Head Shot of Meghan Lucas

Author: Meghan Lucas | Majors: History, Anthropology | Semester: Spring 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 Spring of 2025, I have been under the mentorship of Dr. Lisa
Corrigan in the Communications Department. I began my research this Spring, but I plan to continue in the Summer and 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.

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. I was a bit concerned to meet with her at first, as she is in
the Communications Department, but after our first meeting, I knew I wanted her to mentor me
throughout this project. It is a bit more challenging to choose a mentor outside of your
department, especially if you are considering enrolling in thesis hours. 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.

While the majority of this semester consisted of sessions in libraries with my nose in
books, I have dedicated a lot of time to drafting the beginning of my project. This process has
been fulfilling as I have learned to collect content data from archival issues from Ms. This was
my first time doing so, but I am now knowledgeable on how to do content analysis and how to
read for hidden messages.

My project, since conceiving it last Fall, has gone through many iterations. Because this
project is much larger and allows much more time to complete, there have been aspects that are
unfamiliar to me. I am used to writing research papers; however, they typically have some sort of
guidelines. This is the first project I have done where I have had to conceptualize the entirety of
the project. This has been hard, but with the help of Dr. Corrigan, I have become more
comfortable with being uncomfortable during the project. It is still a learning curve, but it has
been rewarding. My mentor is doing a phenomenal job in guiding me throughout this process.
Last Fall, I did an archival trip funded by a Gender Studies Research Grant at Smith
College. This is where the majority of the Ms. archives are. This trip was immensely successful
as I found a lot of material and got very comfortable with the topic. It also ignited my passion for
archives, so I hope to return to another one soon. I plan to continue my research and writing
throughout the Summer and Fall of this year in time for graduation this Fall 2025. After I
graduate, I plan to attend a graduate school in the Fall of 2026 to study Public History or
Museum Studies. I hope to continue to study gender throughout history.