A successful historical documentary is a comprehensive stroll through mementos of the past. Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print accomplishes this expertly as it looks back at the publication’s over fifty-year history and the editors and contributors that made it a feminist icon.
The film’s first part, called “Genesis”, discusses the magazine’s origins. We’re introduced first to Gloria Steinem, one of the magazine’s founding editors, through an archival interview. “Gloria Steinem is a woman who, once noticed, isn’t easily forgotten,” says the narrator to B-roll of Steinem primping and putting on rings, her long nails layered with shimmering polish. Her apartment is undeniably hip—she has suspended bookshelves, a massive dictionary on a lectern adjacent to her desk (emphasizing the pre-internet era), and an array of gem spheres, suggesting affinity with the trendy new age movement of the day. We learn she started as a writer for McCall’s and Mademoiselle while also writing about women’s liberation. In her words, “I could see that there was a need for a women’s magazine that addressed women as we looked like in the world.”
Another founding editor of Ms., Letty Cottin Pogrebin, explained that the job landscape for women in the sixties and seventies consisted mainly of office work, including the positions of file clerk, telephone operator, secretary, and receptionist. In view of this, Pat Carbine, another founding editor recounted that while there was a general interest for a feminism-focused magazine, they initially didn’t have the budget for it. Fortunately, Steinem had enough for a test issue, which was put onto newsstands in January of 1972 in a 300,000-copy print run. It sold out in three days, and led to multiple print runs and an overwhelming demand for more. Fifty years on, it’s easy to take for granted the atypical articles Ms. ran in those early issues: “How to Write Your Own Marriage Contract”, “Can Women Love Women”, Money for Housework”, Body Hair: the Last Frontier”. This film is a good reminder that, not so very long ago, such topics were revolutionary.
The second segment of the film was called simply “Men”. Here the editors shared angry letters they’d received from husbands whose wives weren’t fulfilling their expected marital duties. They delved into domestic violence and Battered Woman Syndrome as well as male feminists and activists, including actor Alan Alda, and explored men’s liberation forums, where men would get together to deconstruct what would today be deemed toxic masculinity. The section concludes on the coining of the term sexual harassment and how measures were taken to start tracking and curbing it in the workplace. Awareness of the concept was raised through the forming of organizations such as Working Women United Institute and films like 1980’s 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton.
The final portion, “No Comment”, examines the magazine’s evolving stances on pornography and sex in the context of the patriarchy. There were clearly differing views on the matter, with archival footage of some interview subjects calling porn objectification for the male gaze and others deeming it an act of taking power in one’s own sexual liberation. The discussion is capped off with a piece written for Ms. by sexual educator and former sex worker Annie Sprinkle, where cookies are used—rather brilliantly—as an allegory for sex and pleasure.
To their credit, this documentary is not afraid to confront the publication’s complex legacy and shortcomings, particularly in regards to its lack of representation and treatment of women of color (focusing in part on the experiences of contributing editor and writer Alice Walker) in addition to its varying views on sex work. With mindfulness and hindsight, the editors today admit to missteps made and state what they’d do differently.
While it’s hard to cover every facet of intersectional feminism in a single documentary, it was slightly disappointing that environmentalism and disability, two big topics of the seventies and beyond, were not included. That said, this film is a great look back at a publication that’s done so much for women, and it was wonderful to have multiple directors, as well as so many past editors, telling the magazine’s story. Each added her own unique voice to their segment while maintaining an overall cohesive feel. Four stars. Recommend.
Which library customers would benefit from screening this feminist film?
Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print would fit right in public library shelves alongside other titles pertaining to feminism, activism, women’s history, and journalism. Patrons would enjoy checking out this title to watch at home or at a library screening with friends. It is especially well suited for viewers who appreciate documentaries grounded in archival material and personal testimony, as well as those who are interested in the origins of second-wave feminism and the cultural changes the magazine helped spark. The film’s blend of history, commentary, and editor reflections gives general audiences a clear entry point into the conversations Ms. shaped for decades, making it a strong option for patrons who want to revisit, rediscover, or learn for the first time how the magazine influenced women’s lives and public discourse.
What academic subjects or media education courses would benefit from this feminist film?
This educational documentary would be a valuable addition to classrooms teaching with film. Courses in publishing, history, feminism, popular culture, writing, sociology, and social justice are a handful of subjects this film would be suited for. It can support lessons on media representation, print culture, and the evolution of feminist thought, while also offering a look at the editorial processes and cultural pressures that shaped Ms. as a publication. Students studying activism, identity, and intersectionality will find the film’s coverage of the magazine’s successes and shortcomings particularly useful, especially its discussion of representation and how movements grow and change over time. The film’s rich archival footage and firsthand accounts also make it an effective resource for assignments centered on documentary analysis, gender studies, and the role of journalism in social change.
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