Gurl.com: Difference between revisions
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| country_of_origin = United States |
| country_of_origin = United States |
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| founder = {{ubl|[[Rebecca Odes]]|Esther Drill|Heather McDonald}} |
| founder = {{ubl|[[Rebecca Odes]]|Esther Drill|Heather McDonald}} |
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| parent = [[ |
| parent = [[Hearst Magazines]] |
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| url = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130051019/http://www.gurl.com/ |date=November 30, 2018 |title=gurl.com}} |
| url = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130051019/http://www.gurl.com/ |date=November 30, 2018 |title=gurl.com}} |
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| commercial = Yes |
| commercial = Yes |
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| native_clients = [[Web browser]] |
| native_clients = [[Web browser]] |
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'''Gurl.com''' (formerly stylized as '''gURL.com''' from 1996 to 2011) was an American website for teenage girls that was online from 1996 to 2018. It was created by [[Rebecca Odes]], Esther Drill, and Heather McDonald as a resource centered on teen advice, [[body image]], [[Human female sexuality|female sexuality]], and other teen-related concerns. First published as an online [[zine]], it later expanded into an [[online community]]. At one point, it provided a free e-mail and web hosting service, known as Gurlmail and Gurlpages respectively. |
'''Gurl.com''' (pronounced "girl dot com"; formerly stylized as '''gURL.com''' from 1996 to 2011) was an American website for teenage girls that was online from 1996 to 2018. It was created by [[Rebecca Odes]], Esther Drill, and Heather McDonald as a resource centered on teen advice, [[body image]], [[Human female sexuality|female sexuality]], and other teen-related concerns. First published as an online [[zine]], it later expanded into an [[online community]]. At one point, it provided a free e-mail and web hosting service, known as Gurlmail and Gurlpages respectively. |
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Clothing retailer [[Delia's]] purchased the site in 1997; it was later sold to [[RentPath|PriMedia]] in 2001, who in turn sold it to [[iVillage]] in 2003. Alloy (later rebranded as [[Defy Media]]) acquired it from iVillage in 2009. The website ceased activity after Defy Media's closure in 2018 and was redirected to ''[[Seventeen (American magazine)|Seventeen]]'''s website |
Clothing retailer [[Delia's]] purchased the site in 1997; it was later sold to [[RentPath|PriMedia]] in 2001, who in turn sold it to [[iVillage]] in 2003. Alloy (later rebranded as [[Defy Media]]) acquired it from iVillage in 2009. The website ceased activity after Defy Media's closure in 2018 and was acquired by [[Hearst Magazines]], who redirected it to ''[[Seventeen (American magazine)|Seventeen]]'''s website. |
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As one of the first major websites aimed at teenage girls in the United States, Gurl.com was heavily associated with zine culture and [[third-wave feminism]]; it was also used in academia to study the online behavior of teenage girls. Unlike [[teen magazine]]s in the 1990s, Gurl.com was known for its humorous tone, unconventional approach to teen-related topics compared to mainstream media, and contributions from its audience (such as editorials and artwork). The popularity of Gurl.com led the creators to co-author three teen advice books, the first being ''[[Deal With It!|Deal With It! A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life as a gURL]]'' (1999). |
As one of the first major websites aimed at teenage girls in the United States, Gurl.com was heavily associated with zine culture and [[third-wave feminism]]; it was also used in academia to study the online behavior of teenage girls. Unlike [[teen magazine]]s in the 1990s, Gurl.com was known for its humorous tone, unconventional approach to teen-related topics compared to mainstream media, and contributions from its audience (such as editorials and artwork). The popularity of Gurl.com led the creators to co-author three teen advice books, the first being ''[[Deal With It!|Deal With It! A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life as a gURL]]'' (1999). |
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[[Rebecca Odes]] and Esther Drill, childhood friends from [[West Orange, New Jersey]],<ref name="nytimes 2001-11-04">{{cite news | first=Emily | last=Eakin | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/04/style/weddings-vows-rebecca-odes-and-craig-kanarick.html | title=Weddings: Vows; Rebecca Odes and Craig Kanarick | work=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=2001-11-04 | accessdate=2021-12-12 | archive-date=September 28, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928100505/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/04/style/weddings-vows-rebecca-odes-and-craig-kanarick.html | url-status=live }}</ref> conceived the idea of managing a magazine while they were in high school,<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17">{{cite web | url=http://www.cnn.com/COMMUNITY/transcripts/1999/10/gURL/chat.html | title=Heather McDonald, Esther Drill, and Rebecca Odes, authors: A chat about life as a "gURL." | work=[[CNN]] | date=1999-09-17 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=May 9, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509135116/http://www.cnn.com/COMMUNITY/transcripts/1999/10/gURL/chat.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nytimes 1999-05-09">{{cite news | first=Eric V | last=Copage | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/09/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-on-line-girls-just-want-to.html | title=Neighborhood Report: New York On Line; Girls Just Want To ... | work=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=1999-05-09 | access-date=2021-06-26 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917173422/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/09/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-on-line-girls-just-want-to.html | archive-date=September 17, 2017 }}</ref><ref name="thecut 2014-08-14">{{cite web | first=Alexandria | last=Symonds | url=https://www.thecut.com/2014/08/forgotten-pioneer-of-teenage-pop-feminism.html | title=The Forgotten Pioneer of Teenage Pop-Feminism | work=[[New York (magazine)|The Cut]] | date=2014-08-14 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627023103/https://www.thecut.com/2014/08/forgotten-pioneer-of-teenage-pop-feminism.html | url-status=live }}</ref> as teenagers in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Esther | last1=Drill | first2=Heather | last2=McDonald | first3=Rebecca | last3=Odes |year=2004 |title=Where Do I Go from Here?: Getting a Life After High School |location=New York |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |page=vi |isbn=9780142002148}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.digifind-it.com/westorange/DATA/yearbooks/west-o-ranger/1984.pdf | title=The Last Roundup '84 | work=[[West Orange High School (New Jersey)|West Orange High School]] | via=West Orange Public Library | date=1984 | accessdate=2021-12-04 | archive-date=January 5, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105051731/http://www.digifind-it.com/westorange/DATA/yearbooks/west-o-ranger/1984.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref> Dissatisfied with the [[teen magazine]]s available to them growing up, they sought to curate [[alternative media]] that would properly address the concerns of teenage girls.<ref name="nytimes 1999-05-09"/><ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> In 1995, while they were graduate students at the [[New York University Tisch School of the Arts|Interactive Telecommunications Program]] at [[New York University]], they, along with fellow student Heather McDonald, decided to form a female-positive online space aimed at teenagers, as they felt the Internet lacked such communities in the 1990s.<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17"/><ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> They wanted to create an uncensored resource for girls, with features similar to those in a teen magazine, but also wanted to build a community centered on female interests, with peer advice and opinions from other girls.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007">{{cite book |first1=Claudia | last1=Mitchell | first2=Jacqueline | last2=Reid-Walsh |year=2007 |title=Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia |location=California |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood]] |page=334 |isbn=9780313339080}}</ref> Gurl.com was then created as Odes, Drill, and McDonald's Master's Thesis project.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/> The name of the website combined the word "girl" with the acronym "[[URL]]".<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/> The logo of the website contained a closed fist with painted nails.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/> The website was launched in May 1996.<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17"/> |
[[Rebecca Odes]] and Esther Drill, childhood friends from [[West Orange, New Jersey]],<ref name="nytimes 2001-11-04">{{cite news | first=Emily | last=Eakin | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/04/style/weddings-vows-rebecca-odes-and-craig-kanarick.html | title=Weddings: Vows; Rebecca Odes and Craig Kanarick | work=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=2001-11-04 | accessdate=2021-12-12 | archive-date=September 28, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928100505/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/04/style/weddings-vows-rebecca-odes-and-craig-kanarick.html | url-status=live }}</ref> conceived the idea of managing a magazine while they were in high school,<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17">{{cite web | url=http://www.cnn.com/COMMUNITY/transcripts/1999/10/gURL/chat.html | title=Heather McDonald, Esther Drill, and Rebecca Odes, authors: A chat about life as a "gURL." | work=[[CNN]] | date=1999-09-17 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=May 9, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509135116/http://www.cnn.com/COMMUNITY/transcripts/1999/10/gURL/chat.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nytimes 1999-05-09">{{cite news | first=Eric V | last=Copage | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/09/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-on-line-girls-just-want-to.html | title=Neighborhood Report: New York On Line; Girls Just Want To ... | work=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=1999-05-09 | access-date=2021-06-26 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917173422/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/09/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-on-line-girls-just-want-to.html | archive-date=September 17, 2017 }}</ref><ref name="thecut 2014-08-14">{{cite web | first=Alexandria | last=Symonds | url=https://www.thecut.com/2014/08/forgotten-pioneer-of-teenage-pop-feminism.html | title=The Forgotten Pioneer of Teenage Pop-Feminism | work=[[New York (magazine)|The Cut]] | date=2014-08-14 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627023103/https://www.thecut.com/2014/08/forgotten-pioneer-of-teenage-pop-feminism.html | url-status=live }}</ref> as teenagers in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Esther | last1=Drill | first2=Heather | last2=McDonald | first3=Rebecca | last3=Odes |year=2004 |title=Where Do I Go from Here?: Getting a Life After High School |location=New York |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |page=vi |isbn=9780142002148}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.digifind-it.com/westorange/DATA/yearbooks/west-o-ranger/1984.pdf | title=The Last Roundup '84 | work=[[West Orange High School (New Jersey)|West Orange High School]] | via=West Orange Public Library | date=1984 | accessdate=2021-12-04 | archive-date=January 5, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105051731/http://www.digifind-it.com/westorange/DATA/yearbooks/west-o-ranger/1984.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref> Dissatisfied with the [[teen magazine]]s available to them growing up, they sought to curate [[alternative media]] that would properly address the concerns of teenage girls.<ref name="nytimes 1999-05-09"/><ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> In 1995, while they were graduate students at the [[New York University Tisch School of the Arts|Interactive Telecommunications Program]] at [[New York University]], they, along with fellow student Heather McDonald, decided to form a female-positive online space aimed at teenagers, as they felt the Internet lacked such communities in the 1990s.<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17"/><ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> They wanted to create an uncensored resource for girls, with features similar to those in a teen magazine, but also wanted to build a community centered on female interests, with peer advice and opinions from other girls.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007">{{cite book |first1=Claudia | last1=Mitchell | first2=Jacqueline | last2=Reid-Walsh |year=2007 |title=Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia |location=California |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood]] |page=334 |isbn=9780313339080}}</ref> Gurl.com was then created as Odes, Drill, and McDonald's Master's Thesis project.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/> The name of the website combined the word "girl" with the acronym "[[URL]]".<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/> The logo of the website contained a closed fist with painted nails.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/> The website was launched in May 1996.<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17"/> |
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After Gurl.com's initial launch, the website was included as a member of [[ChickClick#EstroNet|EstroNet]], a [[web portal]] designed to drive traffic to independently owned websites created by women.<ref name="wired 1997-11-13">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/1997/11/estronet-pumps-out-girl-culture/ | title=EstroNet Pumps Out 'Girl Culture' | magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | date=1997-11-13 | access-date=2021-07-10 | url-status=live | archive-date=July 17, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717091213/https://www.wired.com/1997/11/estronet-pumps-out-girl-culture/ }}</ref> The clothing retailer [[Delia's]] approached Odes, Drill, and McDonald with an acquisition offer and purchased the website in December 1997.<ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/><ref name="feenberg 2004">{{cite book |first=Andrew | last=Feenberg | year=2004 |title=Community in the Digital Age: Philosophy and Practice |contributor-first=Leslie Regan |contributor-last=Shade | contribution=Gender and the Commodification of Community |location=Maryland, US |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |pages=151–160 |isbn=9780742529595}}</ref>{{rp|152}}<ref>{{cite web | first=Vanessa | last=Grigoriadis | url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/internet/2285/ | title=Silicon Alley 10003 | work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] | date=2000-03-06 | access-date=2021-06-28 | archive-date=June 28, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628102159/https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/internet/2285/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="wwd 1999"/> Odes, Drill, and McDonald continued to work on the website from Delia's offices.<ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> Gurl.com was included as part of the website network iTurf (Delia's online subsidiary) in an attempt to launch an [[e-commerce]] market targeting [[Millennials|Generation Y]].<ref name="wwd 1999"/> Gurl.com was initially launched as a non-commercial website,<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|156–157}} but it began selling merchandise from Delia's catalogue beginning in May 1998.<ref name="wwd 1999">{{cite news | first=Thomas J. | last=Ryan | url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1078713/ | title=Delia's Internet IPO seeks to raise $45 million | work=[[Women's Wear Daily]] | date=1999 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627074936/https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1078713/ | url-status=live }}</ref> On September 2, 1999, iTurf partnered with [[America Online]] to feature content from Gurl.com on their website in a section called AOgirL.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/1999-09-02/iturf-launches-gurl-on-america-online-expands-online | title=iTurf Launches gURL on America Online – Expands Online | work=[[Business Wire]] | via=[[Bloomberg Markets]] | date=1999-09-02 | access-date=2021-06-26 }}</ref> In May 2000, Gurl.com sponsored Take Back the Decks: An Evening of Women in Underground Music, an all-female music festival held at Lighthouse Frying Pan in New York City, New York.<ref>{{cite news | first=Ann | last=Powers | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/09/arts/pop-review-lessons-for-the-sisterhood-in-turntable-wizardry.html | title=Pop Review; Lessons for the Sisterhood In Turntable Wizardry | work=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=2000-05-09 | access-date=2021-07-02 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423144132/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/09/arts/pop-review-lessons-for-the-sisterhood-in-turntable-wizardry.html | archive-date=April 23, 2010 }}</ref> From November 16 to November 21, 2000, Gurl.com held the Movers, Shakers, and Media Makers Film Festival at the Pioneer Theater in [[East Village, Manhattan]], with [[Kimberly Peirce|Kim Peirce]], [[Christine Vachon]], and [[Nancy Savoca]] as guests.<ref>{{cite news | first=K.D. | last=Shirkani | url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/three-ink-for-gurl-fest-1117789116 | title=Three ink for gURL fest: Online magazine to host tributes to Marion, Savoca, Vachon | work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=2000-11-12 | access-date=2021-07-02 | archive-date=July 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704041848/https://variety.com/2000/film/news/three-ink-for-gurl-fest-1117789116/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
After Gurl.com's initial launch, the website was included as a member of [[ChickClick#EstroNet|EstroNet]], a [[web portal]] designed to drive traffic to independently owned websites created by women.<ref name="wired 1997-11-13">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/1997/11/estronet-pumps-out-girl-culture/ | title=EstroNet Pumps Out 'Girl Culture' | magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | date=1997-11-13 | access-date=2021-07-10 | url-status=live | archive-date=July 17, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717091213/https://www.wired.com/1997/11/estronet-pumps-out-girl-culture/ }}</ref> The clothing retailer [[Delia's]] approached Odes, Drill, and McDonald with an acquisition offer and purchased the website in December 1997.<ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/><ref name="feenberg 2004">{{cite book |first=Andrew | last=Feenberg | year=2004 |title=Community in the Digital Age: Philosophy and Practice |contributor-first=Leslie Regan |contributor-last=Shade | contribution=Gender and the Commodification of Community |location=Maryland, US |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |pages=151–160 |isbn=9780742529595}}</ref>{{rp|152}}<ref>{{cite web | first=Vanessa | last=Grigoriadis | url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/internet/2285/ | title=Silicon Alley 10003 | work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] | date=2000-03-06 | access-date=2021-06-28 | archive-date=June 28, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628102159/https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/internet/2285/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="wwd 1999"/><ref>{{cite web | first=Jane | last=Weaver | url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/webzines-face-do-or-die-struggle/ | title=Webzines face do-or-die struggle | work=[[ZDNET]] | date=1999-01-11 | access-date=2023-06-24}}</ref> Odes, Drill, and McDonald continued to work on the website from Delia's offices.<ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> Gurl.com was included as part of the website network iTurf (Delia's online subsidiary) in an attempt to launch an [[e-commerce]] market targeting [[Millennials|Generation Y]].<ref name="wwd 1999"/> Gurl.com was initially launched as a non-commercial website,<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|156–157}} but it began selling merchandise from Delia's catalogue beginning in May 1998.<ref name="wwd 1999">{{cite news | first=Thomas J. | last=Ryan | url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1078713/ | title=Delia's Internet IPO seeks to raise $45 million | work=[[Women's Wear Daily]] | date=1999 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627074936/https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1078713/ | url-status=live }}</ref> On September 2, 1999, iTurf partnered with [[America Online]] to feature content from Gurl.com on their website in a section called AOgirL.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/1999-09-02/iturf-launches-gurl-on-america-online-expands-online | title=iTurf Launches gURL on America Online – Expands Online | work=[[Business Wire]] | via=[[Bloomberg Markets]] | date=1999-09-02 | access-date=2021-06-26 }}</ref> In May 2000, Gurl.com sponsored Take Back the Decks: An Evening of Women in Underground Music, an all-female music festival held at Lighthouse Frying Pan in New York City, New York.<ref>{{cite news | first=Ann | last=Powers | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/09/arts/pop-review-lessons-for-the-sisterhood-in-turntable-wizardry.html | title=Pop Review; Lessons for the Sisterhood In Turntable Wizardry | work=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=2000-05-09 | access-date=2021-07-02 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423144132/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/09/arts/pop-review-lessons-for-the-sisterhood-in-turntable-wizardry.html | archive-date=April 23, 2010 }}</ref> From November 16 to November 21, 2000, Gurl.com held the Movers, Shakers, and Media Makers Film Festival at the Pioneer Theater in [[East Village, Manhattan]], with [[Kimberly Peirce|Kim Peirce]], [[Christine Vachon]], and [[Nancy Savoca]] as guests.<ref>{{cite news | first=K.D. | last=Shirkani | url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/three-ink-for-gurl-fest-1117789116 | title=Three ink for gURL fest: Online magazine to host tributes to Marion, Savoca, Vachon | work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=2000-11-12 | access-date=2021-07-02 | archive-date=July 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704041848/https://variety.com/2000/film/news/three-ink-for-gurl-fest-1117789116/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Following the [[dot-com bubble]] burst in 2000, Delia's sold or closed down all of their Internet properties in late November 2000, with the exception of Gurl.com.