SheThey
Copyright @ 2020 Sydnney Margova Islam SheThey Magazine Cover art: Mourning Youth by Elena Claire (Instagram @elclastar) All rights reserved
SheThey Art and Literary Magazine
Issue 2 - July 2020
Letter from the Editor Welcome to issue two! As you may have noticed, we have a new name. Don’t worry-- different name, same mission. I felt that ‘SheThey’ better captured the mission of the magazine as it utilizes the pronouns used by women and non-binary folks ー the artists and writers whose voices are being highlighted in this publication. My last letter to you all, I discussed the mission of SheThey in relation to the current climate of a global pandemic, oppressive police state, corrupt government and economy, rampant human rights violations ー I could go on. However, I never got the chance to really introduce myself. I am a queer bi-racial woman. I have battled an eating disorder, exercise addiction, and other mental health issues. These parts of my identity drive my passion for normalizing all bodies, minds, and hearts. For most of my life, I thought I was alone in how I felt about my body image, denied my anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder reverently, rejected my feelings about my sexuality, and battled to understand my racial identity. Once I finally got to a point where my eating disorder was threatening my life, I knew I had to open up. I talked to friends and family and realized that so many people around me go through very similar experiences. Sharing our stories and advice with one another built solidarity and validation that body dysmorphia, disordered eating, anxiety, depression, struggles with racial identity, sexuality, and the like are normal. We are humans and no human is perfect. I hope this magazine provides solace for others who feel alone. I hope this magazine is an outlet for others to share their feelings and feel validated. I hope this magazine is a resource for those who don’t experience these struggles to understand what it might be like and become more empathetic and accepting. I hope SheThey can be a safe community for you. Love,
Sydnney Margova Islam
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Contents Cover
Mourning Youth, Elena Claire (@elcaster)
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Architectural Alterity, Eilís Finnegan
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Be Free, Madeline Elli
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No More Patience, ENOUGH, Emame Thompson-Eja
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Koi, Sydnney Margova Islam
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BLM, m.k.s.
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Shade of Gold, Jenny Tam
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Ilhan Omar, Sarah Gimpl
9-10
Red Thread Connects All Love, Cherish Witherspoon
11-12
Battle of the Body and Mind, Eleanor Mihock
13-14
Mary Magdalene, Dakotah Whiting
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Sunset Tangerine, Allie Verbeke
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Racing Stripes and Racers Numbers, Molly Thompson
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Astrology Updates, Sun the Pieces
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Last Year’s Thunderstorms, Sydney Maday
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Ghost of You, Sydnney Margova Islam
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Wanted, Tess Mueske
21-22
My Heart Wasn’t Sure, Audrey Rauth
23
Note2 U, Nikki Ngamne
24
The Calm Before the Storm, m.k.s.
25
Inescapable, Maeve Gimpl
26
Ethereal Dream, Audrey Rauth
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Issue 2 - July 2020
Architectural Alterity: An Uncanny Manifesto of De-Familiarization, Displacement, and Dreams Digital Collaging/Rendering, Physical Modeling and Photography By EilĂs Finnegan
SheThey
Be Free
Photography By Madeline Elli
Issue 2 - July 2020
No more Patience, ENOUGH! By Emame Thompson-Eja
No matter how far up the socioeconomic ladder we climb, they will always just see us through their racist eyes. Black lives matter? Not to them. They uphold the very system that wants us dead. The facts are there for you to see. For example, the circulation of drugs through black communities. Killing black women in hospitals, criminalizing us and putting up obstacles, for a better education, for apartments with ventilation, for black businesses to thrive, MAN, I’m sick of being told to have patience. For generations, we’ve been asking to be part of the equation, to multiply black success in this nation! But they divide us down, and maintain their oppressive placement. SO, how the hell you going to keep telling me “be patient” ? NO MORE, it's here, Black unification, with all the other races supporting our liberation.
