[London, December 16. Image via Getty]

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: A woman walks her dogs through the snow in Richmond Park on December 16, 2009 in London, England. A cold weather front is due to bring snow to parts of the country today with temperatures falling to as little as -4C according to the Met office. Heavier snow is expected in the capital towards the end of the weeek. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Police launched a campaign last month to warn women of the possible dangers of drinking too much at the office Christmas bash.

Lady Stern said: 'Being drunk is voluntary and people who become drunk are responsible for their actions. It is not the alcohol that commits the rape.

'It is not an excuse. It used to be regarded as such, but it is not an excuse. It is an aggravating factor.'

The Daily Mail illustrates this with a photo of models kissing under a mistletoe. While this may have not been their intention, the throwaway line as well as the choice of accompanying picture serves to trivialize the subject of the article. Instead of focusing on why the task force chose to make such a statement, the Mail talks of "sex breathalyzers" and allows the last word to reinforce that "If a man is responsible for his conduct when drunk, so is a woman." You can guess what the comments are like.

The Guardian (wisely choosing to use a photo of a man drinking) reports the same facts with a slightly different spin. Here, the focus is on a discussion of rape culture in general, and its pervasiveness in where a drinking culture overlaps with discussions of rape and victim blaming. The Guardian includes Lady Stern's full argument which sheds some more light on the intent:

"Being drunk is voluntary and people who become drunk are responsible for their actions. It is not the alcohol that commits the rape. It is not an excuse. It used to be regarded as such, but it is not an excuse . It is an aggravating factor."

Stern said that clear consent had to be obtained for sex regardless of how well couples know each other. A man could not assume a woman's consent.

"I don't think there is any ambiguity. You can't have sex with someone who hasn't said yes and this it. There is no grey area."

The full report is due in February. Hopefully, Lady Stern will also replace the idea that "an absence of no is as good as a yes" with the idea that an actual yes trumps all.

Drunk men who insist on sex 'are rapists and cannot use alcohol as an excuse', says govt. adviser [Daily Mail]
Drunk men who demand sex from partner should be 'treated as rapists' [Guardian]
How Does The Change Happen? [Yes Means Yes]

[London, December 8. Image via Getty]

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 08: A small girl holds her mother's hand as she looks at Selfridges store Christmas windows on December 8, 2009 in London. Retail sales are showing a slight increase during November and the first few days of December compared with the recession hit Christmas of 2008. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

[Port Elizabeth, South Africa; December 7. Image via Getty]

A group of young South African children in Port Elizabeth wave flags (Germany) of the countries that are taking part in the 2010 Fifa Football World Cup in South Africa from June 11 to July 11, 2010. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images)

[Cockermouth, England; November 24. Image via Getty]

A woman clears damaged stock from a bridal shop in Cockermouth, north-west England, on November 24, 2009. David Cameron visited Tuesday the town of Cockermouth in Cumbria and witnessed the devastation caused by 'a flood of biblical proportions'. Following a tour around the Fire and Rescue headquarters in the town the Conservative Party leader pledged that if he won the next general election, he would fully support the flood-hit community. AFP PHOTO/Paul Ellis (Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

[Cockermouth, England; November 23. Image via Getty]

COCKERMOUTH, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 23: A flood damaged child's doll sits in the street as residents and business owners return to their flood ravaged premises and homes on November 23, 2009 in Cockermouth, England. After the worst floods in the history picturesque Lake District Cumbrians were being allowed back to their properties today to see the devastation and begin the massive clean up. Many Roads and bridges are still subject to closure in the district as forecasters predict more rain on the way. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

[London, November 20. Image via Getty]

Hula hoop artist 'Marawa' performs during a photocall to promote the 'La Clique' Cabaret in London, on November 20, 2009. The show is a mixture of cabaret, burlesque, circus and variety and runs in London, from November 20 until January 17, 2010. AFP PHOTO/Leon Neal (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)

As someone who spends a lot of time reading - and writing about - American ladymags I thought that, for a change of pace, I'd investigate a few foreign ones. So a few weeks ago, I bought four British magazines and four French ones to see how they stack up against their American counterparts.

I was particularly interested in how these foreign editions treat single readers: Does the strategy for love and romance veer from what American women are used to reading? Are there tips? Is being single considered a blessing or a curse? Do they want women to be more or less assertive? Let's take a look:

More! - Oct. 19th edition
Dannii Minogue, sister of Kylie and a reality tv judge in the UK, is on the cover. Almost the entirety of her interview is devoted to her "gorgeous boyfriend" Kris, a rugby player six years her junior. "He accepts me in my tracksuits and my UGG boots and no make-up and my hair in a [headband]," she gushes. "He's The One." It's no wonder she's obsessed with her boyfriend-her friends and family sound psychotic. "When he met all of my family and friends, they all came back to me going, ‘If you mess this up, we won't be your friends any more because, seriously, we thought you'd be single forever.'"

