Statement of Intent

Essay question: Are Feminist Publications Still Relevant Within the Digital Age of Fourth Wave Feminism?

The subject of this essay was to explore the reasons why feminist print publications are still considered relevant despite the fact a lot of feminist thought is now disseminated online, characterised as the fourth wave of feminism. A feminist publication called Headstrong was produced to test these theories physically and to analyse their success. The publication exemplifies a collection of techniques commonly used by modern feminists in order to create high impact and strong communication with the reader.

One of the reasons for the continual relevance of feminist publications is their ability to decode and analyse modern politics, which online can seem confusing and contradictory. As Jamieson (2017) has said, publications offer a more trustworthy, considered and reflective approach, rather than the chaotic updates and unfounded opinions seen online. Because of this, the spreads of Headstrong are designed to be simple and organised, this is so the images and the writing are the main focus and can immediately and clearly convey a political message, without distraction. This is an approach adopted by the feminist magazine Riposte, as the editor has said: 'we kept stylistic interventions and typographic tricks to a minimum and instead focused on creating simple spreads that don’t overshadow the content' (Pender, cited in Steven, 2013.) The pages of Headstrong use a lot of negative space, and the text is at most split into two columns, meaning that the pages are never crowded. The typeface for the main body text is the sans-serif Calibre, which has been used for its legibility and clarity. Some pages use full-bleed images, with few embellishments, this is so the images have high impact and can be appreciated in their entirety – often if magazines add many images on one page it can become overwhelming and the engagement is lost.

Nelson, the editor of The Spectator, has said that because there is too much writing online, people are turning to magazines for their political analysis (Nelson, 2017) – and this is a potential reason why feminist magazines are increasing. Because of this, the content of Headstrong is entirely essay based. The essays critique and observe modern society and are the central focus of the magazine. I have chosen to cut away the usual magazine 'fluff' and create a publication similar to an anthology, redefining what a feminist magazine is within fourth-wave feminism. People go online for light feminist discourse, but they look to publications for intellectual discussion and analysis which is why a short, casually-written, anthology is the perfect format for this.

Another section of the essay discussed tactility and how an experience which involves the feeling of touch can be more affecting and influencing then looking at visuals online. Pender has said that 'print offers a different experience altogether. It's sensory, the smell and the feel each add something different to the content' (Pender, 2015). This suggests tactility can add depth to feminist work and is a key attribute which sets magazines apart from digital media. Because of this, a highly tactile experience has been a priority for Headstrong. The stock used for the cover was 'Museum Heritage' which displays 'a high degree of detail and pronounced texture', immediately making the publication seem legitimate and professional. It is thick and has absorbed the colour well, making it vibrant and appealing, far more sensory than the feminism seen online.

By using such a thick stock, the publication appears almost like an art journal. It becomes something more likely to be kept, treasured and referred to by the reader. This is important, as research conducted for the essay suggests magazines remain relevant because they offer historical significance. They can be kept to mark the particular mode of feminism at the time, so that feminists of the future don't have to act as trailblazers on a path that has already been made (Piepmeier, 2009, p18). Whilst online documentation is less certain, it is the responsibility of publications to one day act as artefacts for previous thought. This is why Headstrong has been made thick and durable – so it is more likely to be kept and is long-lasting for the future.

To heighten the tactile experience, several different stocks were going to be used for the centre pages, including a thin matte card and a thin gloss called 'Digigreen Silk'. This was to maintain the reader’s engagement throughout the magazine, creating consistent stimulation on alternating pages. However due to complications, the Digigreen Silk was unable to print colour to a high standard. With limitations in digital print, the only stock that could print double-sided to a high standard was the thin matte card. Despite the fact only one stock was used for the centre pages of the final product, it still created a luxurious and tactile experience. The print quality was made the priority, which is most important to create something professional and trustworthy.

Ziesler has said that for feminist magazines 'it is impossible to imagine a future where they will recapture the relevance they once had' (Ziesler, 2013, p178-179) within this digital age of feminism. For this reason, Headstrong has also been put online through Issuu in order for it to be disseminated to a wider, online audience. This shows a relationship with online media which is essential for the physical publication to exist within the fourth wave. The Instagram handles of the authors were also used to show acknowledgement and acceptance of the online feminist community.

Another section of the essay talked about how feminist values of community and intersectionality are explored within modern feminist publications. As Triggs has suggested, feminist communication is defined by community (Triggs, 2000, p156) so it essential for this to be shown in magazines. Intersectionality is a key attribute of fourth-wave feminism, so research suggests feminist publications need to adopt this in order to remain progressive. So it became important that Headstrong conveyed these values through its design and content. Because the publication involved contacting women for feminist essays, this in itself created a community of authors across the UK. Discussing and developing concepts with these women created a connection and can be considered the foundation of the publication's community values. The authors represented an intersectional group of women, ranging in race, sexuality, age and size, which meant the content was wide ranging and representative. The last page of the magazine gives an open call for readers to send in their own essays for future issues of Headstrong, this creates a community between the writers and the hypothetical publication team.

On discussing women's magazines, Winship has said that making personal and private experiences public can create a community among women, leading them to unite together with 'supportive strength' (Winship, 1987, p125). This is why Headstrong has been designed to create more of a personal link between reader and author. The outset quotes are written in the serif typeface Caslon, which creates more of a traditional, personal link with the author. For two articles, images of the authors appear with the text, this immediately creates more of a personal relationship with the reader – allowing them to imagine the person writing the words. Perhaps this could have been something developed for all of the articles.

One way that intersectionality has been conveyed as a theme for Headstrong was the cover, which illustrates a collection of fruit, of all different sizes and colours, interacting with each other. Their relation to body type has been signified by the illustrations of breasts over the fruit. The cover immediately encourages diversity and by not using a photograph of one woman, as magazines traditionally do, it doesn't exclude any viewers. One thing that could have made the magazine more intersectional, would have been to include a wider range of women on the inside of the magazine, there are limited photographs throughout, but there could definitely have been more representation.

Finally, the essay discussed how femininity is displayed in feminist publications and how this should be approached carefully. Again, by not using an image of a woman on the cover, there is no expectation or commentary on how a women should portray their femininity. 'Many women are less attracted to feminism than intimidated by what it seems to stand for: a wholesale rejection of all the personal and institutional baggage associated with femininity' (Winship, 1987, p125). So it is important that for the Headstrong cover an image was used which didn't ridicule femininity with how a feminist should or shouldn't look. Similar to Riposte, I placed emphasis on the work of the authors, rather than what they looked like. The back cover is entirely designed as a showcase of the essays inside the magazine.

Another concept developed was the use of both serif and sans-serif typefaces throughout the magazine. This was to represent the intersection of traditional feminine and masculine appearances, with serif characterising 'feminine beauty' and the sans-serif characterising 'masculine strength'. By using the two in correspondence, it creates an overlap and overrides traditional expectations of how a woman should be represented.

In conclusion, the outcome successfully utilised the research conducted within the essay. Headstrong communicates feminist ideas in a way that is completely different to the experience of fourth-wave digital feminism. It creates a tangible, more personal, kind of engagement which is necessary when ideas online can seem so distant.