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The following podcast contains explicit language.

Hi, I'm Dana Stevens, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest, 25 sex moves.

He secretly wishes you try edition.

It's Wednesday, August 15th, 2012.

And on today's program, we're going to talk about Helen Gurley Brown, who, for 32 years, was the editor of Cosmopolitan and who died this week. Also about the new Will Ferrell, Zach Alphenakis, political comedy, The Campaign, and finally about swimming. Where do we do it? How do we do it? Why do we do it? And with me in the Slate office today is Julia Turner. Hi, Dana. Slate's deputy editor. I'm so happy to be here. And we're met Cathless again this week, but we're very happy to have John Swansberg's late culture editor today as a guest. Very happy to be here. So let's get started with Helen Gurley Brown. You guys, I think we had decided recently we weren't going to do any more RIP topics for a while, but Helen Gurley Brown is such a big figure and such a complex figure in the history of publishing, in the history of feminism,

and just such a fascinating person that we just, we had to do her.

So I guess I'll start with you, Julia, because you like Helen Gurley Brown are a glamorous woman editor in the world of magazine publishing, wearing a sassy L.L. Bean signature dress.

I'm sure Helen Girlie Brown would have kicked me out for my Mousburger outfit today.L. Bean's signature dress. I'm sure howling Girling Brown would have kicked me out for my

Mouseburger outfit today. I'm a little too doughty. There's not enough leopard print involved

in my garb today. It's true. I don't see any pink mules with feathers out of my office.

I have such conflicted feelings about Helen Gurley Brown.

I mean, I think Cosmopolitan today is essentially a loathsome magazine that does only bad things for womankind and is not something I ever pick up.

It would be at the very bottom of my airport read stack of magazines I don't subscribe to or read regularly, but that I read when I want something light and fluffy.

I just find its entire tone, condescending, lurid, sort of degrading and dumb.

And I'm not into it.

...