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We will rise up and take it, turn them pigs into bacon, Re-distribute the wealth, YES, we’ll all have the opportunity to make it. We’ll speak out and break it, the barrier, thats been here for 400 years of black struggle, there is no place for rebuttals. We’ll keep speaking up no fucks. We’ll keep showing up- as one, till we create a system that cares for the people who beared the pain of building this country from the ground up, no more patience, ENOUGH! Call the racists out and change school curriculum, they teach us Whites do it all. All good, no bad. They teach us Europeans created civilizations and stay representing Africans, Native Americans, and the Indigenous as the barbarians, but let me change this narrative, because this shit is absolutely imperative. They colonized our people, took them away, put them in chains, and stripped entire cultures away. They broke our families up, just to torture us. Diaspora still affects us, till this very age in time,
SheThey
so we have to change the game, change the story, change the way, our kids are taughtso this history does not get twisted up, revised, denied, and shadowed by their stories, their lies, their reign. SO, will you stand up and say, this year, this day, that we the people have the power to change each part of society that doesn’t benefit us in all ways? Because, enough is enough. No more patience, no more shame. We will remain empowered. We will stand with power. We will not get tired. We will take care of each other. They shan’t make us suffer to divide our numbers. We got the power of the people, and the power of our ancestors, may they rest in peace, for we will not cease, to resist, we’ll persist till we get justice, For all we’ve mourned and continue to mourn.
No doubt, we’re the storm, the resistance we’ve formed to burn it all down, and build it back up, a world that practices peace and equity. Cause you’ve got to know by now, that black is love, and the police are THUGS. So get this in their heads, This is the last generation they’ve fucked with. No more patience, no more same shit. The uprisings are here, and we will remain. Black excellence will shine through the foundation we’ve laid, for future generations, brothers and sisters to come, so they’ll never feel like being Black is not enough.
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Issue 2 - July 2020
Koi
Pen Drawing By Sydnney Margvoa Islam
SheThey
BLM Photography By m.k.s.
Issue 2 - July 2020
Shade of Gold By Jenny Tam
She is the eldest daughter of immigrants, her DNA formed by generations of resilience. Her soul mighty enough to shatter silence even when her voice shakes while singing. Songs her grandmother taught her, that she is never on this journey alone. So she opens her eyes wide, laugh her ass off, raise her chest high, cry tears as a sign of life her ancestors sacriďŹ ced to give her. Courage to reach for dreams that stretch beyond the vast horizon. Extended far enough to include her sisters, community, Universe. And when she looks out at the Universe she will see her legacy in the shade of Gold, ďŹ lled with vibrant confetti.
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Illhan Omar
Painting By Sarah Gimpl
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Red Thread Connects All Love Digital Collage By Cherish Witherspoon
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Issue 2 - July 2020
Battle of the Body and the Mind By Eleanor Mihock
You wake up. You get out of bed. You look in the mirror, thus starting your first battle of the day. You are not happy with what you see. You see imperfections, you see scars, you see cellulite, you see yourself. You look in your closet and find the darkest colored clothing you own in hopes that it will slim down your sides as well as slim down the hurtful thoughts running through your mind. You walk to your kitchen, thus causing the second battle of the day: food. What can you eat that won’t make you bloated all day? What can you eat that has the least amount of calories? You wish you could eat the donut your dad bought you at the store, but the guilt of doing so overrides the desire. You take an apple and chug a large glass of water instead. You are unsatisfied, but you remind yourself that eating the donut would have left your mind unsatisfied. You go to the bathroom. You are once again forced to look in the mirror and have your second critique of the day. What other flaws did you miss the first time around? Do you already look bigger? How many calories was in that apple? You look down and are faced with your biggest enemy but also the one thing you rely on the most: your weight scale. You step on and hope that not eating that donut paid off. You step lightly, thinking that doing so will cause the scale to be more kind to you in return. You are once again unsatisfied. You think of everything you had done since your last weigh in 24 hours earlier and think about what you should’ve done differently. Why didn’t you just run that extra mile at the gym? Why did you take the bus instead of walking home? Why did you indulge in that bowl of ice cream last night? Your relationship between your body and your mind is in constant war. You walk to school. You think about how good this is for you and all the calories you’re burning. You sit in class. Everywhere you look there are always eyes on you. They must be thinking you look fat in your outfit. God, your dark clothes didn’t work. What were you thinking? You barely eat any of your lunch. You