< zines >
MEDIA WHORE #4
edited by Randie Farmelant
($2.00 from Randie Farmelant / 20 Ricky Drive / Framingham, MA / 01702 USA. Web:
www.mediawhorezine.com)
Reviewed by Mike HunterAmusingly bound with a pink ribbon to contrast with the bracingly unapologetic feminism within,
Media Whore focuses on the barrage of propaganda both subtle and blatant aiming to cram women back into circumscribed and "traditional" roles: a silk-lined trap glamorized and extolled by society.
Lightened with bits of dry wit, this issue focuses on "the arts" as an area of the media, the editorial accompanied by an ad from "Guerilla Girls": "Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? Less than 5% of the artists in the Modern Art sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female."
Women who use performance art to challenge established roles are interviewed. FATASS, hefty-sized women who perform "radical cheerleading," is yet further proof that the feminist movement
does have a sense of humor, and knows how to use it. Instead of anguishing over calorie-counting and covering themselves in MuuMuus, the "fleshalicious" members of the Fat Action Troupe Allstar Spirit Squad perform self-written cheers in public, complete with pom-poms. While the stereotypical fratboy's head would explode (one can
hope, anyway), public reaction has been positive, with applause and invitations to perform for local teams. As it turns out, there are
many other radical cheerleading groups around the world.
The H2Os, a "renegade feminist synchronized swimming team...try to represent feminist values through the aquatic arts." Not focusing on "a specific political message like 'Vote Green'," their performances have recurring themes such as "renewal, unity, [and] transformation."
An assortment of repros of ads for surrogate mother "egg donors" is followed by an article on Chrissy Conant, whose multi-media sculpture comments on women's reproductivity as a commodity. Within a supermarket-style, refrigerated case, a dozen jars of "Chrissy Caviar" ® are offered up. Each containing "a sealed test tube filled with...a silicone-based liquid and one of Chrissy's eggs harvested by an endocrinologist." A DVD depicting "Making Chrissy Caviar ®" and prints are available for sale.
A pair of ongoing feminist public art projects "you can get involved with or use as inspiration" are covered, and the "Sex Workers' Art Show" is given a detailed writeup. The "page turners" section reviews like-minded zines, and "Media Whore" mentions related websites galore.
The design is utilitarian "classic zine" (aside from that pink ribbon), liveliness compensating for lack of slick elegance..
Media Whore is a no-nonsense, informative and enjoyable reminder that, as the bumper sticker advertised on the back cover puts it, "Feminism is NOT a Dirty Word."
[ Link to this review ]