Later in the issue, the magazine ask forty men to answer the rather cheerful question "How Can We Tell if You're About to Dump Us?" And there's a feature called "I've Never Had a Boyfriend," in which four attractive twenty-something women confess that they've never had a serious relationship and a nebulous-sounding "relationship expert" tries to understand how exactly that could happen. Sample advice: "Between now and Christmas I want you to get to know men with a good relationship track record so you'll know what to look for in future relationships."

However! I am willing to take back anything I might be inclined to say about the obsession with monogamy that this magazine appears to have because there, on page 100, was the Position of the Week. This week's is called The Cat and it's reenacted step-by-step by an interracial Barbie couple. Plus!! There's a bonus tip that involves a vibrator "to maximize your pleasure." And if that was not enough, there are five readers profiled who were paid to try it. Yes, that's right, our British sistren can get paid £30 to try out sex tips in magazines. It is times like this that I question whether the American Revolution was a good idea.


Marie Claire (UK Edition) - -November 2009
"In the midst of this doom and gloom, I feel inclined to spoil myself more." Ah, another article on the minor luxuries women won't give up during the recession! Except this is a pretty serious, reported article called "The Pleasure Boom" that claims that the recession has resulted in a kind of golden age for sex toys in Britain.

Moving on from gold-plated vibrators, they address the age-old "Should I Tell Him How Many Men I've Slept With?" question by encouraging evasiveness. I loved this: "When men want to play the numbers game, I stick to my ‘more than one, less than a hundred' line, and remind them that all of my experiences have made me into the sexually confident woman that I am today." I usually cringe at any mention of the O-word-oxytocin-but I appreciate that they warn women that the "cuddle hormone" can "lead to inappropriate bonding with that random one-night stand."

General bonus: this magazine came wrapped with a giant bar of chocolate to celebrate Chocolate Week 2009.

Glamour (UK Edition) - November 2009
I was not particularly moved by any suggestions in "Happy Couple Tips to Try Tonight, Tomorrow and Forever." Is there anything new in "Brag publicly about him," "Spoil him," or "Think back on all the reasons you fell for him"? Plus I'm not sure that using a photo from Gossip Girl of Dan and Serena making out is the best way to illustrate eternal love.

There is a fairly depressing piece on what men talk about when we're not around. From "Overheard at a football match": "She's got the premenstrual with the cramping and bloating and terrorizing, then the menstrual, then the post-menstrual. No shit, she's fit for habitation for only, like, ten days a month." Not only in there no analysis of this comment but there is no indication that this kind of casual misogyny-fed to us in a women's magazine, no less!-is completely unacceptable. What's next? "Top Ten ‘Take My Wife, Please' Jokes"?


Cosmopolitan (UK Edition) - November 2009
This month's Cosmo quiz is dedicated to all the single ladies, namely Agyness Deyn, Alexandra Burke (the winner of the American Idolesque X Factor), Kate Hudson, and Lily Allen. "They're all gorgeous, sexy and single. What can your celeb relationship twin tell you about your love life?" I took the quiz, answering questions like, "If a friend invites you out on the same night you've got a date, you'd cancel to go out with a friend." My single celeb soulmate is Kate Hudson and our shared problem is that we are prone to judging too quickly. "Like Kate, you're not ready to settle for one guy. Perhaps that's because in the back of your mind you're always thinking someone else might come along."

There's an interesting article on women who have had to move back in with their parents-whether for financial reasons or because of a bad breakup-and who think it's the best thing they ever did.

In an advice column, an 18-year-old asks whether she should go out with her coworker who is ten years her senior. The casual response seems like something that would probably never see the light of day in American magazines: "In a couple years' time, 10 years between you and a boyfriend will make much less difference to anyone."


Cosmopolitan (French edition) - November 2009
My favorite part of French Cosmo is the special psychic supplement that comes with the November issue, which includes a punch-out tarot deck and a quiz called "What Kind of Love Witch Are You?" I took it, and apparently I'm the kind that loves "eternal adolescents who don't take anything seriously, especially not love." My inner goth could only be happier if it came with love spells.

There's a long reported story that feels a bit behind the times on online dating and another depressing story about men. This time it's a list of the ways (by text, via the silent treatment) in which men leave us. There's another story told from the point of view of men on what their girlfriends do better than anyone else ("walk wearing stilettos," "read my thoughts").

