Mädchen Magazine 1

vol 1

magazine

art words feminism

Contents what does being a woman mean? is this it? by S artist feature: Cassandra Elley a man on feminism by Rhain Lisk

what does being a

woman mean?

We asked women of different ages and cultures what being a woman means to them. Here are their answers...

Enjoying female desires and emotions Enjoying my sexuality.

doing the same things as a man, but adding a touch of flair with some killer heels.

To take care of your problems alone.

Overcoming obstacles to succeed

Being someone for someone else. mom, daughter, friend, someone who listens/ cares

Adapting through life’s rollercoaster, occassionally under the spell of hormonal mischief.

Beauty and power of the feminine.

Balancing impossibilites.

Knowing that it’s okay to not do it all.

Being a woman means

Stepping away from hypermasculine productivity and independence, and finding the value in our ability to feel and sense.

25,000 year old artifact. one of the earliest artistic depictions of a woman

Becoming someone for yourself

Having more of a voice than when I was a girl

Hoes before bros

Hard work.

Creativity in helping to The expectation to have it create another generation all - a career, financial stability, as well as being To become a victim of the caring and nurturing man’s world Pretending you’re okay Enjoyment in nurturing when you’re not Being a mother and Grandmother

To make your own future by yourself

I’m old school and traditional. For me it means looking up to your partner as the man of the house Hating men To be at a biological disadvantage in the world

artwork by Cassandra Elley

is this it?

Kia ora koutou. My name is S, and I, like many other New Zealanders, have succumbed to our nation’s binge-drinking culture.

In my experience, going out in Aotearoa means knowing what awaits you in town is a horde of creepy, thirsty men, half-filled club rooms, and enough 2000s & 90s throwbacks for an 18-hour MTV music video marathon. To brace yourself for this uniquely tragic experience, one must consume enough alcohol to ensure you have enough fun spinning out to ignore the tedious throwbacks and half-filled spaces.

In the beginning, as a fresh-faced, optimistic 18-year-old, it was brilliant fun. A night out on the local scene felt like anything could happen. But too quickly, the novelty faded. Our nation is a small one, with an even smaller scene for the hedonistic pleasures of our youth. It seems our cultures’ greatest pleasures lay at the bottom of a box, pushing ourselves to the physical limit like alcoholic athletes. And if I had to guess why, it’s because there is simply not enough going on around us to stimulate ourselves in other ways. There are only so many conversations one can have seated on a couch with blaring drum and bass in a cold, dingy flat before familiarity turns to contempt. My modest four drinks a night gradually evolved into regularly finishing a box, or more. I drank more to ignore the gnawing question - is this it?

Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with a fun night drinking with your friends and blasting some DnB. But, upon reflection, I’ve realised that our experiences of nightlife in Aotearoa are shaped by the limitations of our small cities, rather than the opportunities they should bring. Is it the lack of big bustling nightlife centres swarming with crowds and bright city lights? Is it the absence of a near tangible cultural heartbeat within the nightlife of so many other cities? Or is it the rarity of feeling like you’re thrumming to go out, excited at the thought of not knowing who you might meet, what place you might frequent, the music you might hear? From observation, there is simply not enough opportunity or infrastructure within our little cities to support young people having real fun, instead of drinking ourselves into oblivion. It’s not merely the issue of binge drinking, but also the lack of stimulating alternatives in our social and cultural landscape.

It’s not a simple issue, and I can only speak from my personal experiences as a young woman. But I think it’s safe to say that pre-pandemic our nightlife and cultural scenes were busier and better funded, fuelled by Kiwis with more expendable income. For us to move forward, we need to encourage, support, and create spaces and opportunities that allow people to have genuine fun and meaningful experiences that are a celebration of our unique culture. A more diverse and regularly engaging nightlife would provide the excitement so many of us crave, without relying on the bottom of a bottle (or a flight ticket to London…) xo, S

artist feature cassandra elley

Email: cassandraelley@gmail.com 0220824430 Instagram: @ purgingpukingpainting

A Man on

Feminism I

am a feminist, and this piece is not to question feminist thought or its goals but to offer the perspective of a man. I went to an all-boys school, and the ideas of manhood I was exposed to was linked to one’s status as a tough guy, not showing emotion, and the ‘possession’ and ‘conquest’ of women. In my view, this clashed with how I’d grown up with my father being the primary caregiver and doing most of the cooking and housework, a helpful introduction to alternative perspectives on manhood. But I cannot pretend I was above all of this.

Patriarchy is so entrenched, and no young man can say they’ve never said anything misogynistic.

It is incredibly hard to push back against a narrative that while clearly objectionable, gave many young men an idea of who they were in their formative years. The rise of people like Andrew Tate in our classrooms is evidence of this, as teachers, parents, and guardians are struggling to deal with this new movement that seeks to undermine feminism.

“HOW

A E B O T

” N A M EAL

R

“HOW TO ATTRACT BEAUTIFUL WOMEN” “MOTIVATIO NAL SPEECH YOU NEED TO WA TCH” My formal introduction to feminism was through Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale which I read in year 10, a foundational piece and a great introduction to the movement. It gave me the aggressive slap in the face I needed to wake up to the reality of the world.

Through more education and understanding I’ve come to understand that feminism has been an incredibly effective tool for dismantling the ideas of patriarchy and toxic masculinity. While the conversation led by feminism about what manhood isn’t is an important one as it deconstructs the values attached to manhood which reinforce the patriarchy, it often fails to define what manhood could be. This gap in feminist thought leaves people like Andrew Tate, or even on a personal level, one’s peers to define what manhood is.

I myself do not have the answer to what manhood could be. Gender is a complex web of social constructs that is hard to define and is constantly developing and changing. Trying to separate what is patriarchy and what can be healthy expressions of one’s gender is a difficult task given how long masculinity has been tied to the patriarchy. While masculinity is not the focus of feminism, in my view the splitting of masculinity from patriarchy is an essential step to ensure ideals of feminism can be realised and maintained in years to

come.

This unknown reflects a key part of my experience with feminism. I still do not entirely understand or know my place in the movement or what it is to be a man.

This combined with the struggle between understanding that people like myself should not be leading the movement, and the desire and anger to act in support leaves many male feminists in an almost paradoxical limbo.

However, this paradox does not prevent me from labelling myself as a feminist. The concept of firmly knowing your place in the world comes from a place of privilege, and to me my uncertainty indicates that I’m changing my thinking and perspective for the better.

I do not know entirely where I sit within or how I best interact with the movement, but what I do know is that the current system is shitty and hurts everyone.

As with many of man’s accomplishments, much of the reason why I am a feminist and why I am writing this is due to important women in my life. Friends, family, academics, activists, and many others have steered me towards this path. They are the leaders of a movement that not only seeks the liberation of women but the liberation of all irrespective of gender.

While I have my fears, concerns, and confusion, I am happy to stand alongside this generation of leaders and campaign for a better world.

By Rhain Lisk