To celebrate International Women’s Day, I went along to the Raw Print Podcast launch, exploring women in print. There was a display of some of the best Indie women’s magazines and the podcast playing in the background discussed a range of issues such as diversity in magazines, what it means to be represented in print and what the future holds for independent publications.
Indie magazine, I believe, helps to normalise often taboo issues. Unlike mainstream magazines that often just skim the surface of a subject, Indie magazines delve in to themes in detail and create open and honest conversations around these. I therefore think, that this makes independent publications more interesting to read and more accessible. In mainstream magazines, I do not feel that women are truly represented. I often question whether a diverse range of models for example have been cast to tick a box, or whether they actually care about including all women in campaigns and imagery. Whereas independent magazines portray their passion for a subject matter and educate the reader in subtle ways, without excluding a demographic. I enjoyed looking at Indie magazines to witness the alternative perspectives and personal experiences and opinions.
I was surprised to also see our Period. Zine displayed – it made Chloe, Georgia and I reminisce over our work that we were and are still proud of. After seeing that Jay has continued his Mutt Mag even after graduating, we have discussed continuing our zine, and the possibility of creating more editions. We really enjoyed developing this during the project and therefore it would be a shame to let this go; it is similarly a topic that all three of us are passionate about.
The magazine that I was drawn to the most was Lodestars Anthology which I have never come across before; it is a non-traditional travel magazine that focuses on one country per issue. I enjoyed how the publication was all about place, journeys and discovery that were presented in a clean and clear layout, celebrating the beautiful imagery that was balanced by type. The focus appeared to be on capturing colour and verve, by looking at a destination’s charm and encapsulating the essence of a country in a very fresh way.
Rachel
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