Welcome! I’m Kitty Sheehan, a writer, editor, and educator.
Join me on a trip through vintage Seventeen magazines to review the male gaze that shaped our self-images through advertising. The ads are ridiculously, often laughably sexist. And not much different from today’s beauty ads. I’m hoping they take you down memory lane or provide insight into a past beyond your own. But most of all I hope my posts show how women’s ads often point out our supposed flaws and make us feel less than. I’ll mix it up with bits of memoir too.
My interest in vintage ads from Seventeen magazine was born from my essay, “The Measure of a Girl” which was included in the anthology, My Body, My Words.
The wide reaction to this essay led me to produce and direct the sold-out show, Man-pleasing Recipes! in November 2018, in New York’s Hudson Valley. Tune in, as I chat about the show with Jimmy Buff on New York’s Radio Kingston.
And now, here we are, on the Man-pleasing Recipes Substack! Thank you for joining me.
If you’re a fan of vintage magazines, fashion, and advertising, and enjoy retrospectives on life as a woman, you’ve come to the right place.
As a writer, my work includes personal essays, memoir, and marketing copy for restaurants, resorts, food brands, writers, shops, and funeral homes. I teach editing, and edit novels, memoirs, screenplays, and children’s books.
I’m also a freelance obituary writer, my favorite kind of writing.
After years of experience writing obituaries, my husband Mark Cuddy and I co-founded The Healing Obituary, a seminar on obituary writing for funeral home staffs and other interested groups.
I’ve talked obituaries on air, with Conan O’Brien on his podcast, Conan Needs a Fan, and on several radio shows in New York and Minneapolis.
A former Minneapolis elementary teacher, corporate trainer, and graphic designer, I’m a native Iowan. After 15 years in the Hudson Valley, my husband and I returned to the Midwest in January 2025.
And I’d love to read your comments on my posts. Please share how these ads make you feel. Let’s go.
Stay up-to-date
If you support this work with a subscription, you’ll never miss an update—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. For a spam-free, ad-free reading experience, plus audio and community features, get the Substack app.
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
