Filament - first impressions

[missroserose]

My copy of issue 1 of Filament arrived today, and I'm really quite impressed. It definitely feels a tad rough format-wise (hardly unexpected given that it's a brand new magazine), but it's got a lot of promise - I like the quirky writing style, and I really like the variety. The writing is surprisingly diverse; in this issue alone, there's an interview with Shazia Mirza (a female Muslim comedian), a how-to guide on finding and learning a musical instrument you love, and an article on the rather variegated realities of women's pubic-styling habits (as opposed to the uniform shaved-bare look seen in porn and often thought to be the norm as a result). The variety also extends to the photography; pictured are people of all body shapes and ethnicities, from the relatively mainstream to those with all kinds of interesting tattoos and piercings. It reminds me a little bit of living in Barrow - you don't even realize how accustomed you get to seeing nothing but Caucasian faces until suddenly they're in the minority.

The quality of the writing varies some as well. It might just be inherent to the limited space in a print magazine, but several of the articles appear to be based off a single source, or in some cases purely off of anecdotal evidence. The interviews, on the other hand, are a strong point - the authors come up with intelligent and often hilarious questions, and the subjects tend to respond in a similar vein. I also feel I should mention the sheer amount of content - I think I've seen two ads in all 74+ pages, and while I'm sure there'll be a few more once they've established themselves, they're still going to be extremely far ahead of the usual women's-magazine fare.

As for the pictorals, I enjoy both their choice of models and artistic style. I'm a tad disappointed that they don't appear to have any plans to feature girls as well, but given how thoroughly the market's saturated in that direction (even the alt/indie girl segment is pretty well covered by Suicide Girls), I can't blame them for wanting to differentiate themselves.

According to their website, they're soliciting contributions for future issues. Maybe I'll look into writing something for them. (I asked Brian if he'd like to model, as he definitely fits the aesthetic they're looking for, but he was too self-conscious about his belly. The dangers of having a husband who's a good cook, I suppose. :)

Incidentally, they were giving away packs of 20 postcards to Facebook followers as a promotion, and of course I signed up for one. So if anyone would like a postcard with an adorable boy and the logo for an interesting new magazine on it, let me know and I'll send it to you, possibly with something weird/random/snarky/sincere scribbled on it as well.

Comments

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

When you say that they have all body types, I'm curious if they have any fat people in it. I have to admit that while I'm generally pre-disposed toward the larger folk in my viewing tastes, that is especially strong for me when it comes to men. (Also, I suppose if they were willing to take pictorials of fat, furry men, I could submit something.) Their sample images on the site were all of very thin men.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

The pictorals are focused on skinnier boys, sadly, but they do have a refreshing range of body types when it comes to people they interview (including some very cute and curvy girls). I don't know if they plan to feature any larger men in the future; I'm guessing that'll depend at least in part on whether there's any demand for it.