Listen To Sassy: Life In The 90s

Sassy's first back-to-school issue makes a few major missteps: a feature called "Living With Racism" whose white author relentlessly others her interview subjects, all young women of color; and an imbecilic fiction story from premiere issue Justine Bateman harasser John Elder. But "Where The Boys Aren't," about the all-girl boarding school Emma Willard, leaves at least one of your co-hosts yearnin...

How gutsy are we? Gutsy enough to share our results from August 1988's "How Gutsy Are You?" quiz, and even to critique the framing of several questions. Then we move on to your latest calls: this month, you want to talk about the quiz (and you also have some notes), narcs, bathing caps, crushes on teachers, the horror of having restaurant staff sing "Happy Birthday" to you, and so much more! We're...

Let's get fashionable, August 1988-style! It's time to start your back-to-school shopping, and you KNOW that means you're going to see a fashion story about plaid. Have you also heard about denim? Or sweaters? Because those get a moment in the spotlight too. What Next is also going to tell you what's hot on the runways of real, grown-up fashion brands, while What Now scales back the difficulty lev...

The pop culture coverage in the August 1988 issue is a bit slighter than we're used to, allowing us to get into nearly every bit of it. What Now tells us to get hype for The Fly II, Haunted Summer, and The Prince Of Pennsylvania, also mentioning in passing a comedy called Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, shrug. It also gets into John Stamos's new haircut, a Europe member's birthday, the unrel...

When we say the Teen Life topics of the August 1988 issue run the gamut, that is precisely what we mean. We're going to start with the story of the youngest person ever sentenced to Death Row; then review the results of a survey conducted on 300 boys in malls, on topics ranging from when they want to get married to which outfit they'd most like to see you wear on a date. Crushing on a teacher? Chr...

We've vetted all your applications (and we thank each and every one of you who filled one out), and the time has come to announce OUR Sassiest Girl In America! Then it's on to July 1988's extremely intense yet also possibly poorly constructed quiz: Could You Become Anorexic Or Bulimic? CW: This segment, of course, finds us talking about eating disorders, diets, and weight loss, so if those are tri...

While the July 1988 cover goes hard for American-flag style (...and, okay, so does Sassy Club), the rest of the fashion in this issue is not overly patriotic. We're going to Arizona -- or somewhere very dry and hot -- for a swimwear spread. We're in an old-timey cottage for some undergarment looks. And then: stripes. So many stripes. We're also learning about hot-weather hair help, products from t...

Our discussion of the pop culture topics in the July 1988 issue of Sassy turns into a wild ride, as Dave takes tough stances on overstuffed comic books, Pam fact-checks an item on Keanu Reeves's name, and a factoid about fireworks ends up in a revelation about pediatric dentistry in Saskatchewan in the 1980s. Watch It covers Permanent Record and Running On Empty, among others; then Listen Up assig...

What was going on in Teen Life in the July 1988 issue? A LOT. First, Catherine profiles a pair of queer couples she and Jane met at a legendary LGBT dance at Columbia. Then, we learn how to throw three distinct kinds of outdoor summer parties...and we have notes. Christina schools us on the five types of guys we should NOT date; Pam's not sure if that means, like, ever? And the editors' suggestion...

The June 1988 quiz purported to calculate how artistic we are, but not all of your co-hosts are on board with the magazine's methodology -- though we do tell you how we did. Then it's on to playing a selection of your voicemails, covering such topics as Kiwi periods, guerrilla anti-smoking campaigns, Guess Jeans, Beetlejuice, and justice for George Newbern. Get into it! QUICK LINKS 🗒 Full episode...

We're talking about the fashion and beauty of the June 1988 issue! Why is "My Backyard" in black-and-white, and did it make us less likely to covet the clothes? Which panelists hate all the hippies (and the hippie looks) of "Hip Hip Hippie"? Did any models cut their feet modeling barefoot in "Big Brights," and what the hell does "popsicle speed" mean? Did you attempt to tie-dye using What Next's i...

Pop culture in June 1988: let's get into it! What Now serves up Weird Al (kind of), newlyweds "Leonard" Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, and beach book recommendations. The reviews introduce you to Feargal Sharkey, Toni Childs, Little Nikita , and the now months-old Beetlejuice . WAS George Newbern One To Watch? Your panel is divided! And we get not one, not two, but THREE features: profiles of Ziggy Marle...

The time will soon come (heh) when Sassy can no longer talk about such things, so get your fill (heh heh) of Karen's piece on getting turned on NOW. The issue also tells you everything you need to know about breasts -- or, almost, as Pam informs her moderately horrified co-hosts. Catherine's report on two 11-year-old child geniuses is dark in the moment, and gets darker after she leaves, as you ca...

How Vain Are You? The May 1988 quiz determined our rates (and yours) in a very scientific way! We hear from listeners about the quiz, vintage legwear, the Bill & Ted soundtrack, and other euphemisms for farting, among other topics. Then, as a special Slumber Party bonus, we all fill out the application for The Sassiest Girl In America contest...as we think we would have done in 1988. Get into...

It's about to be summer, which means it's time for us all to look at some swimsuits, photographed in a tropical locale (St. John in the Virgin Islands, to be precise). Bright colors? Black? Some all-white dresses? All represented. Catherine also lets you in on the secrets of how models always look so perfect in magazines (it's all kinds of sorcery). Then you can go ahead and plunder your household...

May 1988 was a big one for pop culture: the airing of the St. Elsewhere series finale meant the dawning of the Tommy Westphall Universe! After discussing that, plus some other big moments in contemporaneous TV finales, we take a stroll through What Now. Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy, stretching as actors! Patrick Swayze, opening a restaurant in New York! Karen, breaking a Tiffany album in hal...

Sassy is not messing around with the Teen Life topics this month. You're getting the straight dope on PMS. You're getting a BRUTALLY detailed story about a girl who dropped out of high school to become a stripper -- either encouraged or forced to do so by her mother. Sassy editors poll 200 mothers and daughters on what they know about each other, and what they don't. Catherine gets into the weeds...

Sassy 's second quiz -- How Compatible Are You? -- had SOME of us asking a lot of questions about whether we had actually married the right person close to 24 years ago. Then we fired up the voicemails and took a wild ride through your reminiscences about your first periods, the albums you scammed out of Columbia House, your celebrity encounters, and your most regrettable hairdon'ts. Stretch out o...

Let's get to the fashion and beauty topics of the April 1988 issue! Want to know what to wear "holidaying"? To prom? On a first date? You're also going to learn how to kill five hours at home, keep lipstick off your teeth, make a fabric flower, and so much more -- all in our latest podcast! You WILL need an iron. QUICK LINKS 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on ListenToSassy...

Weeeeeeeeell…it's the pop culture topics of the April 1988 issue! What Now covers the latest in Madonna's acting career, Corey Haim's love life, and a new movie from Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz, as well as the first entry in the Sassy glossary, news about condoms, and facts about prom, year-round school, and Frisbees. Watch It features reviews of Hairspray (the original and best), Dominick And Eugen...

We're back to TEEN LIFE topics, now in the April 1988 issue! Christina Kelly gets a first-person account from a man whose friend died of AIDS as a teen. Karen Catchpole demystifies what it's actually like to date a rock star, killing some Beastie Boys crushes in the process. Karen then dares to tell the truth about boys' bodies -- not just the parts in their boxer shorts, though that is admittedly...

We took Sassy's very first quiz -- How Competitive Are You? -- and so can you! It's online and linked right here in the show notes. We each pick one question that particularly resonated with us and discuss it, and then report on our scores. Next, we play some of your calls. A few are about the quiz; a few are about how Sassy first came into listeners' lives; and a few are on subjects we never ever...

Once Tara and Pam have described the fashions they were sporting or coveting in March of 1988, we critique the cover, and then get into the fashion stories of Sassy 's premiere issue, set on a boardwalk, at an old railyard, and in a palette of creams and beiges. What Next also forecasts coming fashion trends with pinpoint accuracy -- thanks, Michael Kors and Betsey Johnson! The beauty features tea...

After flicking through Mackenzie Astin, Keith Coogan (yes, again), Married To The Mob , Tom Cruise, and more (Glemby) in What Now, it's on to the reviews. How do we vibe with the star ratings given to Rick Astley, Madonna, and R.E.M. -- of course -- in Listen Up? What about Moonstruck and September in Watch It? Then, once we revisit Charlie Schlatter, our very first One To Watch, it's on to the po...

We're delving into the features and ephemera regarding TEEN LIFE in the March 1988 issue! Karen Catchpole dares to be frank on the matter of "Losing Your Virginity" (and parents/right-wing wackos were PISSED). Catherine Gysin goes undercover at the Miss South Carolina USA pageant and learns secret uses for Vaseline. The whole staff collaborates on a "How To Flirt" guide…of sorts. In the spec piece...