November 25, 1991
Student acts as executive editor of national magazine
Eric Dawson
Features Editor
Those who have been to a local newsstand
recently may have recognized one of
Guilford's familiar faces on the cover of a
national magazine.
Jodie Hargus, a first year student, worked
as an executive editor for the December
issue of Sassy magazine, and, rather
serendipitiously, wound up on the cover of
the same issue.
Sassy, a progressive magazine for teenag
ers, provides a more in-depth alternative to
the majority of the other magazines of its
genre.
"Sassy just isn't about how to get a boy
friend or put on make-up," Hargus said,
explaining that the magazine has been known
for dealing with issues ranging from homo
sexuality to premarital sex.
As a result of these controversial topics,
Sassy's first attempt failed. The moral ma
jority accused the magazine of "talking dirty"
to children, and as a result its advertisers
pulled out and the magazine collapsed.
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Hargus has her own thoughts on this turn
of events in the magazine's history: "It's not
talking dirty when 13-year-old girls are get
ting pregnant. . . if you think that inciting
thought is evil, then something's wrong."
Since the magazine's brief demise, Sassy
acquired a new publisher. With a promise of
"playing by the rules," the magazine has
now regained much of its popular status.
In spite of the magazine's freedom, Hargus
laments the fact that the people with the
money are in actual control of the magazine.
Topics such as abortion and homosexuality
are not discussed, because they are consid
ered too controversial, and Hargus encoun
tered frustration when such issues she con
sidered important were deemed "too harsh"
by the magazine's publishers.
Hargus, a potential biology and English
major, would like to go to medical school,
but she is also interested in journalism. In
addition to the work she did on her high
school newspaper, her brief but active expe
rience with Sassy has provided her with
what she feels is a strong base for future
journalistic work.
Features
V ' '
I
photo by Scott Shaffer
Freshman Jodie Hargus appears on the December cover of Sassy magazine.
Hargus got her chance with Sassy when
she read that the magazine was planning a
reader-produced issue. She submitted a few
articles she had written (on private versus
public schools and cheerleaders being seen
as sex objects), along with a self-edited
version of an already pub
lished article.
Hargus applied to be a
writer, and though she also
applied for the position of
executive editor, she doubted
her chances.
"I didn't think I'd get it,"
she said about the executive
editorship, and added mod
estly that she had doubted
her chances for any position.
Before Hargus knew what
was happening, however, she
was on a paid flight to New
York, where she stayed three
weeks in a Park Avenue ho
tel. She lived with a group of
other, similarly selected stu
dents, who though consid
ered the "radicals" of their
schools, found themselves
bonded by their common
humanitarian and environ
mental concerns.
Sexism, the topic of
Hargus' article in this
month's issue of Sassy, was
one of these concerns. Her
original piece was consid
ered too abrasive by the pub
lisher, who told Hargus to
remember the audience and
that a lot of girls would be
turned off by articles on femi
nism.
"I wasn't going to sell
out," said Hargus, who took
a train to New York a few
weekends ago to see person
ally to the problems with the
article.
Hargus does not see her
self as a radical, but, rather,
considers her message one
of common sense. "Sexism
THE GUILFORDIAN
is such a major part of our current paradigm
we can' t even see it," she said. "Ferninism is
liberating men, t00... pushing us all towards
a more egalitarian society."
As for the magazine's cover, Hargus was
asked to do some shoots, and though she
originally wanted to have many-colored
hands on the cover (representing racial unity),
the final decision was to keep the cover with
Hargus and the two models.
After the three weeks in New York,
Hargus' impression of journalism and jour
nalists was reinforced. "Journalism is stress
ful," she said. "And journalists have such
fragile egos."
In spite of the stress, Hargus remains
interested in journalism and writing, and she
continues to hold fast to her strong but
simple belief, "You can only be a victim for
so long until you start working for change."
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