<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|152}}<ref name="wwd 2000-11-23">{{cite news | url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1190422/ | title=Weaving improved web sites | work=[[Women's Wear Daily]] | date=2000-11-23 | access-date=2022-08-31 | url-status=live | archive-date=September 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901052358/https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1190422/ }}</ref> On November 23, 2000, Gurl.com was redesigned with less focus on e-commerce.<ref name="wwd 2000-11-23"/> In May 2001, [[RentPath|PriMedia]], the parent company of ''[[Seventeen (American magazine)|Seventeen]]'', acquired Gurl.com in an attempt to expand its teen-centered properties.<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|152}}<ref name="mazzarella 2005">{{cite book |first=Sharon R. | last=Mazzarella |year=2005 |title=Girl Wide Web: Girls, the Internet, and the Negotiation of Identity |contributor-first1=Ashley D. | contributor-last1=Grisso | contributor-first2=David | contributor-last2=Weiss | contribution=What Are gURLs Talking About? | location=Switzerland |publisher=[[Peter Lang (publisher)|Peter Lang]] |pages=32–49 |isbn=9780820471174}}</ref>{{rp|33}}<ref>{{cite news | first=James | last=Connell | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/30/business/worldbusiness/IHT-tech-briefprimedia-buys-gurlcom.html | title=Tech Brief: Primedia buys gURL.com | work=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=2001-05-30 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627040625/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/30/business/worldbusiness/IHT-tech-briefprimedia-buys-gurlcom.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1184655/ | title=Primedia Inc. purchases gURL.com from Delia's | work=[[Women's Wear Daily]] | date=2001 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627075829/https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1184655/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In August 2003, while downsizing and paying off its debts,<ref>{{cite news | first=Anita | last=Jain | url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20030805/FREE/308050704/ivillage-makes-first-foray-into-teen-space | title=iVillage makes first foray into teen space | work=[[Crain's New York Business]] | url-access=subscription | date=2003-08-05 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627064213/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20030805/FREE/308050704/ivillage-makes-first-foray-into-teen-space | url-status=live }}</ref> PriMedia sold Gurl.com to [[iVillage]], with Drill and McDonald joining staff.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|33}}<ref>{{cite news | first=Nora | last=Devine | url=http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030805/0954001000_1.html | title=IVillage Buys Gurl.com From Primedia | work=[[Dow Jones Newswires]] | via=[[Yahoo! Finance]] | date=2003-08-05 | access-date=2022-09-03 | archive-date=2003-08-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030807040755/http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030805/0954001000_1.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2005, Gurl.com opened its first mobile store powered by M-Qube, selling [[ringtone]]s and wallpapers for mobile phones.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2005/07/05/gURLcom-eyes-the-lucrative-mobile-market/85761120597658/ | title=gURL.com eyes the lucrative mobile market | work=[[UPI]] | date=2005-07-05 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627063801/https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2005/07/05/gURLcom-eyes-the-lucrative-mobile-market/85761120597658/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
Following the [[dot-com bubble]] burst in 2000, Delia's sold or closed down all of their Internet properties in late November 2000, with the exception of Gurl.com.<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|152}}<ref name="wwd 2000-11-23">{{cite news | url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1190422/ | title=Weaving improved web sites | work=[[Women's Wear Daily]] | date=2000-11-23 | access-date=2022-08-31 | url-status=live | archive-date=September 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901052358/https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1190422/ }}</ref> On November 23, 2000, Gurl.com was redesigned with less focus on e-commerce.<ref name="wwd 2000-11-23"/> In May 2001, [[RentPath|PriMedia]], the parent company of ''[[Seventeen (American magazine)|Seventeen]]'', acquired Gurl.com in an attempt to expand its teen-centered properties.<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|152}}<ref name="mazzarella 2005">{{cite book |first=Sharon R. | last=Mazzarella |year=2005 |title=Girl Wide Web: Girls, the Internet, and the Negotiation of Identity |contributor-first1=Ashley D. | contributor-last1=Grisso | contributor-first2=David | contributor-last2=Weiss | contribution=What Are gURLs Talking About? | location=Switzerland |publisher=[[Peter Lang (publisher)|Peter Lang]] |pages=32–49 |isbn=9780820471174}}</ref>{{rp|33}}<ref>{{cite news | first=James | last=Connell | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/30/business/worldbusiness/IHT-tech-briefprimedia-buys-gurlcom.html | title=Tech Brief: Primedia buys gURL.com | work=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=2001-05-30 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627040625/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/30/business/worldbusiness/IHT-tech-briefprimedia-buys-gurlcom.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1184655/ | title=Primedia Inc. purchases gURL.com from Delia's | work=[[Women's Wear Daily]] | date=2001 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627075829/https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1184655/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In August 2003, while downsizing and paying off its debts,<ref>{{cite news | first=Anita | last=Jain | url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20030805/FREE/308050704/ivillage-makes-first-foray-into-teen-space | title=iVillage makes first foray into teen space | work=[[Crain's New York Business]] | url-access=subscription | date=2003-08-05 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627064213/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20030805/FREE/308050704/ivillage-makes-first-foray-into-teen-space | url-status=live }}</ref> PriMedia sold Gurl.com to [[iVillage]], with Drill and McDonald joining staff.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|33}}<ref>{{cite news | first=Nora | last=Devine | url=http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030805/0954001000_1.html | title=IVillage Buys Gurl.com From Primedia | work=[[Dow Jones Newswires]] | via=[[Yahoo! Finance]] | date=2003-08-05 | access-date=2022-09-03 | archive-date=2003-08-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030807040755/http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030805/0954001000_1.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2005, Gurl.com opened its first mobile store powered by M-Qube, selling [[ringtone]]s and wallpapers for mobile phones.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2005/07/05/gURLcom-eyes-the-lucrative-mobile-market/85761120597658/ | title=gURL.com eyes the lucrative mobile market | work=[[UPI]] | date=2005-07-05 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627063801/https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2005/07/05/gURLcom-eyes-the-lucrative-mobile-market/85761120597658/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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In 2009, Alloy acquired Gurl.com as part of their strategy to build a digital entertainment hub aimed at teenagers and young adults.<ref>{{cite news | first=Rafat | last=Ali | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alloy-media-buys-online-sports-social-network-takklecom/ | title=Alloy Media Buys Online Sports Social Network Takkle.com | work=[[CBS News]] | date=2009-02-04 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627023103/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alloy-media-buys-online-sports-social-network-takklecom/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/02/04/alloy-media-marketing-picks-up-social-network-for-high-school-sports-takkle/ | title=Alloy Media + Marketing Picks Up Social Network For High School Sports TAKKLE | work=[[TechCrunch]] | date=2009-02-04 | access-date=2021-06-26 | quote=This comes right after Alloy M+M’s acquisition of teen girl community gURL.com. | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627023104/https://techcrunch.com/2009/02/04/alloy-media-marketing-picks-up-social-network-for-high-school-sports-takkle/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Alloy later relaunched Gurl.com in 2011 with a new logo,<ref>{{cite web | first=Dan | last=Koday | url=https://dankoday.tumblr.com/post/7760108186/so-i-cant-take-full-credit-for-the-design | title=Dan Koday's Tumblr | publisher=[[Tumblr]] | date=2011-07-08 | access-date=2021-07-01 | quote=So I can’t take full credit for the design (obviously a designer put this together), but as the editorial owner of this project, I managed the process and offered approvals over everything. All in all, I think anyone would agree that the new gURL.com looks 9,000,000 times better! | archive-date=July 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704041849/https://dankoday.tumblr.com/post/7760108186/so-i-cant-take-full-credit-for-the-design | url-status=live }}</ref> containing a cursive font with the "u" shaped as a heart.<ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> Once Alloy merged with Breaker Media and became [[Defy Media]] in 2013, Gurl.com focused on video content and had a [[YouTube]] channel.<ref name="adage 2013-10-08">{{cite news | first=Tim | last=Peterson | url=https://adage.com/article/digital/alloy-digital-break-media-merge-defy-media/244628 | title=Video Networks Alloy Digital, Break Media to Merge Into Defy Media | work=[[Ad Age]] | date=2013-10-08 | accessdate=2023-06-24 | archive-date=April 3, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403044039/https://adage.com/article/digital/alloy-digital-break-media-merge-defy-media/244628 | url-status=live }}</ref> The website ceased activity after 2018 with the closure of Defy Media.<ref>{{cite web | first=Todd | last=Spangler | url=https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/defy-media-shutting-down-layoffs-1203020919/ | title=Defy Media Is Shutting Down, Will Lay Off Employees | work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=2018-11-06 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=November 17, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117040001/https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/defy-media-shutting-down-layoffs-1203020919/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=K. W. | last=Colyard | url=https://www.bustle.com/p/jessica-bennetts-new-book-this-is-18-celebrates-the-lives-of-teen-girls-through-their-own-eyes-17938338 | title='This Is 18' Explores The Lives Of Teen Girls — Through Their Own Eyes | work=[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]] | date=2019-06-03 | access-date=2021-06-26 | quote=Later, the now-defunct gURL.com's ''The Looks Book'' offered up profiles of various fashion archetypes teens could pursue, such as the Chic Geek, Diva, and Ice Queen. | archive-date=October 29, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029042232/https://www.bustle.com/p/jessica-bennetts-new-book-this-is-18-celebrates-the-lives-of-teen-girls-through-their-own-eyes-17938338 | url-status=live }}</ref> Once Gurl.com was redirected to ''[[Seventeen (American magazine)|Seventeen]]''{{'}}s website,<ref>{{cite web |title=Cute Hairstyles, Celeb News, Fun Quizzes, Beauty Advice, and Teen Fashion |work=[[Seventeen (American magazine)|Seventeen]] |publisher=[[Hearst Communications|Hearst Magazines]] |url=https://www.gurl.com |access-date=July 25, 2021 |archive-date=December 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230074117/http://www.gurl.com |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Hearst Magazines]] later announced on February 15, 2019 that they acquired Clevver,<ref>{{cite web | first=Natalie | last=Jarvey | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/hearst-magazines-acquires-clevver-defy-media-shutdown-1187336/ | title=Hearst Magazines Acquires Clevver Following Defy Media Shutdown (Exclusive) | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=2019-02-15 | access-date=2023-06-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=Dade | last=Hayes | url=https://deadline.com/2019/02/clevver-finds-new-home-at-hearst-magazines-after-defy-media-meltdown-1202558855/ | title=Clevver Finds New Home At Hearst Magazines After Defy Media Meltdown | work=[[Deadline (magazine)|Deadline]] | date=2019-02-15 | access-date=2023-06-24}}</ref> including Gurl.com, which Defy Media had grouped with Clevver's network.