Defining a Feminist

According to dictionary.com , feminism is defined as "the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men." Almost all definitions of feminism that I found were about the same, but the ways in which women's advocacy is conveyed are very different. Some magazines follow the 'out-of-the-box' approach to feminism, by being as controversial as possible in terms of images and stories, while others see the word feminist as synonymous with 'badass', focusing on popular images and women of today. I found examples ranging from uncomfortable and different to modern and surprising.

These are two examples I found of directions I don't want to go towards:

Ms.  is probably the most well-known Feminist magazine. However, I listed it here as an example of the direction I don't want to go towards because of its cover. I want to use an actual model for my pictures, not drawings and comics. When conducting my research I came across Male Feminist and decided to include it in this list because it offended me. When I first saw this picture I found it admirable that a magazine existed that advocated Feminism by males. However, upon further research, I found that the picture above is actually a fake picture. That's right: this magazine does not actually exist, but was created by someone to mock typical headlines featured in general interest Feminist magazines. This just further proves my point about people's ignorance to what Feminism actually is/it's importance/its tainted image.

These are the two examples I found that most captured my attention:

The magazine's slogan is:
"For women with something to get off
their chest."
See source here

“Guns and Rosie is a magazine for women in the military

 to read and relate to, because no matter what our theories

 about the military, the women on the ground need a place of 

sisterhood to deal with this taxing occupation. This magazine 

has a focus on theory surrounding the struggle real women are

 going through." -Grace Montesano, editor

See source here

I found Guns & Rosie interesting because it used a well-known image (Rosie the Riveter) to convey its message. Although I found it interesting that it was aimed towards military women, the subjects that it tackles are stronger than what I was looking to cover. Bust magazine caught my attention because on the surface, it seems like a typical women's lifestyle magazine, but the articles that appear on their website are unexpected, as they criticize what are made to be cultural phenomenons. Case in point. Bust would therefore be a general interest Feminist magazine.

According to what I have researched, I want my magazine to follow the general interest Feminist magazine genre, therefore following Bust's layout, its fresh colors and composition and, for my two page spread, feature a story tackling something about pop culture.  

-Jenn

Harper's Bazaar,17 Nov. 2016, www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a18859/feminist-magazines/.

"Male Feminist: a (spoof) magazine for men who really care." The Telegraph, 6 Oct. 2014, 

     www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11142857/ 

     Male-Feminist-a-spoof-magazine-for-men-who-really-care.html.

"Ms. Magazine Review." The Feminist eZine, www.feministezine.com/feminist/modern/ 

     Ms-Magazine-Review.html. 

Sanci, Elissa. "Amal Clooney Gave A Powerful Speech At The UN, So Why Are The Headlines About Her

   Baby Bump?" Bust, 10 Mar. 2017, bust.com/feminism/19309-amal-clooney-un-headlines.html.