No 4 smacks of someone getting pitches turned down.
She’s isolated two issues there, which just happen to have vaguely gratuitous pics of women. If that was representative of the mag as a whole she might have a point, but I strongly feel it isn’t.
When I get home I’ll maybe have a flick through recent issues and flag up some female subjects and writers featured over the past couple of years.
As the last bastion of quality print media in surfing, it irritates me to see TSJ attacked like this. They do a bloody good job with very few employees and in a field where it’s a miracle they’re still afloat.
They cover what they can, and their standards are high. They shouldn’t be forced to make editorial decisions based on social media outrage.
Part of the issue here is that there just aren’t enough women writing about surfing. I’ve had some kickback recently for not covering the women’s tour on Beachgrit, my response being that I’m not paid to do so and don’t have the bandwidth to do that and the men’s tour.
But really I don’t think it’s right for me to do it anyway. I think it needs to be covered by a female writer, not just as an adjunct and afterthought to the men’s coverage. Plus, comparisons between them aren’t particularly useful.
Has Lauren written another list or blog with follow up comments that I missed?
Just cos the headline describes TSJ as being ‘under siege’ by an ‘eco-feminist’ who is whipping up ‘social media outrage’. And the article describes ‘furious uproar and a classic social media pile-on’.
Whereas what I read was a pretty measured (albeit obviously subjective) suggestion that perhaps it might be an idea for TSJ to make more of an effort on female representation. Which was backed up by the (again) perfectly measured views of scores of women who seemed to agreed.
Kinda funny considering how one of your main points is about the pointlessly binary and hyperbolic nature of most modern debates of this type.
(Also somewhat surprising to see you go for that classic Tory politics-of-envy argument, when you imply the only reason Lauren posted was because they won’t commission her).
The dig about having pitches turned down was obviously cynical and uncalled for, but it was an emotional response to her calculated attempt to shame TSJ. Her tone just seemed a little personal to me.
And I don't write the headlines, as you well know.
As for "social media pile-on", that's how it appears to me. A bunch of followers condemning something they admit to not reading, based on someone else's opinion?
Interesting that you, as a staunch defender of creativity, are simply siding with your mate here, rather than acknowledging that what she did was not only completely out of context and factually incorrect, but potentially very damaging.
But aside from that, your passive-aggressive Tory jibe might work down south, but I'm afraid it's lost on me.
Lauren can only 'shame' TSJ is this issue is something they are willing to feel ashamed about. If they don't care about better including women then it will be of no consequence to them.
Do you honestly think this will do damage to TSJ? What Lauren has done is not a first - it's definitely the highest profile version - and the similar efforts have had no effect before. Researcher, Margaret Henderson, did an archival analysis of Tracks in the late 90s - she calls surf magazines "a last frontier for anxious men and youths" lol - and look how hard that scathing analysis hit them. It's taken under the 2020s for real change to happen to their content.
TSJ is just the latest in-focus example of the ongoing sexualisation, exclusion and marginalisation of women in surf media. What Lauren has done is great, and the support she's had from so many surfers should be an indication to you of how seriously this issue is felt across the culture.
Drawing a parallel between 90s era Tracks and TSJ is like comparing The Odyssey to The Gruffalo.
What Lauren claimed (the "blatant exclusion") was patently false. And yes, damaging. Especially when shouted to a partisan audience who don't know any better and aren't willing to find out for themselves.
"If there are women who love to write, and for some reason would channel this talent into writing about surfing, I’m sure they would find a willing audience. No surf publication is turning down quality work on the basis of gender. If more women want to be heard in surfing, they should speak up."
Jamie!! Women are publishing in loads of places and speaking up all the time ohmygodohmygod!!
Kate Allman and Lucy Small got nominated for a Walkley Award (for journalism in Australia) for an article they published in Tracks!! There are so many magazines being published by women surfers, so many social media accounts, so many blog posts for companies, so many women cracking into places like Surfline, Surfing World, Tracks, White Horses, and so many other places.
So why aren't you seeing their writing? Maybe that is the real question? It might be that its not of interest to you and that's honestly fine and legitimate. But just because you don't see it or publish alongside it, it doesn't mean it's not abundant and well respected!!
He he. Not sure there was anything passive about that one. It'd be a stretch to call me and Lauren friends tbh. We've had one chat and exchanged a few messages over the years, although I am an admirer of her work. And I think she had a point in this case. Always interested to get your perspective though, as ever, even when I completely disagree, as in this case.
There are loads and loads of women writing about and photographing surfing. Loads. And they're doing it well. Perhaps the issues is that you're not reading them because you're not interested in what they have to say because they're not writing the same way as the many men who get to publish are. Women don't get as many chances to publish and edit the big magazines and websites as men do, so they've been making their own awesome media in response. As we know from other kinds of sports coverage, men often argue against the inclusion of women's sport coverage because they, personally, find it boring. I personally find the men's shortboarding tour boring, but I wouldn't argue that it shouldn't be covered.
