Most editors of campus publications don’t spend their Thursday nights rushing around the city’s nightclubs in search of a queer-identifying DJ-hopefully one that’s a visible minority-to fill a last-minute space in their ‘zine’s sex tips section. This is because most campus publications aren’t the f*word, U of T’s new feminist lifestyle ‘zine.
Dubbing a ‘zine the fword is a provocative move. But provocation is just the thing that editors Yumi Numata and Kiera Chion are going for. A title like the fword “gets in people’s faces,” says Chion. And it also has some obvious implications, notably a strong association with a certain four-letter epithet. Despite this immediate connection, it’s not the curse word Numata and Chion are concerned with. For them, “feminism” has become the new F-word, and the ‘zine is their attempt to reclaim it.
“No one wants to openly say, ‘I’m a feminist.’ It’s always, ‘I’m a humanist,’ or, ‘I believe in equality,'” says Numata. Chion agrees, acknowledging that the word “feminism” now has “so many negative connotations.”
The do-it-yourself duo met in their first year, when they were roommates. Chion shared her third-wave feminist views with her new roomie, and also sparked Numata’s interest in starting a ‘zine.
“We’ve been talking about it since first year,” admits Chion. “In our rez room we would just be bitching all night, like, ‘God, this sucks!’ We want to do our own thing; don’t want to write for anybody else.”
Now in third year, the pair have a successful first issue of the f*word under their belts, and are gearing up to put out their second issue this week-they’re relaunching the magazine with some noticeable layout changes and a full-colour cover, as well as a new tag line: “Be inspired to give a fuck.”
With the f*word, Numata and Chion are filling a gap in the campus media. Every college has its own paper, and there are campus-wide publications like The Varsity and the newspaper, but to the duo, they all seemed to be telling the same stories.
“What we wanted was missing, and it was a crucial missing voice at U of T, considering we’re the most diverse student population,” says Chion. Any existing women’s studies and feminist journals on campus are more on the academic side, and as a result aren’t necessarily accessible to the average student. Enter the f*word, a pop culture ‘zine firmly grounded in the ideals of third-wave feminism.
Numata hopes the ‘zine can “be a venue where [people] can be introduced to feminism.” Because, as Chion is quick to assert, “feminism is seen as being dead.”
With the f*word they hope to raise awareness about gender and equity issues for students outside of the women’s and equity studies departments-students who might be unaware that gender issues are still of concern.
Given the ‘zine’s strong feminist roots, a lot of people were surprised by the presence of a certain section in the December issue. The response to the ‘sexology’ section has been one of shock and disbelief, captured, as Chion puts it, by incredulous questions like, “Feminists who like sex? Feminists who are pro-sex?” December’s issue featured a story about punk porn website suicidegirls.com and sex tips from Chanelle Grant, manager of Toronto sex shop Good for Her, both articles accompanied by racy photos. But this section of the ‘zine is concerned with more than just the exciting sides of sex-HIV-testing and sexual health awareness are promoted, in conjunction with an open attitude to talking about the subject’s more technical details. Also, by introducing the tension that exists between third-wave feminism and its more mainstream second-wave counterpart regarding issues of sexuality, Numata and Chion hope to create a dialogue between these two different views. They’re not trying to imply that their brand of feminism is the only kind-they’re just putting their views out there and opening the discussion up to all opinionated parties.
Drawing on their connections in the equity studies’ and women’s studies’ student unions, Numata and Chion are building a diverse group of contributors-male or female, straight or queer, all are welcome to participate in the f*word.
The new issue features a cover story on Toronto grrrl trio The Cliks, who are known for their gender politics and garage-pop sound. There will be sex tips from a queer-identifying DJ, a guide to the hottest queer events in the city, and discussion of a song that parodies the recent tsunami. And, since it is a music issue, numerous interviews with lots of up-and-coming local talent will also be included.
In the past year, Numata and Chion have gone from desperately wanting to start a ‘zine to actually putting a first issue together-conducting the fundraising rounds, postering to attract contributors, making contacts for their stories-and becoming role models for the next wave of D.I.Y.-inspired frosh. This growth hasn’t gone unnoticed, and the pair recently had a brief stint as guest lecturers for a second year New College women’s studies class (Gender, Race, and Class in Contemporary Pop Culture).
Next year promises to be even bigger for the fword editors: they plan to put out three issues of the ‘zine and are hoping to become an official SAC club, so they can have an operating budget that will allow them to print more than 1,000 copies. Add to this the possibility of a raucous launch party in the fall (for which they’ve already received performance offers from local bands) and it looks like the fword will be on everyone’s lips on campus very soon.