keep your head down and count down the minutes until you’re back home with your scale again. It is now 3pm. School is out. You proudly walk home thinking about how good the results on the scale will be when you have done your second calorie burning activity for the day. You return home. You walk with intent to the bathroom and gracefully step on the scale as you did earlier. Your weight has gone up by a third of a pound. You go back to your room and lay in your bed thinking of what you should’ve done better. It is time for dinner. You only eat the vegetables and salad because you constantly remind yourself that “you are what you eat.” Immediately afterwards, you head to the gym. You run four miles non-stop. You really couldn’t make it to five? You go do abs. You do it for so long that you can barely breathe without it hurting your stomach by the time you’re done. You come home and get on the scale again. You are now down .8 than you were this morning. Good. You take a shower, stripping off your sweaty clothes and hoping the hot water will help shed off some extra calories. You put on your pajamas and get into bed. You lay there for a while. You think about everything you did throughout the day. You once again think of what you could’ve done differently. Hopefully tomorrow there won’t be a donut to taunt you. You’ll be more cautious of what you choose to wear to school. You’ll run five miles. You’ll work your abs until it hurts too much to continue. You’ll get on the scale again. You’ll be unsatisfied. You fall asleep. You wake up. Repeat. 11
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Eight Years Later You wake up. You get out of bed. You look in the mirror and can’t believe what you’re seeing. You see your imperfections, you see your scars, you see your cellulite, you see yourself, and you think you look damn good. You look in your closet and pick out the bright red top and the fun patterned pants you bought at the mall during the weekend. You can’t wait to show it off. You go downstairs to the kitchen to make yourself breakfast. You make pancakes with scrambled eggs and are basically licking the plate by the time you’re done. You’re already thinking about what you’ll make yourself for breakfast tomorrow. You go to the bathroom. You look in the mirror and see a happy girl staring back at you. Her outfit is colorful, her stomach is full, and her mind is at peace. She is beautiful. You look down and are reminded of your old enemy: your weight scale. You think about the other girl that used to stare back at you in the mirror seven years ago. If only she knew just how beautiful she was then. If only she knew that it was OK to indulge and eat a donut every now and again. If only she knew that there were other colors to compliment her figure other than black. If only she knew the positive things her classmates thought of her. If only. You then think about how far this girl in the mirror has come. She finally sees herself the way she always hoped. She finally feels the way she always hoped she’d feel about herself. She is happy. She is no longer a body disorder. She is no longer Body Dysmorphia. She is You. You are happy. You take the bus to class, because that is way too far of a damn walk from Como. You sit down next to all of your friends in class. You talk, you laugh, you participate. You actually really enjoy school. It is already 5pm by the time your school day is over. How did the day go by so fast? You go to the gym. You run four miles non-stop. You pat yourself on the back because that is no easy task, but you did it. You go do abs. You push yourself, but not too hard. It is dinner time. You decide to splurge and buy yourself some Chipotle. You ask for extra sour cream and guacamole. You take it home and eat it all. You take a shower, stripping off all the sweaty clothes, hoping the hot water will help loosen up your muscles from your long, successful workout. You put on your pajamas and get into bed. You lay there for a while. You think about everything you did throughout the day. You can’t wait to make yourself that bagel with strawberry cream cheese for breakfast tomorrow. You can’t wait to see what outfit you’ll pull together for classes tomorrow. You can’t wait to see and talk to your friends in class again tomorrow. You can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow. You no longer think about the scale. You are finally satisfied. You fall asleep. You wake up. Repeat.
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Issue 2 - July 2020
SheThey
Mary Magdalene
Photography Series By Dakotah Whiting
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Issue 2 - July 2020
Sunset Tangerine Digital Collage By Allie Verbeke
SheThey
Racing Stripes and Racers Numbers By Molly Thompson
I got a racing stripe today, Sitting on the porch and watching fireflies fly, Dancing between my eyes, making my bangs flutter. Absentmindedly flicking a bug off my thigh, I saw it there. Pinned on, bold font, prominently on display. Raised, slight braille underneath fingertips, Traced with intensity, a new formation In a dizzyingly unprecedented manner-Hands move from thigh to ground, Runners ready, Gun goes off, Legs surge forward, With greater, smaller, no stripes at all. Numbers just as varied in display But thighs keep pumping, Arms keep swinging, Numbers fly off, trampled under spikes. Muscles ripple under striped skin with unimpeded strength. A technicolor display, textured overlay, Lazy smile in the summer sun. A spider webbed racing stripe sitting inside my skin.
