As the 1970s come to a close, so does Viva’s run as one of America’s first feminist porn magazines. We explore what the legacy of Viva magazine tells us about issues of female sexuality and sexual autonomy, and how many of these battles are still being fought today.

As the 1970s come to a close, so does Viva’s run as one of America’s first feminist porn magazines. We explore what the legacy of Viva magazine tells us about issues of female sexuality and sexual autonomy, and how many of these battles are still being fought today.

New York City, 1973. Bob Guccione, the founder of the men’s magazine Penthouse, is about to drop his latest project, and it’s not quite what anyone is expecting. Enter Viva, an erotic magazine for women published by a porn king but staffed by – drumroll – a bunch of feminist writers and editors. Viva features groundbreaking full-frontal male nudes, writing by feminist icons like Betty Friedan, and profiles of literary legends like Maya Angelou. Its cover stars include Bianca Jagger and Shelley Duvall. Anna Wintour is even Viva’s fashion editor at one point. But what is originally conceived as a high-end, progressive, sexual utopia for women… doesn't quite turn out that way.

Stiffed is an Original Series from Crooked Media and iHeartPodcasts. You can listen to all 8 episodes out now, wherever you get your podcasts.

New York City, 1973. Bob Guccione, the founder of the men’s magazine Penthouse, is about to drop his latest project, and it’s not quite what anyone is expecting. Enter Viva, an erotic magazine for women published by a porn king but staffed by – drumroll – a bunch of feminist writers and editors. Viva features groundbreaking full-frontal male nudes, writing by feminist icons like Betty Friedan, and profiles of literary legends like Maya Angelou. Its cover stars include Bianca Jagger and Shelley Duvall. Anna Wintour is even Viva’s fashion editor at one point. But what is originally conceived as a high-end, progressive, sexual utopia for women… doesn't quite turn out that way.
Stiffed is an Original Series from Crooked Media and iHeartPodcasts. You can listen to all 8 episodes out now, wherever you get your podcasts.

Stiffed

The Last Word

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/648007e8-dfa8-433a-abdc-affd0153c516/transcript

What happens when a city on the verge of collapse tries to reinvent itself? How much will it cost? Who will pay the price? Reporter David Weinberg spent years following one city in California’s Mojave desert as it tried to transform itself from a city of prisons to a city of pot. And it worked…for a while. Until it, spectacularly, didn’t. From Crooked Media, this is Dreamtown: The Story of Adelanto. Listen to Dreamtown: The Story of Adelanto starting June 7th, wherever you get your podcasts.

What happens when a city on the verge of collapse tries to reinvent itself? How much will it cost? Who will pay the price? Reporter David Weinberg spent years following one city in California’s Mojave desert as it tried to transform itself from a city of prisons to a city of pot. And it worked…for a while. Until it, spectacularly, didn’t. From Crooked Media, this is Dreamtown: The Story of Adelanto. Listen to Dreamtown: The Story of Adelanto starting June 7th, wherever you get your podcasts.

Introducing: Dreamtown: The Story of Adelanto

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6f82f451-35c3-4df1-864a-b00d015fbfbf/transcript

As a last Hail Mary to save Viva, Bob and Kathy hire a young, up-and-coming fashion director — none other than a fresh-faced, pre-Vogue Anna Wintour. But will she be enough to save the floundering publication?

As a last Hail Mary to save Viva, Bob and Kathy hire a young, up-and-coming fashion director — none other than a fresh-faced, pre-Vogue Anna Wintour. But will she be enough to save the floundering publication?

Wintour of Their Discontent

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/169ea18c-b6de-4c5b-ad70-aff6011c3bf9/transcript

As Viva reaches the third of its six-year run, it’s having its own version of a midlife crisis, and the editors have to make some tough decisions about what kind of magazine Viva needs to be to survive.

As Viva reaches the third of its six-year run, it’s having its own version of a midlife crisis, and the editors have to make some tough decisions about what kind of magazine Viva needs to be to survive.

Midlife Crisis

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/35d463d5-b31d-475a-9ca4-aff001467dce/transcript

The Last Word

In 1 playlist(s)

Stiffed

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips