The magazine was impacted by the pandemic and the final issue was published in September 2021.
First published in 2010 by the Iceberg Press.
It was based in London and aimed at a very specific audience of women who want to learn more about themselves as they are, opposed to the body of someone else.
One copy would cost £5 but there was a subscription service available where people could pay £14 for a six-month membership (three issues).
Front cover is unconventional. Image is a mid/half-shot of the woman, who is fully dressed and has short hair. There is no focus on or reference to her body. There is no advertising for make-up products, skincare products or clothes which are typically seen on the front of women’s magazines.
Average of reader was 27, 98% of readers were female.
The magazine’s editor, Lisa Skyes used to work at the Hearst company as deputy editor of another magazine called ‘Coast’.
“Oh Comely is a curious, honest and playful independent magazine. It’s a place to meet strangers, hear their stories and look at life a little differently – where our readers are our writers and our models, too.”
The word comely refers to an old-fashioned way of calling someone pretty or attractive. As if they are displayed, but not in a sexual context.
