A Parallel Planets piece by Unknown
Parallel Planets presents Grrrl Asylum
in Zineology Series: Sharpening Our Claws
Zine Review by Nicole Lane
Mentioned: feminism, badass artists, and owning your hot bod
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“First and foremost, we believe that women deserve choice. We are a sex positive, body positive, feminist page that seeks to smash the patriarchy through education and uplifting of our peers.” – Grrrls Smashing the Patriarchy
From the start of this zine, I am thrilled by the imagery on the left (my painting!) and the large text positioned on the right. “One of the most radical things a girl can do is own her body” a quote from Staceyann Chin, a performing artist and poet, is featured in the zine as an introduction of the theme. Ownership of your body is such a strong topic in todays society in general and the zine, Grrrl Asylum, makes sure that the word gets out kicking and screaming. Between rape culture and the patriarchal society as a whole, individuals are regaining this ownership and proudly stepping out of such oppressive and limiting standards.
While reading through Grrrl Asylum, it is similar to looking at a diary or a personal sketchbook. The pages contain text which discuss body image, queerness and the standards of beauty. Genesis Grey, a contributor to the zine, beautifully recounts their struggles and comfort in a queer community and as a “genderqueer”. The zine features mostly poetry and prose with the exploration of titles, font and layout for each page. Personally, I am a fan of zines that feature more artwork (being an artist myself) however, for this particular subject, I side with the text heavy issue. A few of the pieces in this zine surprisingly left me with a smile on my face. I was ready to start beating my feminist fist after each word but was left with hope when reading the following: “and I alone amidst it all with only/the field of hairs cultivating my legs/to keep me company as I walked” by the author Snakesmith.
Grrrls Smashing the Patriarchy did an amazing job of curating Grrrl Asylum to create a perfectly bittersweet collection while keeping the reader still slightly raging. There are pieces which leave you with optimism and there are others which leave you irate. The words, “oh my god” escaped my mouth (in the best possible way) as I read the last piece entitled, “Fierce Femininity”, created by an artist named e.e. The explanation of femme ties the zine together and lets the reader know that these artists are strong and ready to kick patriarchies ass. Grrrls Smashing the Patriarchy continues to produce issues and is currently calling for submissions for the following: Poetry, Essays, Rants, Short Fiction, Reviews, Critiques, Photography, Paintings, Comics, Sketches, and Doodles.
In short, Grrrl Asylum is intense as hell. It leaves you ready and more prepared for the following issues which touch on subjects such as sex/sexuality, self-care, survival and rebirth. I highly recommend this zine for EVERYONE due to the fact that ALL OF US should be aware of these issues and these stories from such inspiring beings.
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