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Independent women’s magazines are flourishing and challenging representations of women in the media in new ways. Take Mushpit, the one-time zine, founded by Bertie Brandes and Charlotte Roberts, now a well-loved glossy that has tackled political and feminist crises – with the added bonus of great fashion – for over five years. Equally, The Gentlewoman and Riposte – two magazines that champion intelligent and smart content for women – are now established brands among the independent magazine sector. And the trend is only growing, as specialist women’s magazines emerge in reaction to a lack of diversity or proper representation in the traditional media.
To celebrate this growing market, XCity Plus put together a list of independent women’s magazines that are changing the face of the magazine industry and asked magCulture founder Jeremy Leslie what we should read now.
Tom Tom – (Jeremy’s pick)
Tom Tom is a quarterly print magazine that aims to raise awareness of the female drumming community by featuring female percussionists from all over the world. Now on its 28th issue, the magazine has been hugely successful (Tom Tom has a circulation of 870,000) – proving that niche topics need an outlet.
Jeremy Leslie: “There’s a whole range of magazines coming from young women about young women’s interests. Feminism, yes, but there are also quite specialist ones. Tom Tom is a magazine about women drummers. The music business is particularly male-oriented, or it has been, which hit a nerve with young women, so Tom Tom has been very popular. It’s a really niche subject but is actually far less niche in reality, because they have a lot of readers.”
Issue 28 is out now for £6.
Ladybeard
A biannual magazine that “takes the form and format of the glossy magazine but revolutionises the content”. Ladybeard launched with a bang by publishing its “Sex” issue in 2015, which looked at the different forms of sexualities told through anecdotes and illustrations. Started by six Cambridge graduates, the magazine focuses on themes that are under or misrepresented by the media – issue two was named “Mind” and issue three, accepting submissions now, will be on “Beauty” – and offers a platform to voices beyond the straight white norm.
Issue two is sold out – look out for number three.
Sabat
Witches are back. For the new generation of feminists, the witch is an outsider figure who represents non-conformity and power. Founded by Elisabeth Krohn in the UK, Sabat looks at modern witchcraft and encourages readers “to find their powers within”. In response to the 1990s revival, Sabat takes its inspiration from the teenage witches we know and love and sets out to inspire women to explore their hidden selves through goth and Wicca.
Issue three, “The Crone”, is out now for £14.50.
Sofa
A new magazine that “defines the now”, Sofa seeks to capture the topics of today and visualise a generation. The brightly-coloured, Japanese TV-inspired first issue asked: “What is Generation Z thinking?” Editors Ricarda Messner and Caia Hagel were initially briefed to “create a teen mag for the future, inspired by the 90s, to make it both as accessible to 16-year-olds as it is nostalgic for the 30 plus.” The women created a magazine that examines the issues facing today’s teens through photography and illustration, featuring a captivating teen mascot – found on Instagram – to guide readers through the magazine. Published semi-annually, Sofa will focus on a different topic each issue.
Issue one is out now for £6.
Season
Fashion (season) meets football (season) in this zine – see what they did there? Season puts the spotlight on female fans of the beautiful game and their love of fashion. Self-proclaimed fashion and football-loving editor-in-chief Felicia Pennant said: “Women like me are often overlooked or sexualised in the football landscape, so I wanted to document and celebrate female fandom creatively.” After a successful debut issue, “The Female Fan” – featuring free stickers and an interview with Naoko Scintu, FKA twigs’ makeup artist – Season issue two looked back on the Euro 2016 in Paris in combination with the capital’s fashion.
Issue two, “Paris”, is out now for £6.
gal-dem
Originally an online magazine written by women of colour, gal-dem released its first print edition last October – after achieving incredible success since the website’s launch just over a year ago. Named “gal-hood”, the 264-page issue was “a celebration and exploration of what it’s like to grow up as a girl of colour”. Content included features, interviews and pieces on sisterhood, sex, growth and the body. The magazine was a limited edition print run that sold out in a flash, so all of us who didn’t manage to get a copy will have to wait with bated breath for the next. gal-dem is accepting pitches now.
Girls / Club
If you’re a girl in your twenties, you’ll want to be part of this club. Girls Club is unashamedly for women by women, redefining what we know as a women’s magazine with the strict rule: “No boys allowed”. The most recent issue – number three – examined the “Quarter-Life Crisis” and tapped into what it means to be a woman in 2016. Advertised as “A zine made by and for self-identifying women”, Girls Club offers a platform for women illustrators, writers, photographers and poets, and an outlet for millennials everywhere.
Issue four is out soon for £5.
ROADFEMME
ROADFEMME is an intersectional newspaper zine run by Zahra Swanzy. Published bi-annually – and self-funded by Swanzy – the zine accepts contributions from all over the world. Issue two was “The Black Issue”, inspired by Swanzy’s visit to the US after the murder of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old African American man who was shot by a police officer in Missouri after allegedly robbing a convenience store. Contributors shared intimate stories and photography centred on race and identity. Swanzy said: “Self-publishing is not easy – it’s exhausting and costly. ROADFEMME is all heart, and with all my heart, I know it’s important to claim your space and narrate your own stories. That makes it all worthwhile.”
Issue four is out now for a suggested donation of £5.
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