Feminist Zines
Historical perspective is important in understanding how women arrived at zines as a medium to spread their ideas. It’s also vital to understand how second-wave feminism used zines and how this usage has shaped the zines of the Riot Grrrl culture and what has come to be known as “third-wave feminism.”
Twenty-four Fashion Magazine (1976) includes sections exposing many advertisements directed at women by adding their own alternate caption, often with overtly feminist tones. It also includes a section on headgear and cites cornrows as a fashionable way to style one’s hair but does not include any women of color in the article (although it does mention the inspiration came from a trip to Jamaica). They also make their own traditional caftans/kaftans with only a half sentence of recognition of the rich history of the garment.
By comparing Twenty-four to zines of the third-wave feminism and present-day zines, we can observe the evolution of feminism through these documents. The creators often cited issues that were important to them at the time, so by watching the subject matter grow and shift, we can also see the feminism movement changing. The creators reclaimed their sexuality by protesting the sexist ads of traditional fashion magazines. In another section, they exposed "the torture of women by adherence to arbitrary standards of beauty that has existed for a long time and exists today."
Second Wave Feminism
The second wave of feminism began in the 1960s alongsidewomen participating in World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, gay rights, and "Ban the Bomb" protests. It was mostly centered around social justice, whereas the first wave was centered around political equality (for white women).
Second wave feminists fought to reclaim their sexualities and equality in the workplace (with models like "Rosie the Riveter"). They fought against the stereotype of the "happy housewife" and the often sexist advertising directed at women. Some feminist groups dispersed homemade zines to share their ideas and amplify their voices. Twenty-Four is one example of the handmade journalism circulating during this time.
Twenty-four was discovered in the Lesbian Issues Collection at the Dolph Briscoe Center. The collection has a myriad of documents from 1975 to 1991 pertaining to women's rights, gay/lesbian issues, and other social justice movements.
"Waves" of Feminism
"Classifying feminists into generational waves is problematic in that in talking about third-wave feminisms as the current feminisms, the current activity of second-wave feminists is dismissed. ... A wave metaphor has, to an, extent, resulted in reified monolithic understandings of second and third-wave feminism, while in reality, the wave metaphor should lead to an understanding of the very fluid, oscillating nature of feminisms (20-21)."
In her master's thesis, Feminist Zines: Cutting and Pasting a New Wave, Tonya Davidson accurately describes the issues when talking about the different "waves" of feminism. She delves deeper into third-wave feminist zines and other issues in her thesis here.