Review: Bonding with Bitch Magazine
On a whim, I picked up the latest issue of bitch magazine (subtitle: feminist response to pop culture). This is not unusual, since I tend to have an addiction to buying magazines - a random financial trap of mine. The issue is entitled Singular + Plural (Fall 07 / Issue no. 37), and has enticing blurbs in the header above the title that read: “hoarding (cats), breeding (religion), rejecting (sex), living (eco-style), blogging (race).”
This isn’t much of a review, but a reflection on how many things I seem to have in common with this magazine, specifically this issue. You might say we were meant for each other. Does that make me a bitch?
First of all, it is chock full of fascinating articles.
- “The Best Intentions” - about intentional communities that are springing up around the globe.
- “Do Not Want” - about the asexual movement/revolution.
- “Virgin Territory” about Hanne Blank’s new book Virgin: The Untouched History about the confusion surrounding the true definition of virginity - ie: “What’s the marker, for instance, of a lesbian’s loss of virginity? Does a previously untouched woman maintain her virginity if she’s raped? How many virginities does a trans-gendered person get?”
- An article critically discussing recent films incorporating female early pregnancies and how this theme is handled and what values these may or may not reflect.
- “On Language” - discussing gender- neutral pronouns
- Critique of The Secret.
And for the art lover in me, of course there is:
- An article about Coco-Fusco’s recent work, a notable performance artist (performance art happens to be one of my favourite movements)
- A fascinating article on an artist (or two) who I have never heard of - CarianaCarianne. An artist(s) who claims to b
e two beings existing in one body and thus attempts to achieve recognition as two people politically (scheming to get two separate drivers licenses, birth certificates, etc) and creates collaborative art. See work on the right, found here. Oath of Signature - color, stereo, split-screen DVD, 3:33 min, 2005.
On top of that, many bits and pieces in the issue either mentioned things I love or inspire me to try things that seem interesting:
- Purely Decadent Cookie Dough ice cream - apparently the first worthy version of soy-based cookie dough ice cream - one or more of the writers of this magazine seem to be vegan; it’s nice to know that I’m sharing interests with like minded people.
- A blurb about tempeh, which made my mouth water.
- A mention of Ubuweb, an amazing database of avant-garde art which I already knew of.
- And the recommendations to listen to new albums by Feist and Mirah, two musicians whom I adore.
Can you see why this magazine and I are a match made in heaven? Unlike most magazines that seem like a waste of money since they’re expensive compared to the price of a book and have gobs of useless advertisements, this one is full of rich content that is well written, witty, and entertaining. Bang on: I’m definitely going to grab a subscription as soon as I can, and am excited to read more.
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A few more tidbits found on the web:
Via Stumbleupon, some creative photography:
Also, check out FFFOUND! Warning - highly addictive image bookmarking site where users flag images they like. When you click an image you like - the service recommends other images you might also enjoy based on your choices. I’ve been having fun bumping along through it, and have found some amazing art. The best part is that I can see where the user got the images, leading to the discovery of some great sites along the way.
I’m definitely glad we found each other; I certainly enjoy reading your entries. DEFINITELY check out the sauna, if they do it right it’s a totally pampered experience. It’s amazing that since it’s a dry sauna you can actually read in there - you can take your magazine in! Ha ha. Anyway, cheers!
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