Jan 12, 2004
Memes don’t exist, tell your friends
Becca’s had some interesting stuff on her journal lately…
She questions the definition and usage of the word “meme”. The real question here is “what isn’t a meme? I don’t know. Memes are not forgotten ideas. Or are forgotten ideas dead-memes? Is there any utility in the usage of the word? Has it become synonymous with fad or maybe trend?
She’s also done some posting about Sassy magazine and women’s magazines in general (starting here), and onionsniper says “Ms is too dry for me, Bust is a little too East Coast or something that I can’t quite put my finger on, Bitch is just a hint too academic. We should start a damn magazine.” ["we" being her and becca]
Which leads me to wonder if a new women’s magazine is the best approach, or if an all-gender magazine would be a more intersesting approach. Stim was an online zine edited by Georgia Rucker which was split half women, half men’s magazine.
But I’m thinking a pop-gender studies magazine… non-academic in approach of course… would be more “useful” for lack of a better word. Not that men can’t buy Bitch, or women can’t buy men’s magazines (are there even any men’s magazines that aren’t of either the lad magazine style, or the Esquire style)? Or that straight people can’t buy a gay magazine or a transgender magazine. But would there be advantages to having relevant content for everyone in the same pages?
Related posts (autogenerated):
What a wonderful suggestion. I’m guessing that onionsniper did mean a women’s magazine, though she didn’t say that explicitly. But what really defines a “women’s” or “men’s” magazine, other than announced intent? Other than a bit more on gadgets in Maxim and a bit more on makeup and hair removal in Cosmo (or whatever), I don’t see much of a difference. Actually, maybe Maxim does have interesting content.. I can only recall leafing through a couple and I don’t recall specifically what was in them.
It’s the intent that’s important, really. I think publications (and other things such as events and physical spaces) intended for a particular group serve a good purpose when they aren’t insulting to their audience and failing to serve the actual interests of their target group. While I do have an unfulfilled need for a magazine that manages to cover floofy things like clothes and hair while maintaining a feminist edge, I love the idea of a magazine specifically intended for all genders. Em, not that a magazine for all genders couldn’t cover hair and makeup. Hmmm. Look at my own assumptions illustrating your point perfectly.
Many feminists–myself included–complain that very few male-identified people are open to discussing anything gender related, but they don’t go very far in making others feel welcome. In fact, I’d say many women seem to go out of their way to make men and trans people unwelcome. I’m sure they have some justification for this, but it seems pretty counterproductive to me.
The zine you linked to is a really awesome idea, but I think you were getting at something more integrated, yes? That solves the problem of excluding trans people with the representation of gender as binary as well as encouraging the idea of integration and solidarity. I hate that gender issues so often create such polarization, usually divided along gender lines.
In fact, that’s one of the reasons I refuse to stop using “feminism” in everyday conversation. I’m well aware that it puts people on the defensive pretty often, but I feel like even if I used a different word, it’s the issues that are unwelcome and the new word would eventually become a problem, too.
Um, rambling. My point… Yes, what a wonderful idea, and not just wrt gender. I think there are tons of group-specific interests that could have non-exclusionary magazines devoted to them. For example, I’d feel mighty odd buying a copy of a magazine meant just for black people even though I’d like to know what’s in there. I think it’s easier, however, for people of all races to buy a magazine that’s just supposed to address “multicultural issues.” There’s one of these on the shelf a the co-op and I’m a jerk and have never bought it, but only because like many independent publications, it’s way too expensive.
Here’s my question, though: what kind of content, exactly, would fill this magazine, if not academic content? I guess I’m not entirely sure how to make gender issues not be academic. I’m sure there are ways, of course. I’m just dry of ideas at the moment.