Shamelessly inclusive feminism

When Melinda Mattos, co-founder of feminist magazine Shameless, was a teenager, she didn’t fit into any of the young female stereotypes that were so prevalent in the media.

The media tried to convince her that she was too smart, her breasts weren’t big enough, and that she needed a boyfriend to feel complete.

What does it mean to be a feminist today? While mainstream media is supposed to be bringing attention to issues we should be aware of, it’s small grassroots organizations like Shameless that help bring the real issues that are relevant to us to the foreground.

While other magazines like Chatelaine have long been described as setting the Canadian feminist agenda, Shameless is a one-of-a-kind publication, bringing its own unique, “inclusive” feminist perspective to it readers.

In essence, inclusive feminism looks at the issues and obstacles faced by young women and trans youth that lie at the intersection of different forms of oppression, based on race, class, ability, immigration status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

When Mattos got a bit older, she and Nicole Cohen, who is currently a PhD candidate in York’s communication and culture program, created Shameless, which has been making waves in the media since 2004.

Sheila Sampath, Editorial Director of Shameless, says that growing up, she felt teen magazines were very alienating.

“Flipping through the magazines as a teen, I never felt I was represented in the publications and I think Shameless offers a lot of people visibility and is able to represent them,” says Sampath.

With a background in anti-oppression activism, a passion for creative ideas, a diploma in graphic design, as well as a degree in sociology and psychology from the University of Toronto, Sampath brings a lot to the table when running the magazine, as do the other members of the editorial team.

Because the magazine is a grassroots publication, most of the staff and editors work on the magazine outside of their regular jobs to meet deadlines, and to run events and workshops for the organization.

Sampath finds that all the effort is completely worth it because it brings back feminism.

She criticizes Chatelaine, which was long held as the premiere feminist magazine in Canada, for not addressing important women’s issues.

“I wouldn’t consider Chatelaine a feminist magazine,” she says.

“They are owned by Rogers and are funded by commercial advertising,” adds Sampath. “So, on one hand they might be able to bring or break something critical, but on the other hand they have to be careful what they published because they are liable to their advertisers.”

Being independent and low-budget means having to get creative in their publishing methods, and remaining community-based. Running a magazine with such a strong message means that you are going to be wary of where and how funds are obtained.

“We could have sold ad space to Dove and that would have paid for our salaries and for whatever else that we needed,” says Sampath. “But when we need to write critical articles like the Unilever one, it wouldn’t work.”

The magazine covered a campaign by Unilever in 2007, which owns Dove and the hair product brand Suave. The campaign for Suave urged women to not let themselves go as they got older, and of course, to use their products to keep themselves looking young. This sharply contrasts Dove’s campaign which showed the dramatic transformation of a model from how she looks in real life to what we see in advertisements.

The magazine has also taken a strong stance on sex workers’ rights, which is a divisive issue in women’s groups.

“Feminism is split on the issue of sex worker rights, as an organization and staff we believe it’s important that sex worker rights are recognized and addressed,” says Sampath. “When people talk about sex workers they don’t seem interested in talking with sex workers themselves.”

The most recent issue of Shameless tackles this issue with an article written by a former youth sex worker. The article looks at the labour issues and worker’s rights issues associated with sex work.

Sampath stresses the importance of listening to the people who are directly involved in sex work when dealing with the issue. “It is important to see what their needs are, rather than people who are just morally opposed to it,” she says.

Shameless is organizing a panel with the writer as a response to the foreseen backlash that comes with dealing with such a controversial topic.

Since its first issue, the feminist magazine has consistently exceeded expectations of a small, volunteer-run publication. In 2004, they were recognized as Best New Magazine by Toronto alternative weekly magazine NOW, and in 2005, the magazine won an Utne Independent Press Award for Best Personal Life Writing.

Sampath recognizes the limitations of being a small magazine. “But the fact that we are still around publishing for almost eight years makes me think that we’re making a difference,” she says.