Femmenista
Issue One
Summer 2013
Hi Femmenistas!
Thank you for reading Femmenista. This zine is for all of you, which is why I have featured you all on the cover! I have created Femmenista as a source of empowerment, and a way of celebrating and embracing femininity.
This issue comes from me to you, and covers a broad range of topics. I look at strength; and talk about a yoga pose that has been a challenge to achieve, but has offered me strength through practice both mentally and physically. Our bodies are a gift and it’s amazing the things that they can do! It’s important that we nurture them, challenge them, and take care of them the best that we can. That’s why I have also included a recipe in this issue. I read a post by a woman online stating how she enjoys cooking, but feels being a woman in the kitchen conflicts with her feminist beliefs. This frustrated me, I cook for many reasons; to fuel my body with nutritious and delicious food – after all we need food to function. I also really enjoy the process of cooking, it gives me time to think, unwind and reflect on my day. But the main reason I enjoy cooking is because I love food! And what’s the best accompaniment to cooking? Music of course! If you’re lucky enough to have picked up an edition of this zine with the mix tape included, then you can hear some of my favourite femmenistas at the moment, with a few tracks from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s to celebrate the release of their new album. If you haven’t got a physical copy, then you can find most of the playlist on Spotify. The QR code for this is on the back page! I would love to hear what tracks you love too, so please let me know and I’ll try include them in the next issue.
I also discuss a debate from the Women of the World Festival, I try Craftivism - a new activism scene that’s got me hooked, plus you can read my review on the Vagina Monologues, which was performed in the Carriageworks theatre in Leeds this April. But this issue isn’t just about me! I look at what other women find empowering in their own lives - for me this was totally inspirational and I hope that you do too. And finally you can read my interview with the super talented fashion and glamour photographer, Nadia King. I truly hope you enjoy my zine, and would love to know what you think. I found this quote by Debbie Stoller and felt it really fit in with the Femmenista ethos, so I have illustrated it below for you. Have you got any artwork, articles, writing that you will think empower other readers? Please get in touch at femmenista.zine@gmail. com if you would like to submit anything to future issues.
Contents Issue 1 1
Letter from Femmenista Fran
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Yoga Feature: Bakasana
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The Big Porn Debate
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Recipe: Tortlla Soup
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Why I Love My Period
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What’s Empowering to You?
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Looking After a Bearded Clam is a Full Time Job
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An Interview With... Nadia King
The Crane Pose, or Bakasana is a yoga position I came across a month or so ago. I tried it in vain and realised straight away that it was extremely difficult. In fact I never though I would be able to do it.
yoga; practicing downward dog and plank poses are a great way to build initial arm strength before trying Bakasana. This asana is all about balance, and not putting too much pressure onto the arms, but working with the abdominals and thighs.
I didn’t want to be defeated however, and came back to try it again a few days later, of course I still couldn’t get anywhere close.
Taking Off! Squat down onto all fours and place the hands shoulder width
I decided to look up some tips online to help me achieve the pose. This isn’t something I have done within my practice before and I am so glad I did. I found some really useful advice that made so much sense. Soon enough I was in the pose - albeit for a second, but I was there. I had made progress. I kept thinking about the tips that I had read trying the pose again. I could feel myself becoming stronger and I was rocking into the pose more and more easily. I found it so empowering to work at something I initially thought would be impossible, and then actually managing to achieve through perseverance. Yoga is such an empowering activity for me anyway, and I believe starting each morning with
The Crane Pose sun salutations really sets me up for a positive and productive day.
apart spreading the fingers so that they grip the mat and give a firm grounding.
If you have never tried yoga before, and you have been considering it, I truly recommend trying a good, local class. Not only is yoga great for building core strength, flexibility, balance and sense of well-being, yoga is also the only form of exercise to massage the internal organs and help protect our bodies from diseases. The crane pose is not for you who are very new to
Position the shins above the upper arms or shoulders. Lift the head and chest while pressing the arms back against the shins. Exhale and push forward from the feet and move the elbows just past the fingers so that the arms slant forward - keep the chest lifted! You’ll feel the weight shift to the hands. Keep practicing - you’ll do it!
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Serves Four 3 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp salt
1 avocado 1/2 red onion
1/2 large red onion 3 cloves of garlic 1 tin of tomatoes 1 red pepper
4 cups of vegetable stock 2 cans of black beans 1/2 cup of sweetcorn 4 cups of hot water 3 tbsp cornmeal
small bunch of coriander 2 tortilla wraps cut into strips
sour cream monterey jack
water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed. Add more chilli powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to under salt. Add the frozen corn. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the spice mix. Stir to combine. Pour in tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.
Ladle into bowls, then top with whatever garnishes you like!