The last page is an ode to wearing garter belts by a female writer who claims they're "comfortable, practical, and they makes me feel more sure of myself." Very French.


20 Ans - October 2009
20 Ans (it means 20 Years Old) is something that doesn't really exist in America: the sexually frank magazine for teenagers. But it's less like Sassy than a hybrid of Bonnie Fuller-era YM and Maxim.

There's an article on what men like to do in the morning (Sleep in! Eat a ton of cereal! Have sex! I have never heard of a woman enjoying any of those things!) that is pretty vapid, but I did enjoy the the Ten Good Reasons to Sleep with Someone article: "there's nothing on tv," "you're young, beautiful, and sexy," "you have nothing better to do," "you want to." They also include a few reasons not to: "you haven't shaved," "you have a sex toy," "it's too hot out," and "you don't want to."

Later, there are several stories prepping girls for adult relationships. And by "adult relationships," we mean "male disappointment." There's an article on why your man doesn't do what you tell him (the answers: "because he doesn't want to" or because you're a nag), another of tricks to get your guy to get off the phone/internet/tv (parading around in lingerie is encouraged), and a quiz on whether he's happy with you.


Glamour (French edition) - November 2009
Can I be honest? I have never encountered a women's magazine with so little love advice to dish out to their readers. There's a story on how to catch a man's eye, and another about fantasies women have about yoga teachers, bakers, and surfers but the vast majority is taken up with articles on that don't make finding and keeping a man your life's central conceit. Which, of course, doesn't mean they're breaking much new ground; you'll find stories on how to build your own bookshelves, the return of the smoky eye, and women who love their thigh-high boots.

Bonus merch: This month's issue comes with a tote bag that says BAG GLAMOUR BAG on one side and a line drawing of last month's cover on the other.

Biba - November 2009
There's a quiz for couples to take on whether you're sexually compatible and a food story on recipes for seduction (raspberry tart, berry muffins). There's a roundup of women's stories about guys who tried to pick you up and failed: "He began to guide me through poses, murmuring that I had a great body… What he didn't know was that I was the sub for yoga class that day." There's not any new ground here, but I did appreciate a reported piece on whether girls and boys are raised differently, and whether sexism comes from imposed gender rules on kids.

These British and French women's magazines have the occasional bit of advice that feels a bit more risqué than anything published in the US, but overall, the familiar far exceeds the exotic. I do think that our lady mags could take a cue from their foreign counterparts and start illustrating sex tips with Barbies and giving away cute totes. If anything can help sagging newsstand sales, I'm sure it's free chocolate.

[London, September 27. Image via Getty]

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Pearly Kings and Queens gather to celebrate their annual Costermonger's Harvest Festival at the London Guildhall on September 27, 2009 in London, England. The event is held on the first Sunday of every October, and is followed by a parade through the City of London to the St Mary-le-Bow Church, where a service is conducted by the Pearly Kings and Queens. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

[London, September 11. Image via Getty]

A mother and daughter look out of the window as they watch anti muslim protestors being arrested by the police in Harrow, North London on September 11, 2009. Riot police intervened to quell clashes between Muslims and anti-Islamic extremists protesting outside a London mosque on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. AFP PHOTO/Carl de Souza (Photo credit should read CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)

[London, September 1. Image via Getty]

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Evacuee Margaret Taylor displays her name label before a Commemorative Service at St Paul's Cathedral on September 1, 2009 in London, England. Operation Pied Piper evacuated 1.5 million people, mostly children, on the 1st September 1939 to save the population from German bombing during World War Two. The children were moved to rural areas where they stayed with local families. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

[London, August 26. Image via Getty]

Protesters arrive at their week-long Climate Camp on Blackheath, in south London, on August 26, 2009. Around 1,000 activists descended Wednesday on a stretch of open land in London after the location of the week-long Climate Camp was finally revealed. Protesters arrived from several areas of the capital to Blackheath in south east London, setting up the camp on a hill overlooking Docklands and Canary Wharf. AFP PHOTO/Leon Neal (Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)

A terrific piece in History Today discusses the phenomenon of the "whore memoir," a popular genre of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Writes Julie Peakman,

Real-life prostitutes such as Sally Salisbury, Fanny Murray and Kitty Fisher became the subject of a genre of memoirs now known as Whore Biographies in books such as The Effigies, Parentage, Education, Life, Merry-Pranks and Conversation of the celebrated Mrs Sally Salisbury (1723), Memoirs of the celebrated Miss Fanny M*****(1759) and The uncommon Adventures of Miss Kitty F*****r (1759). Their full names in the titles were tantalisingly omitted, although everyone would have recognised who they were. Gossip around these women and their lovers filled the taverns. Broadsheets and pamphlets rec orded their activities. Songs and poems were written about them and cartoons depicted them.

