The Times May Change, But The Title Remains The Same

Jane Magazine, which was founded by Sassy editor Jane Pratt in 1997 is undergoing a facelift. Under new editorialship, the monthly magazine that was known as the anti-Cosmo is blossoming into a softer, sweeter 20-something mag. Back in '97, when Jane launched, I was completely excited, because I was an original Sassy reader and loved the conversational tone the magazine had. You instantly felt a connection to the editors and regular columnists - it wasn't preachy, it was fun and had a slightly sarcastic tone that I identified with. It was the first magazine that I knew of that really spoke to 20-somethings on their level. Sure, that was a time where Generation X - my generation didn't really have something for me - magazines were still more Cosmo and Glamour which to me, was a farce - it seemed like the fashion, beauty, sex thing was just a constantly recycled formula. Jane's formula was that it didn't follow - it led.

Now that the generational tide has shifted, and as the bulk of Gen X is either in, or rapidly approaching their 30s, the voice has changed as well. As one of the magazine's publishers declared, "grunge is dead" - so is the era of quick-witted, sarcastic Generation X. As the generations shift, so do the trends - the publishers really wanted to get "out of the dark" and be more bright and optimistic, which is exactly what their audience wants. Millenials are more in tune to fashion and trends and are used to being marketed to, so they are not as anti-establishment as their X counterparts.

I will miss the old Jane. But I won't hate on version 2.0 - to sell magazines, you need to know your audience and keep evolving with it, which is something I totally commend the new editor and the publishers for doing. The only thing is, what will an X Girl like myself have to to read that isn't Cosmo, Glamour, or (gasp) Redbook?