Earlier this year, we released a new mandate and, with it, we sent out a call: we are Shameless, and we are putting together a team of people devoted to grassroots publishing, each with a commitment to anti-oppression and inclusive feminist politics; each with time, vision and a desire to work many (many) hours to bring this unapologetic alternative magazine to young women and trans youth. Three times a year.
Admittedly, it was a tall order. In all honesty we expected, at most, a handful of applicants; we anticipated having to extend the call or combine roles to cope with a poor response. Instead, we got tons of amazing, talented feminists with great politics, awe-inspiring experience and boundless energy, all wanting to work together to take what we as an organization have built over the last six years to a new level.
In a couple of weeks, our new Shameless will be hitting the stands, and I couldn’t be happier. From concept to completion, the issue is a reflection of the voices and politics of our new staff. In it, we explore the relationship between pop and politics, the history of body-shaping under-things and the unfair ways in which young women are targeted in public awareness campaigns about sexting. We reunite with our old friends from the Miss G_ Project, and make new friends with Linda Manzer andMaylee Todd. We introduce three new columns to the magazine: green scene (exploring environmental issues), she said/she said (a face-off between two teens taking opposite sides of a debate)and a comic by our dear friend and long-time contributor, Coco Riot.
This is the new Shameless. Welcome.
Yours shamelessly,
Sheila