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gurl.com | title=Gurl.com - A teen site and community for teenage girls | work=Gurl.com | date=2019-06-03 | access-date=2016-07-06 | archive-date=July 6, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706013434/http://www.gurl.com/| url-status=dead | format=The bottom of the page includes the text "The site is part of the Clevver Network."}}</ref> In 2020, Jamie Petitto, who had been a video editor for Gurl.com from 2012 until its closure, stated in a video post on her social media accounts that Gurl.com had stopped updating since 2017.<ref name="2020-11-20 petitto">{{cite AV media |author-first1=Jamie |author-last1=Petitto |date=2020-11-22 |title=Hi, Gurl. Bye, Gurl. WHY, GURL?! |type=Video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6bdiQD_M6o |access-date=2022-05-09 |minutes= |quote=I was the next host of ''Do It, Gurl''. In May 2012, my first DIY was a dry-erase picture frame calendar. [...] And then, it all came crashing down in 2017, because Defy Media, the media company that owned Gurl.com [...] went bankrupt. [...] Like, I asked Defy Media if I could buy Gurl, and they said, "Sure. For ''$3 million''.}}</ref> She also stated that she had offered to buy Gurl.com from Defy Media but could not meet their demand of $3 million.<ref name="2020-11-20 petitto"/> |
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=== Zine === |
=== Zine === |
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[[File:Lauren Weinstein by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|''Girl Stories'' by [[Lauren Weinstein (cartoonist)|Lauren Weinstein]] (pictured in 2007) was serialized on Gurl.com]] |
[[File:Lauren Weinstein by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|''Girl Stories'' by [[Lauren Weinstein (cartoonist)|Lauren Weinstein]] (pictured in 2007) was serialized on Gurl.com.]] |
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Gurl.com drew inspiration from teen magazines, and its initial launch used a [[zine]] format.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/><ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|154}}<ref name="duncan & leander 2000">{{cite journal | first1=Barbara | last1=Duncan | first2=Kevin | last2=Leander | url=http://readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/duncan/index.htm | title=Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Literacy, Consumerism, and Paradoxes of Position on gURL.com | journal=[[Reading Online]] | date=November 2000 | volume=4 | issue=5 | access-date=2021-06-30 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531013009/http://readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=%2Felectronic%2Fduncan%2Findex.html | archive-date=May 31, 2010 }}</ref> The website's intended demographic was girls aged 13 or older.<ref name="duncan & leander 2000"/> Unlike contemporary online communities aimed at young women in the 1990s, Gurl.com had an edgier appearance,<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|154}} using a frank and nonjudgmental approach to address topics such as dating, health, and beauty.<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|152}} Gurl.com also directly addressed topics such as [[Human female sexuality|female sexuality]], which according to ''[[New York (magazine)#The Cut|The Cut]]'' was not commonly seen in traditional media aimed at teenagers in the 1990s.<ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> Early content parodied and satirized mainstream teen magazines.<ref name="nytimes 1999-05-09"/><ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|152}} The website initially used drawings of women instead of photos to emphasize [[body positivity]] and to avoid body image concerns.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/> |
Gurl.com drew inspiration from teen magazines, and its initial launch used a [[zine]] format.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/><ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|154}}<ref name="duncan & leander 2000">{{cite journal | first1=Barbara | last1=Duncan | first2=Kevin | last2=Leander | url=http://readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/duncan/index.htm | title=Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Literacy, Consumerism, and Paradoxes of Position on gURL.com | journal=[[Reading Online]] | date=November 2000 | volume=4 | issue=5 | access-date=2021-06-30 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531013009/http://readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=%2Felectronic%2Fduncan%2Findex.html | archive-date=May 31, 2010 }}</ref> The website's intended demographic was girls aged 13 or older.<ref name="duncan & leander 2000"/> Unlike contemporary online communities aimed at young women in the 1990s, Gurl.com had an edgier appearance,<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|154}} using a frank and nonjudgmental approach to address topics such as dating, health, and beauty.<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|152}} Gurl.com also directly addressed topics such as [[Human female sexuality|female sexuality]], which according to ''[[New York (magazine)#The Cut|The Cut]]'' was not commonly seen in traditional media aimed at teenagers in the 1990s.<ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> Early content parodied and satirized mainstream teen magazines.<ref name="nytimes 1999-05-09"/><ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|152}} The website initially used drawings of women instead of photos to emphasize [[body positivity]] and to avoid body image concerns.<ref name="mitchell & reid-walsh 2007"/> |
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Because Odes, Drill, and McDonald believed that girls prefer creating to being consumers, the website allowed contributions from its users, such as comics, poems, opinions on current events,<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|154}} and reviews.<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17"/> For the same reason, they limited contributions from celebrities, as the website was intended to be a counter against [[Aspirational brand|aspirational fantasy]].<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17"/><ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> One of Gurl.com's notable contributions from its readers was its comics section, which included serializations such as ''Those Sucky Emotions'' and ''Mizbehavior'', both initially listed in the "Deal With It" topic.<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|154}} Other comics included ''Girl Stories'' by [[Lauren Weinstein (cartoonist)|Lauren Weinstein]];<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-7863-3 | title=Girl Stories | work=[[Publishers Weekly]] | date=2006-03-20 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627113118/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-7863-3 | url-status=live }}</ref> ''Fifteen Revolutions'' and ''Rachel the Great & Tuna'' by [[Rachel Nabors]];<ref>{{cite web | url=https://comicsworthreading.com/2006/12/14/real-comics-for-girls/ | title=Real Comics for Girls | work=[[Comics Worth Reading]] | date=2006-12-14 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627113124/https://comicsworthreading.com/2006/12/14/real-comics-for-girls/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and ''Girls in Love'' and ''I Heart Sex'' by Martina Fugazzotto.<ref>{{cite web | first=Patrick | last=Montrero | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/brooklyn-cartoonist-martina-fugazzotto-teens-straight-talk-sex-educational-comics-article-1.407231 | title=Brooklyn cartoonist Martina Fugazzotto gives teens straight talk about sex in educational comics | work=[[New York Daily News]] | date=2009-09-13 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=December 3, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203164431/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/brooklyn-cartoonist-martina-fugazzotto-teens-straight-talk-sex-educational-comics-article-1.407231 | url-status=live }}</ref> |
Because Odes, Drill, and McDonald believed that girls prefer creating to being consumers, the website allowed contributions from its users, such as comics, poems, opinions on current events,<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|154}} and reviews.<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17"/> For the same reason, they limited contributions from celebrities, as the website was intended to be a counter against [[Aspirational brand|aspirational fantasy]].<ref name="cnn 1999-09-17"/><ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> One of Gurl.com's notable contributions from its readers was its comics section, which included serializations such as ''Those Sucky Emotions'' and ''Mizbehavior'', both initially listed in the "Deal With It" topic.<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|154}} Other comics included ''Girl Stories'' by [[Lauren Weinstein (cartoonist)|Lauren Weinstein]];<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-7863-3 | title=Girl Stories | work=[[Publishers Weekly]] | date=2006-03-20 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627113118/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-7863-3 | url-status=live }}</ref> ''Fifteen Revolutions'' and ''Rachel the Great & Tuna'' by [[Rachel Nabors]];<ref>{{cite web | url=https://comicsworthreading.com/2006/12/14/real-comics-for-girls/ | title=Real Comics for Girls | work=[[Comics Worth Reading]] | date=2006-12-14 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=June 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627113124/https://comicsworthreading.com/2006/12/14/real-comics-for-girls/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and ''Girls in Love'' and ''I Heart Sex'' by Martina Fugazzotto.<ref>{{cite web | first=Patrick | last=Montrero | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/brooklyn-cartoonist-martina-fugazzotto-teens-straight-talk-sex-educational-comics-article-1.407231 | title=Brooklyn cartoonist Martina Fugazzotto gives teens straight talk about sex in educational comics | work=[[New York Daily News]] | date=2009-09-13 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=December 3, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203164431/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/brooklyn-cartoonist-martina-fugazzotto-teens-straight-talk-sex-educational-comics-article-1.407231 | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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During Alloy's (later rebranded as Defy Media) acquisition of Gurl.com, the company shifted the website's focus towards video editorials.<ref name="adage 2013-10-08"/> Jamie Petitto was hired to be a host for the video content from 2012 to 2017.<ref name="2020-11-20 petitto"/> She primarily hosted a [[DIY]] video series called ''Do It, Gurl'' on Gurl.com's [[YouTube]] channel,<ref name="2020-11-20 petitto"/> which was nominated for a [[Streamy Award]] in 2013.<ref name="streamy awards"/> |