TSJ can absolutely do what they want, but given the issues so many magazines have with low subscription numbers, you'd think they would want to publish the most interesting stories about the diversity of surfing? But then, maybe they don't? Maybe they want to continue to publish stories by men, and take a more limited 'guy's magazine' approach? Certainly I don't subscribe to TSJ, I don't read TSJ, and I wouldn't bother pitching to TSJ because I'm sure my pitch wouldn't get up. Also, I'd rather not publish in magazines that don't support women as contributors or story subjects.
As for BeachGrit covering the women's tour...? To be frank, I can't imagine the narratives that website would publish, nor the heinous trolling comments it would allow to accompany the articles. Like Lauren, I've had my own 'ecofeminist' label hysterically used as click bait by BeachGrit, so my faith in the site's capacity to cover women's competitive surfing in a way that wouldn't bring harm to the women is low.
The issue isn't that men can't cover women's surfing - loads of men do! - the issue is that how women are talked about is not sexualised or infantilising.
If you don't subscribe to TSJ, or read it, then where is your justification in criticising it?
You wouldn't bother pitching to them and would rather not publish with them because you don't feel they support you, yet you've never read the magazine nor tried?
So you'll just form this opinion and condemn them based on one person's Instagram post, right?
This is at the heart of the problem with the LH post. A cursory flick through two issues of a magazine she doesn't support or follow, but is quite happy to slander. What she wrote was incorrect and the images she chose were deliberately misleading.
As for Beachgrit, they publish a wide variety of stuff. Some, as you know, is designed to attract clicks. But there is a supportive and willing audience there for women's surfing, not least in Chas and Derek, both of whom are staunch feminists.
There is also a platform where good writing and individual voices are allowed to exist, and frankly I think that's more important than ever.
It's perfectly ok for LH to say what she did, but if I feel she is wrong in her information or approach, then why shouldn't I defend it? I'm not attacking gender issues, I'm combatting misinformation and standing up for a publication I think is important.
I wish more people would say what they think instead of just kowtowing to popular opinion all the time.
No 4 smacks of someone getting pitches turned down.
She’s isolated two issues there, which just happen to have vaguely gratuitous pics of women. If that was representative of the mag as a whole she might have a point, but I strongly feel it isn’t.
When I get home I’ll maybe have a flick through recent issues and flag up some female subjects and writers featured over the past couple of years.
As the last bastion of quality print media in surfing, it irritates me to see TSJ attacked like this. They do a bloody good job with very few employees and in a field where it’s a miracle they’re still afloat.
They cover what they can, and their standards are high. They shouldn’t be forced to make editorial decisions based on social media outrage.
Part of the issue here is that there just aren’t enough women writing about surfing. I’ve had some kickback recently for not covering the women’s tour on Beachgrit, my response being that I’m not paid to do so and don’t have the bandwidth to do that and the men’s tour.
But really I don’t think it’s right for me to do it anyway. I think it needs to be covered by a female writer, not just as an adjunct and afterthought to the men’s coverage. Plus, comparisons between them aren’t particularly useful.
Lovely to see man-splaining as the first comment about how women should think women should actually be portrayed. Well done!
What an asinine reply. Well done.
Which part of my comment was suggesting how women should think?
Has Lauren written another list or blog with follow up comments that I missed?
Just cos the headline describes TSJ as being ‘under siege’ by an ‘eco-feminist’ who is whipping up ‘social media outrage’. And the article describes ‘furious uproar and a classic social media pile-on’.
Whereas what I read was a pretty measured (albeit obviously subjective) suggestion that perhaps it might be an idea for TSJ to make more of an effort on female representation. Which was backed up by the (again) perfectly measured views of scores of women who seemed to agreed.
Kinda funny considering how one of your main points is about the pointlessly binary and hyperbolic nature of most modern debates of this type.
(Also somewhat surprising to see you go for that classic Tory politics-of-envy argument, when you imply the only reason Lauren posted was because they won’t commission her).
The dig about having pitches turned down was obviously cynical and uncalled for, but it was an emotional response to her calculated attempt to shame TSJ. Her tone just seemed a little personal to me.
And I don't write the headlines, as you well know.
As for "social media pile-on", that's how it appears to me. A bunch of followers condemning something they admit to not reading, based on someone else's opinion?
Interesting that you, as a staunch defender of creativity, are simply siding with your mate here, rather than acknowledging that what she did was not only completely out of context and factually incorrect, but potentially very damaging.
But aside from that, your passive-aggressive Tory jibe might work down south, but I'm afraid it's lost on me.
Lauren can only 'shame' TSJ is this issue is something they are willing to feel ashamed about. If they don't care about better including women then it will be of no consequence to them.
Do you honestly think this will do damage to TSJ? What Lauren has done is not a first - it's definitely the highest profile version - and the similar efforts have had no effect before. Researcher, Margaret Henderson, did an archival analysis of Tracks in the late 90s - she calls surf magazines "a last frontier for anxious men and youths" lol - and look how hard that scathing analysis hit them. It's taken under the 2020s for real change to happen to their content.
TSJ is just the latest in-focus example of the ongoing sexualisation, exclusion and marginalisation of women in surf media. What Lauren has done is great, and the support she's had from so many surfers should be an indication to you of how seriously this issue is felt across the culture.
Drawing a parallel between 90s era Tracks and TSJ is like comparing The Odyssey to The Gruffalo.
What Lauren claimed (the "blatant exclusion") was patently false. And yes, damaging. Especially when shouted to a partisan audience who don't know any better and aren't willing to find out for themselves.
OH MY GOD I JUST READ YOUR BEACHGRIT ARTICLE!!!!
"If there are women who love to write, and for some reason would channel this talent into writing about surfing, I’m sure they would find a willing audience. No surf publication is turning down quality work on the basis of gender. If more women want to be heard in surfing, they should speak up."
Jamie!! Women are publishing in loads of places and speaking up all the time ohmygodohmygod!!
Kate Allman and Lucy Small got nominated for a Walkley Award (for journalism in Australia) for an article they published in Tracks!! There are so many magazines being published by women surfers, so many social media accounts, so many blog posts for companies, so many women cracking into places like Surfline, Surfing World, Tracks, White Horses, and so many other places.
So why aren't you seeing their writing? Maybe that is the real question? It might be that its not of interest to you and that's honestly fine and legitimate. But just because you don't see it or publish alongside it, it doesn't mean it's not abundant and well respected!!
He he. Not sure there was anything passive about that one. It'd be a stretch to call me and Lauren friends tbh. We've had one chat and exchanged a few messages over the years, although I am an admirer of her work. And I think she had a point in this case. Always interested to get your perspective though, as ever, even when I completely disagree, as in this case.
No, Jamie.
There are loads and loads of women writing about and photographing surfing. Loads. And they're doing it well. Perhaps the issues is that you're not reading them because you're not interested in what they have to say because they're not writing the same way as the many men who get to publish are. Women don't get as many chances to publish and edit the big magazines and websites as men do, so they've been making their own awesome media in response. As we know from other kinds of sports coverage, men often argue against the inclusion of women's sport coverage because they, personally, find it boring. I personally find the men's shortboarding tour boring, but I wouldn't argue that it shouldn't be covered.
TSJ can absolutely do what they want, but given the issues so many magazines have with low subscription numbers, you'd think they would want to publish the most interesting stories about the diversity of surfing? But then, maybe they don't? Maybe they want to continue to publish stories by men, and take a more limited 'guy's magazine' approach? Certainly I don't subscribe to TSJ, I don't read TSJ, and I wouldn't bother pitching to TSJ because I'm sure my pitch wouldn't get up. Also, I'd rather not publish in magazines that don't support women as contributors or story subjects.
As for BeachGrit covering the women's tour...? To be frank, I can't imagine the narratives that website would publish, nor the heinous trolling comments it would allow to accompany the articles. Like Lauren, I've had my own 'ecofeminist' label hysterically used as click bait by BeachGrit, so my faith in the site's capacity to cover women's competitive surfing in a way that wouldn't bring harm to the women is low.
The issue isn't that men can't cover women's surfing - loads of men do! - the issue is that how women are talked about is not sexualised or infantilising.
If you don't subscribe to TSJ, or read it, then where is your justification in criticising it?
You wouldn't bother pitching to them and would rather not publish with them because you don't feel they support you, yet you've never read the magazine nor tried?
So you'll just form this opinion and condemn them based on one person's Instagram post, right?
This is at the heart of the problem with the LH post. A cursory flick through two issues of a magazine she doesn't support or follow, but is quite happy to slander. What she wrote was incorrect and the images she chose were deliberately misleading.
As for Beachgrit, they publish a wide variety of stuff. Some, as you know, is designed to attract clicks. But there is a supportive and willing audience there for women's surfing, not least in Chas and Derek, both of whom are staunch feminists.
There is also a platform where good writing and individual voices are allowed to exist, and frankly I think that's more important than ever.
It's perfectly ok for LH to say what she did, but if I feel she is wrong in her information or approach, then why shouldn't I defend it? I'm not attacking gender issues, I'm combatting misinformation and standing up for a publication I think is important.
I wish more people would say what they think instead of just kowtowing to popular opinion all the time.
Best newsletter yet. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Jeremy 🙏
Great round up Matt, beats my daily newspaper bulletin by a long chalk!
Takes me to subjects that are easy to approach black and white, right or wrong but I trust you, they are not. Thanks for the leads
Thanks Simon