The Lady, Britain’s longest-running women’s magazine, has formally announced that it has ceased publication. The magazine is famed for its etiquette advice and adverts for butlers, nannies and discreet liaisons with well-heeled 60-somethings.
The magazine was established in 1885 by Thomas Gibson Bowles and was initially a weekly guide to navigating the social minefield of well-to-do British life. Its distinct character was affectionately lampooned by PG Wodehouse in his Jeeves stories.
Under the editorship of Rita Shell, who was appointed in 1894, the magazine became a successful weekly guide to women who found themselves in charge of both a household and a budget to outsource the daily drudgery to the lower classes. In December 1927, it cautioned young women “to become a good cook before you marry, darling. Then you will be competent to rebuke a staff of domestics or to dispense with one”.
The magazine continued to publish until 2024, when it ceased publication. The current owner, Ben Budworth, had spent 17 years trying to keep the magazine afloat. He took over the running of the magazine in 2008 and oversaw the controversial rebrand, which included a move from the Covent Garden offices to a business park in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.
Despite its long history, the magazine struggled with a shrinking and ageing readership, as well as financial problems. The word “lady” itself has shifted over the years from being an aspiration to a term widely regarded as demeaning and disparaging.
The magazine’s demise marks the end of an era for British culture, but its legacy will live on in the many pages of advice and adverts it published over the years.
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