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=== Features === |
=== Features === |
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Gurl.com was praised for being a positive community on topics such as female sexuality, queer identity, and body positivity, as well as its inclusion of peer advice from teenage girls, by media outlets such as ''[[New York (magazine)|The Cut]]'',<ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> ''[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]'',<ref name="glamour 2017-08-28"/> and ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.<ref name="latimes 1997-08-26">{{cite web | first=David | last=Colker | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-26-ls-25898-story.htm | title=It's Little Ladies' Choice for Web Fun | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=1997-08-26 | access-date=2021-07-01 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701073924/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-26-ls-25898-story.html | archive-date=July 1, 2021 }}</ref> Janelle Brown from [[Salon.com]] noted that the accessibility of sex education online had prepared young girls and also allowed them their own sexual agency.<ref name="salon 1999-07-28">{{cite web | first=Janelle | last=Brown | url=https://www.salon.com/1999/07/28/girl_talk/ | title=Girl talk | work=[[Salon.com]] | date=1999-07-28 | access-date=2021-06-28 | archive-date=September 6, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906020045/http://www.salon.com/1999/07/28/girl_talk/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Despite the acclaim, ''Los Angeles Times'' and [[Common Sense Media]] suggested Gurl.com was more appropriate for an older audience.<ref name="latimes 2001-04-12">{{cite web | first=Karen | last=Jones | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-12-tt-49993-story.html | title=You Go, Girls, to These Sites for Dating, Family and School Tips | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=2001-04-12 | access-date=2021-07-01 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701075407/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-12-tt-49993-story.html | archive-date=2021-07-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=Eric | last=Brereton | url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/gurl | title=gURL Website Review | work=[[Common Sense Media]] | date=2016-08-25 | access-date=2021-06-28 | archive-date=June 9, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609103521/http://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/gurl | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1999, the website had approximately 800,000 visitors per month.<ref name="nytimes 1999-11-19"/> In 2001, approximately 40% of girls who regularly used the Internet in the United States visited the website.<ref name="prospect 2001-12-19">{{cite web | first=Alyssa | last=Rayman-Read | url=https://prospect.org/features/gurl-power/ | title=Gurl Power | work=[[The American Prospect]] | date=2001-12-19 | access-date=2021-06-29 | archive-date=January 18, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118035230/https://prospect.org/features/gurl-power/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
Gurl.com was praised for being a positive community on topics such as female sexuality, queer identity, and body positivity, as well as its inclusion of peer advice from teenage girls, by media outlets such as ''[[New York (magazine)|The Cut]]'',<ref name="thecut 2014-08-14"/> ''[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]'',<ref name="glamour 2017-08-28"/> and ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.<ref name="latimes 1997-08-26">{{cite web | first=David | last=Colker | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-26-ls-25898-story.htm | title=It's Little Ladies' Choice for Web Fun | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=1997-08-26 | access-date=2021-07-01 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701073924/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-26-ls-25898-story.html | archive-date=July 1, 2021 }}</ref> Janelle Brown from [[Salon.com]] noted that the accessibility of sex education online had prepared young girls and also allowed them their own sexual agency.<ref name="salon 1999-07-28">{{cite web | first=Janelle | last=Brown | url=https://www.salon.com/1999/07/28/girl_talk/ | title=Girl talk | work=[[Salon.com]] | date=1999-07-28 | access-date=2021-06-28 | archive-date=September 6, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906020045/http://www.salon.com/1999/07/28/girl_talk/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Despite the acclaim, ''Los Angeles Times'' and [[Common Sense Media]] suggested Gurl.com was more appropriate for an older audience.<ref name="latimes 2001-04-12">{{cite web | first=Karen | last=Jones | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-12-tt-49993-story.html | title=You Go, Girls, to These Sites for Dating, Family and School Tips | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=2001-04-12 | access-date=2021-07-01 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701075407/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-12-tt-49993-story.html | archive-date=2021-07-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=Eric | last=Brereton | url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/gurl | title=gURL Website Review | work=[[Common Sense Media]] | date=2016-08-25 | access-date=2021-06-28 | archive-date=June 9, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609103521/http://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/gurl | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1999, the website had approximately 800,000 visitors per month.<ref name="nytimes 1999-11-19"/> In 2001, approximately 40% of girls who regularly used the Internet in the United States visited the website.<ref name="prospect 2001-12-19">{{cite web | first=Alyssa | last=Rayman-Read | url=https://prospect.org/features/gurl-power/ | title=Gurl Power | work=[[The American Prospect]] | date=2001-12-19 | access-date=2021-06-29 | archive-date=January 18, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118035230/https://prospect.org/features/gurl-power/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Gurl.com was also met with criticisms over its sex-positive stance from conservative groups. In 1999, Salon.com stated that [[Opposition to pornography|anti-pornography]] advocates cited concerns that young girls discussing and having accessibility to sex information would lead to an increase in underage sexual activity and be harmful to their development.<ref name="salon 1999-07-28"/> Abstinence advocate Coleen Kelly Mast argued that Gurl.com gave a one-sided view of human sexuality, claiming that the information would not help lead to "satisfaction in marriage".<ref name="nytimes 1999-11-19"/> [[Carol Platt Liebau]] named Gurl.com as part of her criticisms against the United States' "sex-obsessed" culture, criticizing the website for excluding religious and moral discussions about sex as well as for ignoring the opinions of teenage girls who chose to be abstinent.<ref name="liebau 2007">{{cite book |first=Carol | last=Platt Liebau | author-link=Carol Platt Liebau | year=2007 |title=Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls (and America, Too!) |url=https://archive.org/details/prudehowsexobses00lieb |location=New York |publisher=[[Center Street (publisher)|Center Street]] |isbn=9781599956831}}</ref> Miriam Grossman included Gurl.com and ''Deal With It!'' in her criticisms of sex education, calling the website "offensive material" for including information such as [[BDSM]], sex positions,<ref name="grossman 2009">{{cite book |first=Miriam | last=Grossman | date=2009-08-01 |title=You're Teaching My Child What?: A Physician Exposes the Lies of Sex Ed and How They Harm Your Child |location=Maryland, US |publisher=[[Regnery Publishing]] |isbn=9781596985544}}</ref>{{rp|5}} and [[Gender identity|gender identities]].<ref name="grossman 2009"/>{{rp|166–167}} |
Gurl.com was also met with criticisms over its sex-positive stance from conservative groups. In 1999, Salon.com stated that [[Opposition to pornography|anti-pornography]] advocates cited concerns that young girls discussing and having accessibility to sex information would lead to an increase in underage sexual activity and be harmful to their development.<ref name="salon 1999-07-28"/> Abstinence advocate Coleen Kelly Mast argued that Gurl.com gave a one-sided view of human sexuality, claiming that the information would not help lead to "satisfaction in marriage".<ref name="nytimes 1999-11-19"/> [[Carol Platt Liebau]] named Gurl.com as part of her criticisms against the United States' "sex-obsessed" culture, criticizing the website for excluding religious and moral discussions about sex as well as for ignoring the opinions of teenage girls who chose to be abstinent.<ref name="liebau 2007">{{cite book |first=Carol | last=Platt Liebau | author-link=Carol Platt Liebau | year=2007 |title=Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls (and America, Too!) |url=https://archive.org/details/prudehowsexobses00lieb |location=New York |publisher=[[Center Street (publisher)|Center Street]] |isbn=9781599956831}}</ref> [[Miriam Grossman]] included Gurl.com and ''Deal With It!'' in her criticisms of sex education, calling the website "offensive material" for including information such as [[BDSM]], sex positions,<ref name="grossman 2009">{{cite book |first=Miriam | last=Grossman | date=2009-08-01 |title=You're Teaching My Child What?: A Physician Exposes the Lies of Sex Ed and How They Harm Your Child |location=Maryland, US |publisher=[[Regnery Publishing]] |isbn=9781596985544}}</ref>{{rp|5}} and [[Gender identity|gender identities]].<ref name="grossman 2009"/>{{rp|166–167}} |
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Among other criticisms, parents and scholars expressed concern over Gurl.com collecting information from its users and disclosing them to third-party advertisers to study consumer habits,<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|157}}<ref name="duncan & leander 2000"/><ref name="prospect 2001-12-19"/> with ''[[The American Prospect]]'' naming their personality quizzes as an example of acquiring personal data.<ref name="prospect 2001-12-19"/> In 2015, the [[Canadian Broadcasting Company]] included Gurl.com among 1,494 websites and [[mobile app]]s that were privacy concerns, as it allowed children to unknowingly list too much information about themselves.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/most-kids-apps-websites-collect-and-share-personal-information-1.3214213 | title=Most kids' apps, websites collect and share personal information | work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Company]] | date=2015-09-03 | access-date=2021-07-01 | archive-date=July 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704041854/https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/most-kids-apps-websites-collect-and-share-personal-information-1.3214213 | url-status=live }}</ref> Anita Hamilton from ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' surveyed several female high school students in Manhattan, New York, and out of the four teen websites shown to them, the students liked Gurl.com the least, citing its "cluttered" design as partly the reason.<ref name="time 2000-05-15">{{cite magazine | first=Anita | last=Hamilton | url=http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,996913,00.html | title=Chicks That Click | magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | volume=155 | page=92 | date=2000-05-15 | access-date=2021-07-17 | archive-date=July 17, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717212333/https://assets.time.com/tgx/tgx.js | url-status=live }}</ref> |
