All posts published in September 2010

Page 2 of 2

• • DIY

  Fight Boredom!

  September 9, 2010 • Diandra Jurkic-Walls

  
  Hello Amber of the Fight Boredom Zine Distro is one of my ultimate Zine Heroes. Based out of Montreal, feminist Hello Amber!, runs this small zine distro and puts together the Fight Boredom Zine as well as a perzine, Culture Slut.

  Her distro is led by its inspiring Fight Boredom Manifesto:

  ONLY BORING PEOPLE GET BORED
  Or, The Fight Boredom Manifesto

  We will fight boredom with action, ideas and creativity. We will fight boredom with feminism, friend dates and crafternoons. We will fight jealousy and girl-hate and all the -isms and phobias in our communities. We will fight boredom by encouraging one another and maintaining positive friendships. We will fight the winter blues with long conversations, hot drinks and new adventures. We will have picnics in the springtime. We will fight boredom with bike rides, cupcakes, and trips to the library. We will write letters and we will not be afraid to cart our typewriters long distances. We will be critical of the mainstream. We will not be afraid to look ridiculous. When our acquaintances complain of boredom, we will do our best to help them fight it (or perhaps get drunk and remind them that only boring people get bored). We will fight boredom with our own zines and manifestos - WRITE YOUR OWN!

  Fight Boredom is currently building their distro up and is seeking zines for submission! Whether you’re a seasoned zine maker or even just thinking of making your first, Fight Boredom might just be the place for you! Acceptable material includes queer zines, feminist zines, tales of small towns, adventures, gardening, community-building, activism, cuntlove and tattoos. She’s also accepting zines in both English and French! If you’d like more information on how to submit a zine to this Distro check out Fight Boredom’s Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/fight_boredom

  If you’ve never made a zine and are interested in putting one together there’s some online resources here:

  How to Make a Zine from Zine Book
  The Zine Library to upload your zine or print other people’s zines for distribution
  How to Make a Zine from Instructables
  The GRRRL Zine network has lots of great information on Feminsty resources as well as how to make a zine!

• • Body Politics
  • Media Savvy

  Jacob stops some forms of retouching, still uses typical models

  September 9, 2010 • Jenna Owsianik

  

  Canadian retailer Jacob shows off its new retouching policy in fall campaign. (JACOB)

  Although fashion retailer Jacob announced last week that it will no longer alter the size of models’ bodies in its advertising images, does this really mean the company is committed to promoting realistic images of women’s bodies? Or, is the company simply peddling a body positive approach in an attempt to sell more merchandise?

  Jacob explained the move in a statement on the company’s website:

  “As a socially responsible company, JACOB has always made an effort to promote a healthy image of the female body. By adopting an official policy and broadcasting it publicly, we hope to reverse the trend in digital photo manipulation that has become excessive in our industry,” says spokesperson and Communications Director Cristelle Basmaji.

  That being said, the company hasn’t dropped using all forms of photoshopping. The statement continues:

  However, JACOB is not against all forms of touch-ups. Certain digital enhancements cannot be avoided in order to produce an image the size that is required for advertising. In all transparency, JACOB will continue to retouch its photos in some regards, as there will always be a need to calibrate colours for better product representation and to even out skin tone or erase tattoos and scars.

  It’s not clear whether this means cellulite or stretch marks are going to be retouched, but since scars are going to disappear, I’d guess they would unfortunately be wiped away as well.

  Jacob’s campaign promoting the new retouching policy shows three versions of one model’s image: the raw image, the image used in the company’s advertising, and the retouched image that would have been previously used.

  (more inside…)

• • Activist Report
  • Race and Racism

  Vigils honour missing and murdered women

  September 6, 2010 • Jenna Owsianik

  

  Maisy Odjick (left) and Shannon Alexander (right) are shown in these undated photographs. (FindMaisyAndShannon.com)

  
  Two years ago, Shannon Alexander, 16, and Maisy Odjick, 16, disappeared without a trace from the town of Maniwaki, Que., near their native community of Kitigan Zibi.

  Families and friends continue to search for the girls, and are holding a candlelight vigil in their honour on Monday evening in Kitigan Zibi.

  Shannon and Maisy are two of nearly 600 missing or murdered aboriginal women and girls in Canada, according to the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

  On Oct. 4, candlelight vigils will be held across the country to commemorate the lives of the missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls, and to highlight the violence carried out against them.

  To find a vigil in your area, or to organize your own, click here.
  

Contents copyright © 2004-2012 Shameless Magazine.
Questions? Comments? Contact us.