'Desperate Housewives' Causes Another Breakup

By Sheelah Kolhatkar, New York Observer. Posted April 14, 2005.

When the spring 2005 issue of Ms. magazine--the old feminist glossy that you almost forgot still existed--arrives on newsstands this week, readers might notice something a little odd. In the "Letter from the Editor" column, Ms. editor in chief Elaine Lafferty, 47, reveals that she's leaving the magazine after a two-year tenure. "In the last two years, I believe Ms. has been lively, provocative, thoughtful, and a fierce feminist example of advocacy journalism at its best," Ms. Lafferty writes in the letter. "I wish the magazine's owners all the best as they move forward with the kind of publication they envision."

The mildly worded letter only hints at the turmoil that lies beneath the surface. According to sources at the magazine with knowledge of the decision, Ms. Lafferty was asked to tender her resignation after months of tension between herself, and the magazine's owner and publisher, the nonprofit Arlington, Va.-based Feminist Majority Foundation. The official resignation on March 15 put an end to a dissonance between Ms. Lafferty and the foundation that went beyond differing perspectives on the editorial vision of Ms. magazine, and that reflected differing approaches to feminism itself. Many Ms. staffers seem baffled about the falling-out.

Ms. Lafferty declined to discuss her resignation from Ms., other than to say that "the matter has been resolved." Eleanor Smeal, 65, a leader in the women's-rights movement, former head of the National Organization for Women and current president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, said simply: "She resigned and that's where it is. Change is constant and we know that, and we thought it had to happen at this stage, and we're now onto another stage."

Several staffers reported that Ms. Lafferty had suggested back in January that things might not work out for her at Ms. The Feminist Majority Foundation was unhappy with her stewardship of the magazine and felt that it was becoming too commercial, according to staffers. An emergency meeting was held in January between Ms. Smeal, founding editor Gloria Steinem, 71, global editor Robin Morgan, 54, Ms. Lafferty and others. According to people with knowledge of the meeting, Ms. Steinem and Ms. Morgan made a last-ditch effort to find a way for Ms. Lafferty to remain at Ms. But their efforts failed, and a legal agreement was signed outlining the terms of Ms. Lafferty's exit. (Ms. Lafferty was represented by the powerhouse feminist discrimination attorney Gloria Allred in the negotiation.)

Ms. Smeal wouldn't confirm that the meeting took place. "We meet a lot," she said, adding, "She gave us two good years, and they were critical years, and we're pleased with where the magazine is at."

When asked about the meeting, Ms. Morgan said: "I'm just not going to go there; I just don't think that's particularly productive. People tried with as much good will as possible on all sides to make this parting as civilized and decent as possible--and I think succeeded--for the good of the magazine and for the good of the women's movement. Particularly these days, with the assault from on high that we're seeing--everybody was in agreement that they wanted to handle things as gracefully as possible."

By many accounts, Ms. had been doing well after a long period of uncertainty. The magazine's recent--some might say startling--nomination for an American Society of Magazine Editors award, for Martha Mendoza's wrenching essay about abortion in the summer 2004 issue, edged Ms. closer to mainstream publications such as Esquire and The New Yorker. In the last few years, the magazine's debt load had "dramatically improved," website traffic was up, circulation had increased (currently estimated by the publishers at 110,000), and letters to the editor had been "smashingly good," according to Ms. Smeal. The magazine hosted a few high-profile events in the past year, including a mobbed reading with Gloria Steinem at the Union Square Barnes and Noble and another starlet-studded party in Los Angeles attended by the likes of Brittany Murphy and Kathy Najimy.

"I thought she was doing very well," said Ms. Steinem of Ms. Lafferty's editorship. "She's done a very good job of publishing important articles."

In a letter printed in Ms. Lafferty's final issue, the three "Editors Emeriti," Ms. Steinem, Ms. Morgan and Suzanne Braun Levine, a well-known feminist author, thanked Ms. Lafferty for producing "a fine feminist magazine over the past two years, with solid, lively journalism that has increased readership and financial stability."

Some readers were responding as well. "I am going to be a subscriber until I'm six feet under, because it's so important, but there were a number of years where I subscribed but didn't read it, because I didn't feel that it reflected me," said Valerie Salembier, the publisher of Harper's Bazaar. "But in the past couple of years, I have loved it again."

Sonali Kolhatkar is Co-Director of the Afghan Women's Mission, a US-based non-profit that funds health, educational, and training projects for Afghan women. She is also the host and co-producer of Uprising, a daily morning radio program at KPFK, Pacifica in Los Angeles.

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