Among other criticisms, parents and scholars expressed concern over Gurl.com collecting information from its users and disclosing them to third-party advertisers to study consumer habits,<ref name="feenberg 2004"/>{{rp|157}}<ref name="duncan & leander 2000"/><ref name="prospect 2001-12-19"/> with ''[[The American Prospect]]'' naming their personality quizzes as an example of acquiring personal data.<ref name="prospect 2001-12-19"/> In 2015, the [[Canadian Broadcasting Company]] included Gurl.com among 1,494 websites and [[mobile app]]s that were privacy concerns, as it allowed children to unknowingly list too much information about themselves.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/most-kids-apps-websites-collect-and-share-personal-information-1.3214213 | title=Most kids' apps, websites collect and share personal information | work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Company]] | date=2015-09-03 | access-date=2021-07-01 | archive-date=July 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704041854/https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/most-kids-apps-websites-collect-and-share-personal-information-1.3214213 | url-status=live }}</ref> Anita Hamilton from ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' surveyed several female high school students in Manhattan, New York, and out of the four teen websites shown to them, the students liked Gurl.com the least, citing its "cluttered" design as partly the reason.<ref name="time 2000-05-15">{{cite magazine | first=Anita | last=Hamilton | url=http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,996913,00.html | title=Chicks That Click | magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | volume=155 | page=92 | date=2000-05-15 | access-date=2021-07-17 | archive-date=July 17, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717212333/https://assets.time.com/tgx/tgx.js | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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| Gurl.com |
| Gurl.com |
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| {{won}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.webbyawards.com/press/press-releases/1998-webby-awards-unveil-winners/ | title=1998 Webby Awards Unveil Winners | work=[[Webby Awards]] | date=1998-03-06 | access-date=2021-06-28 | archive-date=November 30, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130174303/https://www.webbyawards.com/press/press-releases/1998-webby-awards-unveil-winners/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
| {{won}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.webbyawards.com/press/press-releases/1998-webby-awards-unveil-winners/ | title=1998 Webby Awards Unveil Winners | work=[[Webby Awards]] | date=1998-03-06 | access-date=2021-06-28 | archive-date=November 30, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130174303/https://www.webbyawards.com/press/press-releases/1998-webby-awards-unveil-winners/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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| 2013 |
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| [[3rd Streamy Awards]] |
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| Best DIY or How-To Series |
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| ''Do It, Gurl'' |
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| {{nominated}}<ref name="streamy awards">{{cite web | url=https://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/3rd-annual-nominees/ | title=3rd Annual Winners | work=[[Streamy Awards]] | date=1998-03-06 | access-date=2023-06-24 | archive-date=March 25, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325072039/https://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/3rd-annual-nominees/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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===Use in academia=== |
===Use in academia=== |
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Gurl.com has been used in studies about online behaviors and sexual identities of teenage girls. In a study conducted by [[Media Metrix]] and Jupiter Communications in 2000, there was a 125% growth of girls aged 12–17 years old using the Internet, which was partially credited to Gurl.com.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/2000/08/the-web-its-a-womens-thing/ | title=The Web: It's a Women's Thing | magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | date=2000-08-09 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=July 6, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210706220555/https://www.wired.com/2000/08/the-web-its-a-womens-thing/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In a study done by professors Barbara Duncan and Kevin Leander in the same year, they observed that because Gurl.com already had an established network, girls who hosted their website at Gurlpages could easily connect with one another and receive feedback on their work.<ref name="duncan & leander 2000"/> In 2005, scholar Sharon Mazzarella noted that Gurl.com was among the websites that helped girls be creative and empowered, though there was later increasing moral panic surrounding how harmful messages may influence them.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|141}} |
Gurl.com has been used in studies about online behaviors and sexual identities of teenage girls. In a study conducted by [[Media Metrix]] and Jupiter Communications in 2000, there was a 125% growth of girls aged 12–17 years old using the Internet, which was partially credited to Gurl.com.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/2000/08/the-web-its-a-womens-thing/ | title=The Web: It's a Women's Thing | magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | date=2000-08-09 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-date=July 6, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210706220555/https://www.wired.com/2000/08/the-web-its-a-womens-thing/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/08/09/women.reut/index.html | title=Women outnumber men on the Web in U.S., study shows | agency=[[Reuters]] | publisher=[[CNN]] | date=2000-08-09 | access-date=2021-06-26 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815212003/http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/08/09/women.reut/index.html | archive-date=2000-08-15 | url-status=live }}</ref> In a study done by professors Barbara Duncan and Kevin Leander in the same year, they observed that because Gurl.com already had an established network, girls who hosted their website at Gurlpages could easily connect with one another and receive feedback on their work.<ref name="duncan & leander 2000"/> In 2005, scholar Sharon Mazzarella noted that Gurl.com was among the websites that helped girls be creative and empowered, though there was later increasing moral panic surrounding how harmful messages may influence them.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|141}} |
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Scholars Ashley D. Grisso and David Weiss noted that users on Gurl.com's message board often discussed their interest in sex, usually respectfully as per the established norm on the website.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|45}} In spite of this, many discussions about sex on the website were related to male pleasure.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|45}} Gurl.com encouraged sexual expression, but some users were quick to shame others who disapproved of premarital sex or discussed their sex lives in detail, downplaying individual sexual agency.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|36, 41, 45}} A study published in the ''Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication'' in 2006 found Gurl.com to be the best example of a female-centric website that encouraged critical thinking skills in young girls through their discussions on current events.<ref name="raphael et all 2006">{{cite journal | first1=Chad | last1=Raphael | first2=Christine | last2=Bachen | first3=Kathleen M. | last3=Lynn | first4=Jessica | last4=Baldwin-Philippi | first5=Kristen A. | last5=McKee | date=April 2006 | title=Portrayals of Information and Communication Technology on World Wide Web Sites for Girls | journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication | volume=11 | issue=3 | pages=771–801 | publisher=[[International Communication Association]] | doi=10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00035.x | url=https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/comm/23 | access-date=October 9, 2022 | archive-date=April 16, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416131814/https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/comm/23/ | url-status=live | doi-access=free }}</ref>{{rp|791–792}} |
Scholars Ashley D. Grisso and David Weiss noted that users on Gurl.com's message board often discussed their interest in sex, usually respectfully as per the established norm on the website.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|45}} In spite of this, many discussions about sex on the website were related to male pleasure.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|45}} Gurl.com encouraged sexual expression, but some users were quick to shame others who disapproved of premarital sex or discussed their sex lives in detail, downplaying individual sexual agency.<ref name="mazzarella 2005"/>{{rp|36, 41, 45}} A study published in the ''Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication'' in 2006 found Gurl.com to be the best example of a female-centric website that encouraged critical thinking skills in young girls through their discussions on current events.<ref name="raphael et all 2006">{{cite journal | first1=Chad | last1=Raphael | first2=Christine | last2=Bachen | first3=Kathleen M. | last3=Lynn | first4=Jessica | last4=Baldwin-Philippi | first5=Kristen A. | last5=McKee | date=April 2006 | title=Portrayals of Information and Communication Technology on World Wide Web Sites for Girls | journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication | volume=11 | issue=3 | pages=771–801 | publisher=[[International Communication Association]] | doi=10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00035.x | url=https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/comm/23 | access-date=October 9, 2022 | archive-date=April 16, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416131814/https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/comm/23/ | url-status=live | doi-access=free }}</ref>{{rp|791–792}} |
Latest revision as of 21:57, 17 April 2024
![]() Logo used since 2011 | |
Type of site | |
---|---|
Available in | English |
Founded | May 1996 |
Dissolved | November 2018 |
Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Country of origin | United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Founder(s) |
|
Parent | Hearst Magazines |
URL | gurl.com at the Wayback Machine (archived November 30, 2018) |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Optional (required for contributions and message board) |
Launched | May 1996 |
Current status | Defunct |
Native client(s) on | Web browser |
Gurl.com (pronounced "girl dot com"; formerly stylized as gURL.com from 1996 to 2011) was an American website for teenage girls that was online from 1996 to 2018. It was created by Rebecca Odes, Esther Drill, and Heather McDonald as a resource centered on teen advice, body image, female sexuality, and other teen-related concerns. First published as an online zine, it later expanded into an online community. At one point, it provided a free e-mail and web hosting service, known as Gurlmail and Gurlpages respectively.