Famous courtesans - some of them actresses - were among the most famous celebrities of their day, revered by the common people and notorious amongst the nobles who served as their protectors - and their wives. I'm no historian, but the appeal seems obvious: in addition to the lurid taint of sex and scandal the women carried, theirs were tales of social mobility in an era where most people didn't even dream of it, and accounts of their humble origins and fine carriages must have proved irresistible to contemporary readers. One could even read about a fallen woman's life on a moral pretext: an account of Sally Salisbury stabbing her noble protector with a bread knife might have served, ostensibly, as a cautionary tale, but also served to make the courtesan a popular heroine.

The genre, as Peakman tells it, was born with male writers: hacks trying to make a buck with a series of generic, lurid "biographies." Seeing a chance to set the record straight - or at least on their own terms - many of the women decided to cash in with memoirs, and the "blaming and shaming" that ensued is what really made them must-reads. In addition to establishing themselves as good-hearted and merely prey to human frailty, many of these memoirs served as a means of publicly shaming the notable men who'd seduced or cheated them - and slandering rival courtesans. This was surely a level of power most women could never dream of - even those courtesans who'd managed to achieve a level of autonomy and financial independence.

But in addition to the thinly-disguised bold-faces, respectable readers also received a dose of reality. As the women told it, they were not morally reprehensible, but at the mercy of an unforgiving world and in the power of men: many of them related that their careers started as a result of rapes or abandonment that left them with no options; many of the memoirs featured beatings and abuse. As Peg Plunkett put it in her memoir,

The ill usage of Lawless, had changed me to what I never was before. In short, I was become a compleat Coquet. I entertained every one who fluttered about me, I received every present that was offered, accepted every entertainment that was made for me; gave them all the hopes, yet yielded to none. I was disgusted with the man of my heart, therefore gave my heart to none. I looked upon all men as my lawful prey, and wished to punish the crimes of one on the whole sex.

While it would be hard to argue that this genre did a lot to elevate the social dialogue, it's also true that - in combination with a new wave of free-thinking and the works like Mary Wollstonecraft's, the "whore memoir" coincided with a consideration of women as disenfranchised and ill-used rather than morally or intellectually inferior. If they were jaded, these stories seemed to say, it was the fault of men - surely a charge that many less-obviously beholden members of their sex must have silently echoed. Indeed, it's pretty clear that the "hooker with a heart of gold" trope can be traced directly to these memoirs. It's always dangerous to romanticize courtesans, as much today as then - viewing them as liberated mistresses of their own destinies, influencing powerful men and bucking the codes of the time. At the end of the day, these memoirs say, they were still chattel. But by living a life of open "vice," they also had the ability to exploit it openly - and this genre is a marvel of savvy.

Blaming And Shaming In Whores' Memoirs [History Today]

I have a fondness for behind-the-scenes, what-the-secretary-saw style stuff, like the recent piece by Madoff's secretary, or that rather disappointing Downfall about Hitler's final days as seen through his secretary's eyes. (Oh, and if you ever run across 1962's My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House, grab it.) So obviously I was psyched when Radio 4 announced a documentary on the so-called "Garden Room Girls," the "elite band of secretaries" who serve at number 10, Downing Street.

Named for the view of the garden their office affords rather than any horticultural associations, the Garden Room Girls continue to keep things running, albeit discreetly. For their documentary, the BBC reunited a group of secretaries from prior eras, who were presumably more free to share their memories. While several of them tell of weekend trips to the Duke of Norfolk's castle and Concorde flights - "I had to take dictation from one civil servant whilst I was being fed canapés by another to keep me going" - it was often far from glamorous. Wartime employees recall the barrack-like overnight accomodations, the iron beds and cold water. And then, of course, there was Churchill. Says Ann Finchett,

"He had a budgerigar which used to fly about his bedroom," [which] would land in her lap and start nibbling the edges of the paper. "I often wondered what ministers made of the letters they used to get with bits taken out of them," Ann adds.

The full documentary broadcasts 1100 BST tomorrow on Radio 4; don't worry, it'll be archived. (Also, never image-search "Garden Room Girls"; the results are highly artistic.)

Secrets Of No 10's Garden Room Girls [BBC]

Related: What the Secretary Saw [Vanity fair]
Lillian Parks, 100, Dies; Had 'Backstairs' White House View [NY Times]

[Image via thomas.merton]