Mix cornmeal with a small amount of
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What’s Empowering to Much of this issue of Femmenista is from me to you, but what I really want to know what you find empowering. I posed the question to others and found some really inspirational stuff. Here is what they said: “Always allowing myself to be slightly insane.” - Jelena
“Running at 6 in the morning when no one else is around.” - Kat
“Intelligence. Then a nice pint - Hayley
“Cooking something
really tasty and sharing it with hungry people” - Chloe
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you? “The ignorance antidote: knowledge” - Sara
of real ale!” “The desire for independence and self reliance has always driven me.” -Kate
“To ensure I do not waste my life, I want to spend my life doing what I love, making something of myself, living it to the full and being happy so that I make the most of the incredible gift that life is.” - Nilly
“People being really good at things! Like yeah - you did the shit out of that. Olympic gymnasts being a case in point… I could never do it - but I’m glad someone can! Everyone can be really good at something if they want to be.” - Lauren
“Red lipstick” - Olivia “Hearing about how people have got to where they are and what they’ve done to get there spurs me on to get on with it.” - Kasia
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An Interview With...
Nadia King Nadia King is a fashion and glamour photographer, her work has been featured in editorials such as Nuts, Front and FHM, as well as C-Heads, Fake and many more. In this interview she talks inspiration, feminism and her take on 50 Shades of Grey.
How would you describe your style of photography? Bright, Sexy and colourful.
While glamour photography isn’t all I do it is certainly an aspect of my career. I got into shooting glamour like any other field of photography; by testing and working on my
How did you get into photographing glamour shoots?
portfolio until I felt confident enough to start approaching clients such as Nuts, Front and FHM.
What’s your favourite shoot you’ve done and why? I’d have to say the 50 Shades of Grey shoot. It was a fun day with all gi rls on set. I had been dying to use the location for a while but I couldn’t think of how to make it work (its pretty OTT). After reading the books I realised it would be perfect for this and everything else just seemed to fall into place really easily. Everyone was familiar with the books so I knew we were all on ‘the same page’ (pun not intended!) and the stylist brought some amazing lingerie/ props. It was the model’s first lingerie shoot and even though the theme was a bit risqué she trusted us completely.
What would your dream shoot be? A shoot where I have complete creative control; the model of my choice, the stylist of my choice and an unlimited budget. This is incredibly unlikely to happen so I would settle for shooting somewhere sunny - preferably LA.
Who and what inspires you? Everyday life, pop culture, fashion, interiors, T.V programmes, films and photographers such as Miles Aldridge, Lachlan Bailey, Frederike Helwig, Tony Kelly and Ellen Von Unwerth.
How do your models respond to you as a female photographer? Do you think it would differ if you were male? I feel, especially with new models, it look happy and confident rather than pouting in every image.
makes them feel at ease. Some girls have told me they much prefer shooting with female photographer and they trust me more.
Do you see yourself as a feminist?
How do you think your glamour Definitely. photographs differ from those from What does feminism mean to you, a male perspective, if at all? and how do you feel your line of I do feel there is a difference but only slightly. With glamour photography I have to think work fits in with your beliefs? about the male perspective to an extent when
I believe in equality. I feel there’s no reason I can’t
shooting. Most of my glamour work is for
do anything male photographers can. Female
clients so I need to produce the kind of images
photographers can produce images appealing to
that appeal to their readership. On the other
men, just as male photographers can produce
hand as a female I do try to produce images that
images appealing to women. Regarding the
have a sense of fun. I like my models to feel and
models, I feel its their right to choose whatever
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An Interview With... picks up which is not particularly noticeable to the eye - goosebumps, stretch marks, tiny hairs etc... As for body enhancing, in my experience there is little of it. The magazines I’ve worked with prefer the images to be real. The models have amazing figures in the first place and they workout. There’s hair/ make-up, good lighting and its all shot in a flattering way - so by the end there’s not much to do.
career they want and I’m happy to support their choice and am hopefully making it more relaxed and fun for them.
Many would see your job as contributing to the media portraying an unrealistic female body image, resulting in women forming an unhealthy relationship with their own bodies. What are Who do you consider a strong, your thoughts on this? female role model? I do see this as an issue but unfortunately it’s not something I have control over. If I didn’t retouch and they would just pay someone else to do it or employ another photographer to do the job in the first place - Its industry standard. I do think things can be made better by educating young people on Photoshop and circulating more un-retouched photos in general. I think in the magazines, ads etc... Photoshop is needed. There are plenty of things the camera
My mum, for many reasons. I’ve never had to think about whether I was feminist or not, it’s just ingrained in me from my upbringing. www.nadiaking,co.uk
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Call For Submissions! Would you like to be part of the next issue of Femmenista? Do you have any artwork or writing that you think would be empowering for readers? Then please email submissions to femmenista.zine@gmail.com
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