Most who wrote for the publication were professional or semi-professional writers, and it could claim the author and dramatist Mary Russell Mitford among its contributors. The "Lady's Magazine" featured many of the same stories that appeared in contemporary men's magazines like "The Gentleman's Magazine", such as articles on poetry and the London stage; society news was another common topic. Unlike many men's publications, however, the "Lady's Magazine" largely stayed out of the political sphere and did not report on political events; for instance, in the lead-up to the French Revolutionary Wars, "Lady's Magazine" readers are reassured that France is no match for British naval power, while readers of "The Gentleman's Magazine" are warned that Europe is "at the present moment a state of alarm and danger". Mary Poovey, a professor of English, posits that "The Lady's Magazine"s projection of national strength was intended to avoid alarming its female readers and thus causing anxiety in the domestic sphere; conversely, men's magazines sought to arouse anger over an emerging enemy and thus encourage male readers to be ready to undertake an active military role.