Introduction

Abstract The Introduction compares the creation and importance of the advice column in the US and France. While American advice columns “Ask Ann Landers” and “Dear Abby” appeared in daily newspapers, in France the two most popular columnists appeared in women’s magazines, Marcelle Auclair in Marie-Claire and Marcelle Ségal in Elle. Auclair and Segal were involved in the creation of each magazine from the start and played major roles in shaping them. In their columns and books, they shared the personal struggles that led them to encourage women to go beyond convention. Their dialogue with readers inspired change on the intimate, personal level, paving the way for the feminist movement’s political efforts.