Ethical Considerations

Practical

In terms of ethics, one big consideration was the use of naked model for the '"Your Nipple Should Be Here": Reflections on Body Image' article. I ensured that the model gave her consent and was entirely comfortable during the photography session, having arranged with the studio what was happening for complete privacy. This was important as the modesty of the model needed to be entirely protected. A naked model was used in order for the article to be more affecting and empowering. With the arrangement of the fruit it was creating commentary on how are bodies aren't something we should be ashamed of. I also considered how this imagery would affect the casual viewer, thinking about how some might be made uncomfortable by the nudity. Consciously, the naked image was not used for the cover, so that only readers would need to interact with it. On the inside, the images are tasteful, paired with very serious content, the purpose is entirely clear. Although the image is surprising, it creates a bold message, and this is important for feminist work. I felt that the majority of readers wouldn't be made uncomfortable by the image, and if they are, the intention of the article is to encourage comfort in our body shape and is part of the feminist statement I have adopted for the magazine.

Another consideration was that one of the articles 'Consent is Consent', contains content which discusses rape and sexual assault.This is essential to make sure people are informed about such occurrences and current events, including how this issue is being handled in court. However, the author and I felt it was necessary to include a trigger warning at the start of the article, so that anyone who has experienced such abuse isn't going to read it unaware, and become distressed. The design was also taken seriously, for a sensitive and clear approach. 

Finally, since people have sent me articles for the magazine, it was important to acknowledge and credit them for everything they submitted. If this was to be published and distributed I would discuss ownership with the authors and their rights to the work.

Essay

In terms of the essay, no ethics have been breached to my knowledge. All authors were acknowledged and referenced clearly and all other work is my own.

In some respects the concept of favouring physical publications over online communication has some sustainability considerations. The process of printing on card and paper is using resources which wouldn't necessarily need to be used if the information was just disseminated online. However, as the essay suggests, physical production can have a larger more influencing impact on the reader, and can be considered worth the use of resources. Perhaps in future there will be a larger development of ways to utilise the magazine format online, like Issuu for example, so that more resources are conserved.