Clothing retailer Delia's purchased the site in 1997; it was later sold to PriMedia in 2001, who in turn sold it to iVillage in 2003. Alloy (later rebranded as Defy Media) acquired it from iVillage in 2009. The website ceased activity after Defy Media's closure in 2018 and was acquired by Hearst Magazines, who redirected it to Seventeen's website.
As one of the first major websites aimed at teenage girls in the United States, Gurl.com was heavily associated with zine culture and third-wave feminism; it was also used in academia to study the online behavior of teenage girls. Unlike teen magazines in the 1990s, Gurl.com was known for its humorous tone, unconventional approach to teen-related topics compared to mainstream media, and contributions from its audience (such as editorials and artwork). The popularity of Gurl.com led the creators to co-author three teen advice books, the first being Deal With It! A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life as a gURL (1999).
Gurl.com won the I.D. Magazine Award for Interactive Media in 1997 and a Webby Award in 1998; its founders received the New York Magazine Award in 1997 for their work on the website. Gurl.com was also met with privacy concerns, as well as criticism from conservative and anti-pornography advocates for its sex-positive stance and sex education resources.
History
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Gurl_1996_logo.gif)
Rebecca Odes and Esther Drill, childhood friends from West Orange, New Jersey,[1] conceived the idea of managing a magazine while they were in high school,[2][3][4] as teenagers in the 1980s.[5][6] Dissatisfied with the teen magazines available to them growing up, they sought to curate alternative media that would properly address the concerns of teenage girls.[3][4] In 1995, while they were graduate students at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University, they, along with fellow student Heather McDonald, decided to form a female-positive online space aimed at teenagers, as they felt the Internet lacked such communities in the 1990s.[2][4] They wanted to create an uncensored resource for girls, with features similar to those in a teen magazine, but also wanted to build a community centered on female interests, with peer advice and opinions from other girls.[7] Gurl.com was then created as Odes, Drill, and McDonald's Master's Thesis project.[7] The name of the website combined the word "girl" with the acronym "URL".[7] The logo of the website contained a closed fist with painted nails.[7] The website was launched in May 1996.[2]
After Gurl.com's initial launch, the website was included as a member of EstroNet, a web portal designed to drive traffic to independently owned websites created by women.[8] The clothing retailer Delia's approached Odes, Drill, and McDonald with an acquisition offer and purchased the website in December 1997.[4][9]: 152 [10][11][12] Odes, Drill, and McDonald continued to work on the website from Delia's offices.[4] Gurl.com was included as part of the website network iTurf (Delia's online subsidiary) in an attempt to launch an e-commerce market targeting Generation Y.[11] Gurl.com was initially launched as a non-commercial website,[9]: 156–157 but it began selling merchandise from Delia's catalogue beginning in May 1998.[11] On September 2, 1999, iTurf partnered with America Online to feature content from Gurl.com on their website in a section called AOgirL.[13] In May 2000, Gurl.com sponsored Take Back the Decks: An Evening of Women in Underground Music, an all-female music festival held at Lighthouse Frying Pan in New York City, New York.[14] From November 16 to November 21, 2000, Gurl.com held the Movers, Shakers, and Media Makers Film Festival at the Pioneer Theater in East Village, Manhattan, with Kim Peirce, Christine Vachon, and Nancy Savoca as guests.[15]
Following the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, Delia's sold or closed down all of their Internet properties in late November 2000, with the exception of Gurl.com.[9]: 152 [16] On November 23, 2000, Gurl.com was redesigned with less focus on e-commerce.[16] In May 2001, PriMedia, the parent company of Seventeen, acquired Gurl.com in an attempt to expand its teen-centered properties.[9]: 152 [17]: 33 [18][19] In August 2003, while downsizing and paying off its debts,[20] PriMedia sold Gurl.com to iVillage, with Drill and McDonald joining staff.[17]: 33 [21] In 2005, Gurl.com opened its first mobile store powered by M-Qube, selling ringtones and wallpapers for mobile phones.[22]
In 2009, Alloy acquired Gurl.com as part of their strategy to build a digital entertainment hub aimed at teenagers and young adults.[23][24] Alloy later relaunched Gurl.com in 2011 with a new logo,[25] containing a cursive font with the "u" shaped as a heart.[4] Once Alloy merged with Breaker Media and became Defy Media in 2013, Gurl.com focused on video content and had a YouTube channel.[26] The website ceased activity after 2018 with the closure of Defy Media.[27][28] Once Gurl.com was redirected to Seventeen's website,[29] Hearst Magazines later announced on February 15, 2019 that they acquired Clevver,[30][31] including Gurl.com, which Defy Media had grouped with Clevver's network.[32] In 2020, Jamie Petitto, who had been a video editor for Gurl.com from 2012 until its closure, stated in a video post on her social media accounts that Gurl.com had stopped updating since 2017.[33] She also stated that she had offered to buy Gurl.com from Defy Media but could not meet their demand of $3 million.[33]
Content
[edit]Zine
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Lauren_Weinstein_by_David_Shankbone.jpg/220px-Lauren_Weinstein_by_David_Shankbone.jpg)
Gurl.com drew inspiration from teen magazines, and its initial launch used a zine format.[7][9]: 154 [34] The website's intended demographic was girls aged 13 or older.[34] Unlike contemporary online communities aimed at young women in the 1990s, Gurl.com had an edgier appearance,[9]: 154 using a frank and nonjudgmental approach to address topics such as dating, health, and beauty.[9]: 152 Gurl.com also directly addressed topics such as female sexuality, which according to The Cut was not commonly seen in traditional media aimed at teenagers in the 1990s.[4] Early content parodied and satirized mainstream teen magazines.[3][9]: 152 The website initially used drawings of women instead of photos to emphasize body positivity and to avoid body image concerns.[7]
Content on the website was organized into topics such as "Deal With It" (daily life), "Looks Aren't Everything" (fashion and beauty), "Where Do I Go From Here?" (career), and sports.[9]: 154 [35] When Gurl.com was given a new design on November 23, 2000, "Stop, Look, and Listen" (shopping) and "Movers, Shakers, and Media Makers" (celebrities and other women in media) were added as two new sections.[9]: 154 [16] "The Boob Files" had first-person essays written about breasts that were submitted by contributors.[9]: 152 [36] The website also had an advice column run by McDonald, titled "Help Me, Heather."[2][37]
Because Odes, Drill, and McDonald believed that girls prefer creating to being consumers, the website allowed contributions from its users, such as comics, poems, opinions on current events,[9]: 154 and reviews.[2] For the same reason, they limited contributions from celebrities, as the website was intended to be a counter against aspirational fantasy.[2][4] One of Gurl.com's notable contributions from its readers was its comics section, which included serializations such as Those Sucky Emotions and Mizbehavior, both initially listed in the "Deal With It" topic.[9]: 154 Other comics included Girl Stories by Lauren Weinstein;[38] Fifteen Revolutions and Rachel the Great & Tuna by Rachel Nabors;[39] and Girls in Love and I Heart Sex by Martina Fugazzotto.[40]
During Alloy's (later rebranded as Defy Media) acquisition of Gurl.com, the company shifted the website's focus towards video editorials.[26] Jamie Petitto was hired to be a host for the video content from 2012 to 2017.[33] She primarily hosted a DIY video series called Do It, Gurl on Gurl.com's YouTube channel,[33] which was nominated for a Streamy Award in 2013.[41]
Features
[edit]While Gurl.com could be accessed without an account, registration was required to submit content and participate in the chat room and message board.[7][9]: 154 Registration was free, and users were strongly advised to create a non-identifying alias to keep them anonymous.[7][17]: 45 The message board, known as the "Shout-out Boards",[42]: 791 were where users could interact with each other and exchange advice.[2][43] Gurl.com also had an online avatar-based text chat room server, known as the Gurl Palace, accessible through the computer program The Palace.[2][43]
As well as messaging features, Gurl.com featured online games.[3] Some of the early game content satirized beauty standards,[3] such as the game "Hairy Gurl".[44] Later games stuck to Gurl.com's concept of acknowledging girls as creators instead of consumers, such as "Make Your Own Rock Band", "Make Your Own Reality TV Show", and "Try the Prom Dress Selector".[7][9]: 154 It also had personality quizzes, with a well-documented one being "Paper Doll Psychology", where users could dress a paper doll and receive an assessment on their personality based on their clothing choices.[3][9]: 152
