Author: Meghan Lucas | Major: History | Semester: Spring and Summer 2025

My name is Meghan Lucas, and I am a Departmental Honors student in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. I study History and Anthropology with minors in Gender Studies and Global Studies. This Summer of 2025, I have been under the mentorship of Dr. Lisa Corrigan in the Communications Department. I began my research this Spring, have continued it this Summer, and will finish my research in the Fall of this year. I began my thesis research this Spring on Ms. magazine titled “Feminist Aesthetics: The Early Ms. Years and Second-Wave Body Politics.” My project focuses on the magazine’s first two years in the 1970s and the editors’ proposed impact on the second-wave feminist movement. Ms. magazine is an under-researched feminist magazine of the 1970s that is vital in understanding second-wave feminist thought.

Specifically, though, I am researching how the editors of the magazine molded a feminist aesthetic through articles on naturalizing the body, choosing not to participate in the nuclear family, and promoting the creation of feminist communities. My research will highlight the importance of the material culture of magazines, the distribution of feminist politics, and show the bridge that connects second-wave feminist topics to feminist topics today in relation to the family and the body.

Last semester, I had focused on writing one of my sections, which was about body aesthetics within the magazine. Over this Summer, I have drafted my second section, which was about how Ms. conceptualized the nuclear family and women’s roles in society. I have found that Ms. reflected the ideas of feminism at the time, which was that women deserved equal partnership, rights to their autonomy, both physically and psychologically, and that women are more than mothers and wives. Writing this section this summer was really helpful for me to feel the gravity and importance of my work. When you are further into a project, you can be more reflective on the journey your research has taken and what you need to work on. I have also been editing my previous section and introduction, which has been helpful in my current writing.

I discovered this topic by collaborating with my mentor, Dr. Lisa Corrigan. I knew that I wanted my project to be about aesthetics and about women. Being a History major and Gender Studies minor, I gravitate toward projects that are about spaces of flexibility. For example, I have an interest in women’s fashion and how dress can be a place where women can negotiate politics and their rights. I had these ideas going into my first meeting with Dr. Corrigan last Fall. I initially had a different thesis advisor, who was a history professor of mine, but while I was studying abroad, I discovered that they had left the university. Upon further research and by recommendation, I found Dr. Corrigan. In that first meeting, she asked about my interests and past projects and was able to guide me to Ms. It was a perfect fit for what I had in mind. It is a bit more challenging to choose a mentor outside of your department, especially if you are considering enrolling in thesis hours. Since then, my advisor has played a consistent role throughout my work. I lean on her for support when I am hitting a wall in my research or writing, and she is the most helpful in turning me to a new direction.

My main struggle this Summer has been time management. Along with writing my thesis, I traveled to the Rome Center for a study abroad program called “Self-Fashioning in Renaissance Rome.” This experience was very helpful in my research as I learned some things about Gender Studies outside of the United States. However, it was difficult to write my thesis while also trying to experience a new culture and undertake a rigorous five-week course.

The next thing on my agenda for my thesis is to finish it! I am graduating this Fall, meaning that my thesis will be done in early November. For the next two months, it is going to consist of crushing out my other section, finishing my edits, and preparing to defend the project I have been working on for the past year. I am very excited to wrap up this project, but I will miss this experience!