Jezebel (website)
Encyclopedia
Jezebel is a blog
aimed at women's interests, under the tagline "Celebrity, Sex, Fashion. Without Airbrushing". It is one of several blogs owned by Gawker Media
.
Jezebel was launched on May 21, 2007, as the 14th Gawker blog. According to founding editor Anna Holmes, the site stemmed from the desire to better serve Gawker.com
's female readers, who made up 70% of the site's readership at the time. The Jezebel manifesto
states that the site "will attempt to take all the essentially meaningless but sweet stuff directed our way and give it a little more meaning, while taking more the serious stuff and making it more fun, or more personal, or at the very least the subject of our highly sophisticated brand of sex joke. Basically, we wanted to make the sort of women's magazine we'd want to read." One of the site's guiding principles, according to Holmes, is to avoid saying "misogynist
things about women's weight."
At Jezebel's launch, the editorial staff included Holmes, who previously worked at Star
and InStyle; editor Moe Tkacik, a former Wall Street Journal
reporter; and associate editor Jennifer Gerson, a former assistant to Elle
editor-in-chief Roberta Myers. Gerson left the site in May 2008 to become the Women's Editor for the Polo Ralph Lauren
website; Tkacik departed in August 2008 to work at Gawker.com, after briefly accepting and then rescinding a job offer from Radar
. Tkacik was subsequently laid off in a company-wide restructuring the following October. Holmes left the site in June 2010; Jessica Coen replaced her as Editor-in-Chief. Other current editors include Dodai Stewart, Tracie Egan, and Anna North.
On its first day of operation, Jezebel offered a $10,000 reward for the best example of a magazine cover photo prior to being retouched for publication. The site received between five (5) and ten (10) submissions. The winning entry, announced in July 2007, was a photo of Faith Hill
that was used on the July cover of Redbook
. Jezebel pointed out 11 different ways the photo had been drastically altered, including radically distorting Hill's left arm. Redbook editor-in-chief Stacy Morrison said that their retouching of Hill's photo was in line with industry standards, and that Redbook was investigating how the unretouched image had been released. Media coverage of the controversy included discussion and interviews on NBC's Today show and in several publications.
In December 2007, Jezebel reached 10 million monthly views. Gawker owner Nick Denton
pointed to Jezebel's soaring popularity as one reason for a drop-off in traffic at the company's main site, Gawker.com, which fell from more than 11 million page views in October 2007 to about eight million in December.
A July 2008 article in the Ottawa Citizen
included Jezebel as one of several sites launched as part of the "online estrogen
revolution," referring to a comScore
finding that community-based women's websites were tied with political sites as the Internet's fastest-growing category. The article also cited Ad Ages research showing that women's Internet use is outpacing men's.
In 2010, Jezebel received widespread media coverage when it criticized The Daily Show
for its treatment of women writers and correspondents. As a result of this publicity, the site was parodied as "JoanOfSnark.com" on an episode of 30 Rock
, "TGS Hates Women
".
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
aimed at women's interests, under the tagline "Celebrity, Sex, Fashion. Without Airbrushing". It is one of several blogs owned by Gawker Media
Gawker Media
Gawker Media is an American online media company and blog network, founded and owned by Nick Denton based in New York City. It is considered to be one of the most visible and successful blog-oriented media companies. , it is the parent company for 11 different weblogs: Gawker.com, Fleshbot,...
.
Jezebel was launched on May 21, 2007, as the 14th Gawker blog. According to founding editor Anna Holmes, the site stemmed from the desire to better serve Gawker.com
Gawker.com
Gawker is a newsmagazine/blog based in New York City that bills itself as "the source for daily Manhattan media news and gossip" and focuses on celebrities and the media industry....
's female readers, who made up 70% of the site's readership at the time. The Jezebel manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
states that the site "will attempt to take all the essentially meaningless but sweet stuff directed our way and give it a little more meaning, while taking more the serious stuff and making it more fun, or more personal, or at the very least the subject of our highly sophisticated brand of sex joke. Basically, we wanted to make the sort of women's magazine we'd want to read." One of the site's guiding principles, according to Holmes, is to avoid saying "misogynist
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
things about women's weight."
At Jezebel's launch, the editorial staff included Holmes, who previously worked at Star
Star (magazine)
Star is an American celebrity tabloid magazine.-History:Star was founded by Rupert Murdoch in 1974 as competition to the tabloid National Enquirer with its headquarters in New York City. In the late 1980s it moved its offices to Tarrytown, NY and in 1990 Murdoch sold the magazine to The Enquirers...
and InStyle; editor Moe Tkacik, a former Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
reporter; and associate editor Jennifer Gerson, a former assistant to Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
editor-in-chief Roberta Myers. Gerson left the site in May 2008 to become the Women's Editor for the Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren Corporation is a luxury clothing and goods company of the American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren specializes in high-end casual/semi-formal wear for men and women, as well as accessories, fragrances, home and housewares...
website; Tkacik departed in August 2008 to work at Gawker.com, after briefly accepting and then rescinding a job offer from Radar
Radar (magazine)
RadarOnline is an American online publication. It started as a magazine first printed in 2003 as a test issue, relaunched twice in 2005 and 2006, and ceased publication in 2008. The magazine published articles on entertainment, fashion, politics, and human interest...
. Tkacik was subsequently laid off in a company-wide restructuring the following October. Holmes left the site in June 2010; Jessica Coen replaced her as Editor-in-Chief. Other current editors include Dodai Stewart, Tracie Egan, and Anna North.
On its first day of operation, Jezebel offered a $10,000 reward for the best example of a magazine cover photo prior to being retouched for publication. The site received between five (5) and ten (10) submissions. The winning entry, announced in July 2007, was a photo of Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
that was used on the July cover of Redbook
Redbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
. Jezebel pointed out 11 different ways the photo had been drastically altered, including radically distorting Hill's left arm. Redbook editor-in-chief Stacy Morrison said that their retouching of Hill's photo was in line with industry standards, and that Redbook was investigating how the unretouched image had been released. Media coverage of the controversy included discussion and interviews on NBC's Today show and in several publications.
In December 2007, Jezebel reached 10 million monthly views. Gawker owner Nick Denton
Nick Denton
Nick Denton, born August 24, 1966, is a British journalist and internet entrepreneur, the founder and proprietor of the blog collective Gawker Media, and the managing editor of the New York-based Gawker.com...
pointed to Jezebel's soaring popularity as one reason for a drop-off in traffic at the company's main site, Gawker.com, which fell from more than 11 million page views in October 2007 to about eight million in December.
A July 2008 article in the Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
included Jezebel as one of several sites launched as part of the "online estrogen
Estrogen
Estrogens , oestrogens , or œstrogens, are a group of compounds named for their importance in the estrous cycle of humans and other animals. They are the primary female sex hormones. Natural estrogens are steroid hormones, while some synthetic ones are non-steroidal...
revolution," referring to a comScore
ComScore
comScore is a Internet marketing research company providing marketing data and services to many of the Internet's largest businesses. comScore tracks all internet data on its surveyed computers in order to study online behavior....
finding that community-based women's websites were tied with political sites as the Internet's fastest-growing category. The article also cited Ad Ages research showing that women's Internet use is outpacing men's.
In 2010, Jezebel received widespread media coverage when it criticized The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
for its treatment of women writers and correspondents. As a result of this publicity, the site was parodied as "JoanOfSnark.com" on an episode of 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, "TGS Hates Women
TGS Hates Women
"TGS Hates Women" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 96th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller. The episode originally aired on the National...
".