This entry provides an overview of women's periodical cultures from the 18th century to the emergence of the modern “mass” magazine. It also considers the diverse publications that offered alternatives to mainstream mediations of normative femininity. It examines key theoretical debates in feminist media scholarship, points to some of the intersections between the study of contemporary media and the history of women as producers and consumers of magazines, and examines methodological innovations in periodical studies and how those innovations have reconceptualized women's magazines in the public and counter‐public spheres.