Wikipedia:Today's featured article/December 12, 2022
Gurl.com was a US 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, sexuality, and other teen concerns. First published as an online zine, it expanded into an online community. It was purchased in turn by Delia's, iVillage, PriMedia, and what became Defy Media. It ceased activity after Defy Media's closure in 2018 and was redirected to Seventeen's website. In the US, Gurl.com was heavily associated with zine culture and third-wave feminism and was used in academia to study the online behavior of teenage girls. Known for its humorous tone and unconventional approach to teen-related topics, it won an award from I.D. magazine in 1997 and a Webby in 1998; its founders received awards from New York magazine in 1997. Gurl.com attracted privacy concerns, and criticism from conservative and anti-pornography advocates for its sex-positive stance and sex education resources. (Full article...)