This zine is by far one of the greatest things I have ever bought on Etsy. I like the idea of zines, and every time I see one I am always inspired to make my own, but the Fat Girl Zine from anongrrl is the most inspiring zine I've ever read. Nicci, who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, was really helpful when I started out buying three of the zines (the second issue, which recently recieved, was out of stock), and the transaction was nothing but wonderful. Of course, the highlit of this purchase was the zines themselves.
Nicci, who writes most of the articles in the zine (being fairly new, there aren't a lot of contributors yet), writes several stream of consciousness pieces about what it's like to be a fat girl in a "skinny" world. She addresses everything from seatbelts not fitting to the ever-present problem of not being able to find clothes that fit, and even some things that I myself struggle with. The shame associated with being fat shines through in the zine, which sends the strong message that a fat girl can be a strong, confident woman- fat or not! Nicci tries to point out that "fat" should not be a dirty word, but something to embrace, and to call our own. The stereotypes associated with outspoken fat women are also addressed, and Nicci relates her experiences with weight and its association with sexual orientation. In issue four, a contributor named Jessica talks about fat girls and sports- which is something I never even thought about, since I never was an athlete.
The best thing about the zine is not just that it promotes fat acceptance, but it promotes acceptance of all sizes. There is no derogatory attitude towards skinny girls in this zine- in fact, that attitude is put down, as Nicci knows that all girls have body acceptance issues- why make it worse by putting down someone because they are smaller than you? With her fresh, interesting take on things like the association of obesity with poor health, Nicci has really inspired me to embrace my fatness, and just try to be healthy, rather than small.
Not interested in the Fat Girl life? Nicci's got other zines too. Mostly Hand Written is a completely "old skool" zine done with cut, paste, and photocopying. Do Not Bend is the result of a 24 hour challenge, and this edition of Eve Art is devoted to tarot. Nicci has some great stuff to look into, and I know I'll be buying some more soon.
And a little tidbit? The last zine I ordered from her was ordered on June 8 and it arrived on June 12. That's pretty darned good turnaround time.
1 comment:
I have danced around the idea of buying some of those zines. I think I will go and do it now. and LOVE the action shot :)
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