how we make it, how much it all costs, and what (if any) money we make from it. We also dig into what’s hot and what’s not about making a show like Mag Hags, and hash out our Season 3 vision board. Thank you all so much for listening and coming with us on this brilliant journey into British magazine history. If anything you’ve heard today has sparked an idea, please do get in touch. You can email us at maghagspodcast@gmail.com We’d love to hear from you! It doesn’t have to be a business solution! Just let us know which has been your favourite episode. 3 If we can find a way to bring Mag Hags back, we definitely will. And if you haven’t already, we really recommend signing up to the newsletter. That is the number one place we will be announcing any developments and it’s the best way to keep in touch. Find us on Substack: maghags.substack.com If you have enjoyed the show, why not buy us a coffee? Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.  — Mag Hags is created and hosted by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas. This episode was mixed by Siân Williams. Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    38 min

  2. FEB 4

    Marie Claire, October 1990

    Got a crush on your married colleague? Has masturbation become mundane? Looking for ways to make your beauty routine more efficient?  It’s October 1990. Mr Bean is in, Margaret Thatcher is out, and Germaine Greer is shaking it all about in a long and highly convoluted essay on masturbation. Is it self-love or self-abuse? We’re not sure we’ve emerged any the wiser. Elsewhere this week (the final episode of the season!) the Mag Hags get the tea from both sides of an affair, discuss the power and value of real life stories, and ponder the best way to wear a hooded shawl. Want more of these mags? Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter to see all the pictures, features, and adverts in full! Find us at maghags.substack.com If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee? Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.  Mag Hags is created entirely by us – Lucy and Franki. So your support means the world to us and it’s what will allow us to keep doing it. Thank you so much! CHAPTERS 02:23 - Introduction to Marie Claire, October 1990 07:48 - Diary of an affair: In a Mag Hags first, we hear about infidelity from both sides 26:46 - *An ad break from 1990* 29:31 - What actually happened on board the Marchioness? A first person account of the tragic disaster on the Thames 45:17 - Fashion and beauty tips from 1990 48:58 - Self love or self-abuse: Germaine Greer on female masturbation 1:01:45 - What's Hot and What's Not in October 1990 -- Mag Hags is created and hosted by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas. Editing and audio production by Franki Cookney. Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Additional music: Leotard Haul, Dez Moran. Both courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 3m

  3. JAN 28

    Sidebar: French women do it better

    Ooh la la! This week we’re donning our berets and nibbling disinterestedly on our croissants as we attempt to unpick the British cultural obsession with French women. From their revolutionary spirit, to their ability to combine women’s liberation with flawless lipstick, we ponder whether French women have it all. However, 15 page “Francophile special” from Cosmopolitan 1989 suggests that coveted je ne sais quoi might be something of a double edged sword. Welcome to Mag Hags “Sidebar” where we talk about the stuff we couldn’t fit into the main episode. Or else go off on a mad tangent about something that’s sparked our interest.  Join the conversation! Got a suggestion for a topic you think we should cover? Have an insight into one of the features we discussed? Or maybe you just want to share your magazine memories with us. We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line via our newsletter maghags.substack.com If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee? Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.  — Mag Hags is created and hosted by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas. Our assistant producer is Ella Glover. This episode was mixed by Siân Fox. Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    23 min

  4. JAN 21

    Eve, November 1973

    Curious about the latest form of contraception? Is your friend’s husband mansplaining ironing to you? Wondering how on earth you can look sexy in just sixty minutes?  This week the Hags are going back to 1973 to explore a very mysterious magazine called Eve. Not to be confused with Eve magazine that ran from 2000-2008 or for that matter with Eve magazine that ran from 1926 til 1955. This Eve was a weekly magazine that ran from… well, actually we don’t know. There doesn’t appear to be any record of it anywhere. Unfazed, we dive headlong into its features which, on closer examination, seem to ALL about about family planning. We debate the pros and cons of having kids, get a firsthand account of an IUD insertion (very newfangled back then), and get some very dubious skincare tips. Want more of these mags? Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter to see all the pictures, features, and adverts in full! Find us at maghags.substack.com If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee? Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.  Mag Hags is created entirely by us – Lucy and Franki. So your support means the world to us and it’s what will allow us to keep doing it. Thank you so much! LINKS Read: Jack Hutton’s obituary in The Observer, 2008 CHAPTERS 02:06 - Introduction to Eve, November 1973 14:00 - Would you like a baby, maybe? 28:03 - *An ad break from 1973* 29:56 - Living with someone else’s husband 42:18 - Fashion and beauty tips from 1973 47:17 - The IUD and me 56:47 - What's Hot and What's Not in November 1973 -- Mag Hags was created and hosted by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas. Editing and audio production by Franki Cookney. Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Additional music: Leotard Haul, Dez Moran. Both courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    58 min

