< zine:media >
MEDIA WHORE #1
Review by Alan Rankin
(24pp b&w zine, $1/trade from Randie Farmelant / 37 Home St. / Malden, MA / 02148. Web:
www.mediawhorezine.com)
I think I know why Ricko gave me this one to review: because of my past and present association with the “f” word. (It’s “feminism” – shhhh.) Randie and her writers, including Cheryl Tucker and Kate Merena, take apart various media bodies – such as heavy metal music,
O magazine, and rapper Eminem – looking for images and contexts that belittle women. And even in the early days of the 21st century, they find plenty. (You look so surprised.)
There’s obviously enough material to keep
Media Whore raging until the
next century, but they also include glimmers of hope, such as a short interview with Lisa Miya-Jervis of
Bitch magazine. I’d like to see more of that; for example, Jesse Post’s article on female comics characters focuses on the mainstream (which is, guess what, filled with sexist imagery by and for clueless fanboys). But there’s hundreds of strong female characters in the indy/alternative comix scene, from Shary Flenniken’s Trots and Bonnie, through Alison Bechdel’s "Dykes to Watch Out For", all the way to S. Kwon’s
Blanche the Baby Killer.
One more thing I should mention is Randie’s article on the uncertain future of women’s bookstores, a subject that should concern every person who reads these words. (Begin Soapbox) There aren’t
that many outlets for independent media left, and if the women’s bookstores are forced to close down or change format, then we’ll be one step closer to the bland, stultifying, homogenized world of Martha Stewart and
Everybody Loves Raymond. So get out there and support your local pagan/feminist/dyke bookstore – even if it means buying a “Straight But Not Narrow” t-shirt you’ll only wear once! (Soapbox Ends)
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