Running a magazine in Turkey is one of the riskiest ventures you can take. Many magazines launch with great expectations, only to fall victim to low circulation figures and eventually shut down. However, there are two types of magazines that are more likely to succeed: humour magazines and women's magazines that appeal to the mainstream.

The Turkish versions of Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, and as of one year ago, Vogue, all have found a solid readership in Turkey. "These magazines, as anywhere else around the world, continue to reinforce the stereotypes and roles attributed to women," says Sinem Akarca, a sociologist who has written numerous academic papers on women's magazines from a critical feminist perspective. "They confine women to the pressures of being slim, finding the right husband, and paying hundreds of Turkish lira for a pair of shoes. And sadly, women continue to fall for it."

Publishing a women's magazine guarantees high sales, but not if you publish a women's magazine asking women to empower themselves, take control of their lives, or talk about violence against women - in other words, a feminist magazine.

One of the most famous of the feminist magazines was Pazartesi, which means ”Monday” in Turkish. The magazine began in 1996 in a print version until it switched to a web format in 2007. Pazartesi got its name from the Monday meetings the editors used to have while preparing a newspaper with a feminist perspective. The newspaper project never took off, but the weekly magazine Pazartesi found popularity among a certain group of intellectuals in the late 1990s. The magazine was run by women, and the staff consisted of only women.

Almost all of the authors who contributed to the magazine had, at one time or another, been actively involved in the feminist movement in Turkey, which included the Purple Needle campaign against sexual harassment, campaigns against domestic violence, activities against the abolishment of Law 159 (which decreed that women must receive permission from their husbands to be able to work) or Law 438 (which reduced the punishment for rapists if the victim was a prostitute), and more.

The designated seat next to a woman

"Incredibly, the backlash to the magazine came from women, some from the feminist establishment," remembers Akarca. "Some even blamed the magazine for not being academic enough, forgetting that this was a magazine sold in newsstands." Ayıp Köşe (The Obscene Corner), sharing erotic from women, was the most controversial section of the magazine, which led to the magazine being sued for its graphic sexual depictions.

After the print version was discontinued, the magazine was available online for a couple of years until it had to shut down completely. Four years later, on 8 March 2011, the International Women's Day, another feminist magazine hit the stands.

Similar to Pazartesi, Bayan Yanı promised to tackle women's issues from a female perspective, but through humour. Bayan Yanı means “the seat next to a woman,” a common practice in Turkey where women are assigned seats next to other women when travelling long-distance by bus.

Famous names such as cartoonists Ramize Erer and Feyhan Güver, and Duygu Sarı, a writer, are among the team that is taking a stab at the male-dominated humour culture. The issues range from hard topics like “honour killings”, violence against women, women's perception in Islam, to the “obligatory” weight loss.

Cartoonist Elif Nursad told journalists recently: "Many other comic magazines in Turkey depict women as sex objects to increase circulation. We came together and formed something we didn't expect to be so successful. Turkey is a fast-consuming society and it's open to new things. Bayan Yanı is a completely new discourse."

"Indeed, it is a new discussion," says Akarca. "Women have been gaining power and equality in many areas. Women's bodies were always used to boost sales. Bayan Yanı is revolutionary in that respect."

An average circulation of 50,000 seems promising for a magazine run by women for women. Hopefully, Bayan Yanı will open the way and help new feminist magazines find their place next to Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.