During Delia's ownership from 1997 to 2001, Gurl.com provided an e-mail service through Gurlmail.com and web hosting through Gurlpages.com,[45] both free services owned by Lycos.[2][43][46] Many users used Gurlpages to host zines,[34] particularly about female sexuality.[43] Others used Gurlpages to host their creative works, such as poetry, and rants about their daily lives.[34] Websites hosted on Gurlpages were part of Gurl.com's network and allowed users to easily connect with one another.[34]
Publications
[edit]Following the success of Gurl.com, Odes, Drill, and McDonald received a book deal through a partnership with Scholastic.[45][47] They published a series of teen advice books based on the editorial content on the website and also included conversations found on Gurl.com's message board.[7] The first book, Deal With It! A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life as a gURL, was released on September 1, 1999;[2][7] it offered advice on puberty, queer identities, sex, eating disorders, drug use, and mental health, with a list of resources on each topic.[48][49] To promote the book, Odes, Drill, and McDonald launched an accompanying website, DealWithIt.com, which hosted an online version of the resources.[50] Deal With It! was received favorably, most reviewers praising the book as a valuable resource about sexual health as well as its tone and presentation; some critics cautioned that parents might not find some of the content appropriate and advised that the book was not suitable for younger readers.[44][48][50] Deal With It! was listed at #82 on the American Library Association's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books from 2000 to 2009,[51] with several organizations challenging the book due to its LGBT-friendly and sex-positive content.[52][53] Deal With It! became a national bestseller,[54] selling 100,000 copies in the United States by January 2000,[55] and was awarded the I.D. Magazine Award in the Graphics category in July 2000.[56]
Deal With It! was followed by The Looks Book: A Whole New Approach to Beauty, Body Image, and Style on October 1, 2002,[7][54] which examined beauty standards throughout the ages.[9]: 152 Publishers Weekly described the artwork as "whimsical" and the book as both intelligent and humorous, suggesting that it presented a message of empowerment.[54]
The final book, Where Do I Go from Here?: Getting a Life After High School, was released in 2004.[57] The book discussed topics such as entering adulthood, managing finances, alternatives to college, and other social issues in college life, such as incompatible roommates, date rape, and binge drinking.[57] Britta Hays from Tampa Bay Times praised the book for profiling options after high school without bias.[57] Harry Wessel from The Orlando Sentinel described the book as one that would help teenagers make good choices about their future and said that, despite its branding, its advice was also applicable to men.[58]
Analysis
[edit]Critical reception
[edit]Gurl.com was praised for being a positive community on topics such as female sexuality, queer identity, and body positivity, as well as its inclusion of peer advice from teenage girls, by media outlets such as The Cut,[4] Glamour,[59] and Los Angeles Times.[37] Janelle Brown from Salon.com noted that the accessibility of sex education online had prepared young girls and also allowed them their own sexual agency.[60] Despite the acclaim, Los Angeles Times and Common Sense Media suggested Gurl.com was more appropriate for an older audience.[35][61] In 1999, the website had approximately 800,000 visitors per month.[44] In 2001, approximately 40% of girls who regularly used the Internet in the United States visited the website.[62]
Gurl.com was also met with criticisms over its sex-positive stance from conservative groups. In 1999, Salon.com stated that anti-pornography advocates cited concerns that young girls discussing and having accessibility to sex information would lead to an increase in underage sexual activity and be harmful to their development.[60] Abstinence advocate Coleen Kelly Mast argued that Gurl.com gave a one-sided view of human sexuality, claiming that the information would not help lead to "satisfaction in marriage".[44] Carol Platt Liebau named Gurl.com as part of her criticisms against the United States' "sex-obsessed" culture, criticizing the website for excluding religious and moral discussions about sex as well as for ignoring the opinions of teenage girls who chose to be abstinent.[63] Miriam Grossman included Gurl.com and Deal With It! in her criticisms of sex education, calling the website "offensive material" for including information such as BDSM, sex positions,[64]: 5 and gender identities.[64]: 166–167
Among other criticisms, parents and scholars expressed concern over Gurl.com collecting information from its users and disclosing them to third-party advertisers to study consumer habits,[9]: 157 [34][62] with The American Prospect naming their personality quizzes as an example of acquiring personal data.[62] In 2015, the Canadian Broadcasting Company included Gurl.com among 1,494 websites and mobile apps that were privacy concerns, as it allowed children to unknowingly list too much information about themselves.[65] Anita Hamilton from Time surveyed several female high school students in Manhattan, New York, and out of the four teen websites shown to them, the students liked Gurl.com the least, citing its "cluttered" design as partly the reason.[66]
Awards
[edit]Year | Award | Category | Nominee/Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review for Interactive Media | — | Gurl.com | Won[67][68] |
New York Magazine Award | — | Esther Drill, Heather McDonald, and Rebecca Odes | Won[69] | |
1998 | Webby Awards | Living | Gurl.com | Won[70] |
2013 | 3rd Streamy Awards | Best DIY or How-To Series | Do It, Gurl | Nominated[41] |
Use in academia
[edit]Gurl.com has been used in studies about online behaviors and sexual identities of teenage girls. In a study conducted by Media Metrix and Jupiter Communications in 2000, there was a 125% growth of girls aged 12–17 years old using the Internet, which was partially credited to Gurl.com.[71][72] In a study done by professors Barbara Duncan and Kevin Leander in the same year, they observed that because Gurl.com already had an established network, girls who hosted their website at Gurlpages could easily connect with one another and receive feedback on their work.[34] In 2005, scholar Sharon Mazzarella noted that Gurl.com was among the websites that helped girls be creative and empowered, though there was later increasing moral panic surrounding how harmful messages may influence them.[17]: 141
Scholars Ashley D. Grisso and David Weiss noted that users on Gurl.com's message board often discussed their interest in sex, usually respectfully as per the established norm on the website.[17]: 45 In spite of this, many discussions about sex on the website were related to male pleasure.[17]: 45 Gurl.com encouraged sexual expression, but some users were quick to shame others who disapproved of premarital sex or discussed their sex lives in detail, downplaying individual sexual agency.[17]: 36, 41, 45 A study published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication in 2006 found Gurl.com to be the best example of a female-centric website that encouraged critical thinking skills in young girls through their discussions on current events.[42]: 791–792
Gurl.com has also been used as an example of the commercialization of the Internet, as well as recognizing young women from Generation Y as a viable marketing demographic. It was named as a site that inspired the growth of websites owned by teenage girls, creating a potential advertising market worth US$15 billion in 2000.[73] Duncan and Leander argued that Gurl.com created spaces of both "resistance and conformity", as people who had websites on Gurlpages both expressed themselves in creative writing yet also listed personal information identifying their demographics and consumer habits.[34] Scholar Leslie Regan Shade used Gurl.com as an example of commodification and commercialization of a community in the 1990s, when women were being recognized as a marketing demographic for e-commerce.[9]: 157 Echoing Duncan and Leander, she commented that while Gurl.com had a disclaimer stating that their views do not represent their advertisers, the website may have been "packaged for a homogeneous idyllic audience commodity", which contrasts with the "utopian sentiments" of an online community.[9]: 157 Gurl.com was used as an example of stealth marketing in teaching media literacy about advertising.[74]: 77
Legacy
[edit]Gurl.com is known for being one of the first major websites aimed at teenage girls in the United States during the 1990s.[62][75] It was also known for its association and contributions to third-wave feminism, riot grrl, and zine culture in the 1990s.[59][76][77][78] Gurl.com's honest and frank discussions about teen issues inspired teen magazines and other female-centered websites to adopt a similar approach.[4] Its branding was also tied to Generation Y identity.[79]
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