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Issue 2 - July 2020
Astrology Updates Peace, all my beautiful friends out in the Universe. I'm Sun the Pieces, a celebrity Astrologer, and I'm excited to talk to you about the energy in our stars right now. We are in Leo season (Wednesday, July 22 to Sunday August 23). Planetary worldwide change is upon us in terms of boldness and energy behind emotions. Leo, which is ruled by the sun, removes the shadows and shines light on the path that is designed for us. This season is about taking care of yourself so you can take care of others. This season is about speaking out against racism and speaking up for missing children in this world. Remember, if you are not a wheel or do not have Leo in your chart you will feel this energy come up, so embrace it. A true Leo is unapologetically vain, so there is no time for hatersーespecially not during this season. Some of us will be pulling in attention from others, specifically from partners, crushes, and exes. If you've been thinking about doing something to your hair this is the time to do it. You’ll gain the much needed confidence you need to express yourself and what it is you'd like to see change in this world. Of course pick the best hair dresser you can afford! With Leo season here, we are invited to not only express what is going on in our lives, but also why it's important to us. For those of us who are water signs like myself (Pisces, Scorpio, Cancer), Leo season is about communicating all of the emotions and feelings that we got to experience during Cancer season. For those of us with a little bit more fire in our chart (Leo, Sagittarius, Aries ), it is a wonderful time to slow down and utilize our passions and energy more deliberately to build your kingdomーunless for some reason you don’t want one. For earth signs (Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo), this is a wonderful time to use your groundedness to kick-start an idea or passion that will allow you to be independent and self-made. Leo season for air signs (Libra, Aquarius, Gemini) is a wonderful situation for you to use any and all forms of communication to finally be heard and understood. Should you want a personal reading for Leo Season or 2020 and beyond visit my website at www.sunthepisces.com or follow me on Instagram @sunthepisces for more astrology information!
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- Sun the Pieces
SheThey
Last Year’s Thunderstorms Video Collage Still By Sydney Maday
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Issue 2 - July 2020
Ghosts of You
Digital Collage By Sydnney Margova Islam
SheThey
Wanted
By Tess Mueke i want to write ads about her in the missed connections of craigslist.
 �� � � � or maybe a wanted ad, to describe the ways i think of her: �  � � � � �
Â?
 Â? Â? Â? Â? Â? Â? i think of grime so thick i can push my ďŹ ngernail into it. i miss the sweat of skin against my body, hands that pull on my clothes as i walk by. i miss feeling consumed. i love feeling wanted. and when i go home alone in an uber and stare out the window at the warehouse parking lot below, feeling desperately lonely, i write a wanted ad in my head:
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Issue 2 - July 2020
My heart wasn’t sure By Audrey Rauth
my heart wasn’t sure of who it was, where it was, what it was doing, who it was loving, and most of all... why it was being loved.
having someone in front of me admiring me, loving me scared me.
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SheThey
especially when I didn’t know who he was. but I wanted to know. so I stayed, oated there, unsure but content.
it was love. but it was different. is any love ever the same?
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Issue 2 - July 2020
Note2 U
Photograph & Excerpts from Novel By Nikki Ngamne
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The Calm Before The Storm By m.k.s.
Do all lovers feel like they are creating something new? Filling a canvas with their brush strokes Ours was lavender and blue Is it magic or a hoax? I’ll be Daisy and you, Gatsby Slow dancing in the living room I’ve never seen you so happy I open up like an orchid about to bloom Every kiss from your lips Feels like raindrops upon my skin A storm upon my hips A flood started from within I try to turn my words into honey Sweetness for your ears Yet all you hear is a voice full of money At best, bittersweet with tears Your kisses turned into a disease When the song came to an end Promises, potential, pennies, and pleas All you left were scars to mend
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Issue 2 - July 2020
Inescapable
Mixed Media By Maeve Gimpl
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Ethereal Dream
Digital Collage By Audrey Rauth
Issue 2 - July 2020
My mission is to open more dialogues about the experiences of women and gender non-conforming folks through impactful art and literature. With an intersectional feminist lens, I want to give this community a resource where they have a voice to share what it is like to live in their skin. My goal is to cover any and all subjects relevant to these folks, including but not limited to; sex, race, LGBTQ+ rights, body positivity, reproductive justice, ability, racism, colorism, sexual assault, Indigeneity, trans* rights, white supremacy, age, gender uidity, domestic violence, patriarchy, sexuality, menstruation, relationships, toxic masculinity, sex positivity, uplifting favorite artists, writers, musicians, activists, etc. I hope to share perspectives from women and non-binary folks of all races, abilities, ages, religions, nationalities, and sexualities. Any and all forms of art and literature are accepted.
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Thank you to everyone who supported this dream of mine and helped create a community around speaking our truths.
If you are interested in submitting work for the next issue, please contact me by email at syd.mislam13@gmail.com
Until next time.
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SheThey Magazine July 2020