  5. JAN 14

    Sidebar: What body positivity looked like in the 70s

    Do you have a “big personality”? This week we’re talking all things body image and size, helped by 70s body positivity icon, Janet Webb. Janet was a plus-size actor and TV star who appeared in The Morecambe & Wise Show from the late 60s onwards. We’ve encountered her twice now in the pages of the magazines we’ve looked at and we cannot wait for you guys to meet her! Welcome to Mag Hags “Sidebar” where we talk about the stuff we couldn’t fit into the main episode. Or else go off on a mad tangent about something that’s sparked our interest.  Join the conversation! Got a suggestion for a topic you think we should cover? Have an insight into one of the features we discussed? Or maybe you just want to share your magazine memories with us. We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line via our newsletter maghags.substack.com If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee? Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.  — Mag Hags is written and hosted by Lucy Douglas and Franki Cookney. This episode was mixed by Siân Williams. Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    16 min

  6. JAN 7

    Diva, May 1998

    Have you faced discrimination at work? Knocking back one too many bacardi and cokes? Are you looking for the perfect hi vis jacket?  It’s 1998 and we’re looking back in anger at 10 years of Section 28. It’s still legal to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation and equal marriage is yet a dream. But that doesn’t mean we can’t also have fun. It’s beer goggles at the ready as we dive into 90s drinking culture, coming out stories, and gay rights in none other than DIVA magazine.  This week Lucy is taking a break from hosting and Franki is joined by a fabulous guest host: lesbian author, journalist, comedian, and podcaster, Rosie Wilby. Find Rosie on Instagram @breakupmonologues, buy her book, The Breakup Monologues, or check out her podcast The Breakup Monologues right here in your podcast app. Want more of these mags? Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter to see all the pictures, features, and adverts in full! Find us at maghags.substack.com If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee? Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.  Mag Hags is created entirely by us – Lucy and Franki. So your support means the world to us and it’s what will allow us to keep doing it. Thank you so much! LINKS Watch: Rebel Dykes, dir. Harri Shanahan, Siân A. Williams Watch: Wedding ceremonies performed at New York Pride, 1998, YouTube CHAPTERS 02:11 - Introduction to Diva, May 1998 22:33 - Wine, women and trouble: lesbian drinking culture in the 90s 33:17 - *An ad break from 1998* 35:48 - What Ellen did next… the story of THE 90s celebrity lesbian 44:37 - Fashion and beauty tips (after a fashion) from 1998 49:43 - The challenges of coming out as gay in f1998  1:01:58 - What's Hot and What's Not in May 1998 -- Mag Hags is created by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas. This episode was hosted by Franki Cookney and Rosie Wilby. Editing and audio production by Franki Cookney. Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Additional music: Leotard Haul, Dez Moran. Both courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 3m

  7. 12/31/2025

    Sidebar: Decoding men

    Why are men? It’s a question that has perplexed women for decades and, honestly, the jury’s still out. This week, we glance over the culture and history of the “what men really think” feature, which was such a mainstay of women’s magazines through the 80s and 90s, and find out what – if anything – has changed. Welcome to Mag Hags “Sidebar” where we talk about the stuff we couldn’t fit into the main episode. Or else go off on a mad tangent about something that’s sparked our interest.  Join the conversation! Got a suggestion for a topic you think we should cover? Have an insight into one of the features we discussed? Or maybe you just want to share your magazine memories with us. We'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line via our newsletter maghags.substack.com If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee? Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.  — Mag Hags is written and hosted by Lucy Douglas and Franki Cookney. This episode was mixed by Siân Williams. Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    16 min

  8. 12/24/2025

    Cosmopolitan, December 1983

    Do you consider laziness a crime? Struggling to ask for what you want in bed? Is your anxiety actually a form of narcissism?  This week, the Hags leaf through the pages of a magazine from a time when Thatcher was in Number 10, Michael Jackson was at Number 1, and Cosmo readers were spending their freshly minted £1 coins on gold lamé gloves and home highlighting kits. Yep, it’s 1983 and the backlash to bootstraps culture feels… weirdly familiar. Nevertheless, we ponder whether *doing nothing* could really be the antidote to “having it all”. Elsewhere Franki gets some surprisingly useful tips for reframing anxiety and Lucy finds a new idol in the form of the late childbirth campaigner and social anthropologist Sheila Kitzinger. Want more of these mags? Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter to see all the pictures, features, and adverts in full! Find us at maghags.substack.com If you are enjoying the show, why not buy us a coffee? Ko-fi is a super easy way to support the podcast with a one off donation - you can think of it like buying us a drink, or leaving a tip. Go to ko-fi.com/maghags.  Mag Hags is created entirely by us – Lucy and Franki. So your support means the world to us and it’s what will allow us to keep doing it. Thank you so much! LINKS Read: Sheila Kitzinger’s obituary in The Guardian, 2015 CHAPTERS 02:16 - Introduction to Cosmopolitan, October 1983 08:42 - The positive power of anxiety 22:28 - *An ad break from 1983* 24:14 - Embracing idleness in a bootstraps era 32:59 - Fashion and beauty tips from 1983 36:27 - Pillow talk: How to talk to your man about sex 52:55 - What's hot and what’s not in 1982 -- Mag Hags is created and hosted by Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas. Editing and audio production by Franki Cookney. Our theme music is Look Where That Got You, Mattie Maguire. Additional music: Leotard Haul, Dez Moran. Both courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The culture and history podcast that every modern woman should know. Join Franki and Lucy as they dive into the glossy archives of women’s magazines to find out what's still hot, and what's definitely not. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Franki Cookney & Lucy Douglas
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Franki Cookney & Lucy Douglas
  • Show Website
    Mag Hags

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