Bettie Magazine

Bettie Magazine is the ever elusive, fabled women's magazine that is neither staunchly feminist nor harmful to woman's body image. It sits squarely in the middle, providing quality entertainment to women that panders to no ideological camp.

Don't get me wrong; I am an enormous fan of feminist media. There's nothing like it, especially when you want to feel like someone out there acknowledges your struggles. Yet sometimes you may want something a bit lighter. Sometimes you just want to kick back and read about "The Hot Guy of the Week" or "The Fifteen Most Uncomfortable Films to Watch with Your Parents." In times like these, if you're like me, you can't just pick up an issue of Glamour or Cosmo without feeling dirty.

Enter Bettie Magazine.

Bettie writers and editors have a great sense of humor and really encourage readers to have fun in life. This comes across in all of the writing, which makes it a very enjoyable read. It is also virtual, so no costly subscription is required. You can simply log on and read features within the categories of Living, Entertainment, Sex, Guys, Fashion + Beauty, and Weird. There is also a great selection of videos, including a clip from YouTube entitled "Rachel Maddow Fighting Anti-Feminists."

No review would be complete without an excerpt to illustrate why I so heartily approve of Bettie. I have selected one of my favorites, which followed information about new Obama t-shirts:

Sure, all this Obama hype is starting to feel make us feel a bit like we're buying into the Cult of Mao, but we're not panicking yet. Until then, if you're on Team Obama, show your support by proudly having him cozily wedged between your boobs. We mean that in the most respectful way possible.

Bettie is feminist without having to say so. And if you ever doubt the social conscience of those behind the magazine, check out their blog post from August 2008, which reads, "So, you may have noticed on the main page of our site there are a few ads that, well, just don't belong in Bettie. We're working on taking these down, but in the meantime, please know that we're not judging your waist size, your sex life, or anything else... well, except for your good taste."

Review by April D. Boland