Mademoiselle gets a remake

by MC5

Mademoiselle, the grocery stand magazine for women is "110% new" 
with the September, 2000 issue. At first MIM did not see the 
difference, with the same cosmetics, underwear and perfume ads as 
before. Silly MIM, Mademoiselle now celebrates the diversity of 
the "Me Years." The magazine subhead reads "The Magazine for Your 
Me Years."

MIM thought all of the most common Amerikan ideology was "me-
firstism," so we dug deeper to find out what is really new and 
different about Mademoiselle. It turns out that the Mademoiselle 
publishers have identified their customers as 20-something wimmin 
before they have reached marriage or a settled down life and after 
college and moving from home. "Success means living life according 
to their own rules."

MIM has a hard time competing with Mademoiselle. In fact, it 
cannot be said MIM competes with Mademoiselle. It is readily 
apparent that the magazine is much more fun than MIM. Mademoiselle 
is beyond MIM's league in spreading ideology. We do not see 
clothing styles, random talk about relationships with the opposite 
sex, music or expressions occupying MIM Notes pages or MIM 
circles.

30 million wimmin live alone, and Mademoiselle is chalking that up 
to the appeal of the "Me Years" being such that wimmin never want 
to marry or commit and settle down. The "Me Years" "is about 
broadcasting your individuality, having fun, living big and 
breaking rules."

The publishers have decided that their clientele has an anarchist-
feminist streak, enjoying itself apart from parents, college and 
committed boyfriends for a few years. The difficulty MIM is having 
is that Mademoiselle is much more reality for the political 
philosophy of young Amerikan wimmin than anything that political 
activists usually engage in struggle. The key is to recognize that 
Mademoiselle IS the political philosophy of a large section of 
Amerikan wimmin. We cannot sidestep it with a laugh as we gawk at 
the National Enquirer headlines on the way out of the grocery 
store.

It is this kind of Mademoiselle anarchism and individualism that 
the advertisers love. How better to sell distinctive clothes, 
perfume etc. than to call it a matter of individual or even 
artistic expression. Thanks to columnist Millie, we are aware for 
example, that "big" is back this fall, and a big cashmere bag 
costing $2000 would be good for a womyn. Some of the ads are so 
ridiculous they don't try to hide it: "What makes you happy? World 
peace? A clean house? Free lipstick?" Free lipstick is the offer 
in the ad.(2) The fact that the magazine boasts "crazy" things and 
does not take itself seriously is perhaps its most redeeming 
quality.  There is nothing worse than a stupid fashion magazine 
taken seriously.

Breaking the rules, and "getting away with almost anything" means 
"bumping into two boyfriends at the same party."(3) By the 
standards of some magazines, we are supposed to be impressed that 
the relatively sophisticated Mademoiselle reader knows there might 
be some issue there.

MIM prefers "The Matrix" type of anarchism, where at least people 
work together to REALLY break some rules. This is something that 
petty-bourgeois and gender aristocracy individualists never 
understand. To really express something different -- and more 
importantly different but BETTER -- and accomplish something 
satisfying takes collective effort.

The petty-bourgeoisie does not understand this point, because for 
it there is nothing serious in the world to accomplish. It already 
has food, shelter and clothing and believes to have earned it 
through "skill" and "hard-work." To achieve world peace and a 
sustainable environment, the petty-bourgeoisie is not willing to 
rock the boat and undermine its other advantages.

The gender aristocracy rejects collective action for achievement 
because it is easier to have "fun" without it. Part of this is 
ultimately part of petty-bourgeois and oppressor nation reality of 
wimmin not wanting to rock the boat when they are the top of the 
leisure-time totem-pole. Part of the problem is simply the lack of 
a vigorous revolutionary cultural movement to contend with the 
Mademoiselle idea of "fun" -- or even worse, the idea of fun in an 
all-cosmetics magazine like "Allure."

The ability to challenge Mademoiselle, Allure, Cosmo etc. comes 
from having at minimum an independent proletarian press. In the 
imperialist countries it will be impossible to wage self-
interested struggles for food, shelter and clothing, because the 
vast majority already have those items, but it should be possible 
to reinvent the imperialist idea of "fun" to reflect the 
underlying existence of a proletariat and the humyn need to avoid 
war and environmental catastrophe. MIM seeks art and cultural 
workers who can express this notion in a more primal and simple 
yet stylish fashion.

Notes:

1. Mademoiselle, September, 2000, p. 32.

2. Ibid., p. 53.

3. Ibid., p. 34.