Spare Rib was a second-wave feminist magazine, founded in 1972 in the United Kingdom, that emerged from the counterculture of the late 1960s as a consequence of meetings involving, among others, Rosie Boycott and Marsha Rowe.
[1] The magazine contained new writing and creative contributions that challenged stereotypes and supported collective solutions that related to feminist issues.
The magazine's purpose, as described in its editorial, was to investigate and present alternatives to the traditional gendered roles of virgin, wife, or mother.
[6] The Spare Rib manifesto stated:[7] The concept of Women's Liberation is widely misunderstood, feared and ridiculed.
[8] Spare Rib included contributions from well-known international feminist writers, activists, and theorists, as well as stories about ordinary women in their own words.
Subjects included the "liberating orgasm", "kitchen sink racism", anorexia, and female genital mutilation.
Scholar Laurel Foster wrote in 2022 for the 50th anniversary of Spare Rib's first issue: "The self-expression and persuasive writing of the pioneering magazine have their legacy in feminist media today.
The trajectory of Spare Rib charted the rise and demise of the Women's Liberation Movement and as a consequence is of interest to feminist historians, academics and activists and to those studying social movements and media history.In February 2019, the British Library announced a possible suspension of access to the archive in the event of a no-deal Brexit, due to problems relating to copyright.