ISSUE FIVE DEETS …

• printed, 6 x 8.25

• 40+ pages of photography, writing, artwork!

• dedicated to the stories of BIPOC women <3

• released on may 6th 2023

GIRLS

while I desperately wish I could say this issue was strictly born out of love, I can’t because that wouldn’t be true. anger. anger played a pivotal role in bringing this issue to life. anger over the societal expectations that we place on girls from the time they come out of the womb to when the doctor exclaims, “it’s a girl!” anger over the ugly names society calls women consistently. anger over the violence women face every day silently because it’s become so normalized. and while my love for women played a huge role in exploring this theme, anger played an even bigger one.

i’m tired of being told what we should look like, what we should dress like, what we should or shouldn’t say. why can’t girls just “be?” why are girls constantly scrutinized, put under a microscope, examined, and picked apart like scientific experiments? why is society continually trying to tear girls down, as if to put them in their place? why?

truthfully, I know I will never get answers to these questions because there will never be an answer good enough to justify these behaviors. so instead of searching for answers, I went searching for responses.

to the contributors to this issue, thank you for being vulnerable enough to let us into your minds and hearts because I know it isn’t easy. we see you. we hear you. we love you. to the readers of this issue, I hope these stories and emotions light a fire inside you, the same that burns inside me. I hope it inspires you to think twice about what society has taught us about gender norms and why it’s a bunch of BS. 

and last but not least, to society’s unjust treatment of girls - especially those of color - this issue is my little personal middle finger to you. enjoy.

love,

keiarra mclean