An exciting new 'entertainment destination' for women? Or more of the same? Celebs on Twitter seem to be ultra-excited about the launch of one new website, but what might it have in store for us?
Last week actress Zooey Deschanel, blogger Molly McAleer and producer Sophia Rossi quietly launched a new venture together. Internet - behold HelloGiggles.com.
HelloGiggles is being described as 'the ultimate entertainment destination for smart, independent and creative females'. We're going to have to wait to see whether this is true or not because at present, the site is showcasing just one video, entitled 'What A Mom Wants' and focusing on Mother's Day.
It's always kind of exciting when new ventures claiming to target these 'smart and independent' women pop up because in a world where many sites aimed at women are pages and pages of celebrity body snark, diet tips and dire relationship features, there are plenty of us who want something different. There's the anticipation - is the site really going to inspire us and entertain us or is it going to be full of snoreworthy stereotypes and patronising cuteness? You know the type - same old, same old with a veneer of hipster quirkiness so it can claim to be a bit revolutionary and 'what smart women really want'.
By coincidence, this month's UK edition of Elle magazine includes an opinion piece on women and comedy, discussing the power of the 'funny woman' on Twitter and the way the internet has provided a different sort of outlet for women to break out of the 'boys' club' of stand-up and all-too-often offensive entertainment websites. This is certainly true as anyone who uses Twitter will tell you, however often we have to keep on explaining to those who don't tweet that the site isn't just an opportunity for millions of people to tell people what they are doing all day long.
Martin Deeson argues that all this should mean the old adage that women aren't as funny as men should definitely be dead and buried. And it should. But then he also points out that sadly, sexism in comedy means that women often get pigeonholed into talking about 'periods, cake and how rubbish men are' because the messages they get are that this is what women are supposed to make quips about.
Obviously this new project from Zooey and co. isn't just going to be about humour, but if it's going to be 'the ultimate destination for smart, independent and creative females' I hope it doesn't go down that predictable road. And I'm not going to lie, at first glance, I don't love it. The cutesy graphics. The fact it's called 'HelloGiggles'. The description of it as 'lady-friendly'.
I hate the boys' club vibe of many entertainment websites as much as anyone but I don't think the answer is patronising your audience. Particularly if you're aiming it at 'smart' women because you know, we might well want a break from all that cutesy stuff. And if 'lady-friendly' means free from sexism and abuse, then that's great. As long as it doesn't mean 'entertainment about stereotypically girly topics', we'll be all right.
I'm also hoping that the site will support and promote up-and-coming entertainers and creative women rather than being some sort of love-in for successful celebrities who already have high profiles. We all know how easy it is, as a creative person, to put yourself out there and build up a dedicated base of fans or readers. But there's plenty of pretty much undiscovered talent all over the internet which would do well out of a boost from websites like this.
So I'm waiting with anticipation for what HelloGiggles will bring to the table and what sort of entertainment it really will provide. I'd like to be pleasantly surprised.
Hannah Mudge writes about all things news and feminism-themed for BitchBuzz. You can also read her blog, We Mixed Our Drinks or follow her tweets as @boudledidge.
Image via HelloGiggles