April 28, 2015
Dear Reader,
I have been forced to confront the problem of feminine shame for most of my life. A particular struggle when dealing with shame is the controversy over whether it even constitutes a problem. Growing up in the American South, I considered the feeling of shame to be an indicator of inappropriate behavior. If I was ashamed of something, that meant it was wrong. In this way, shame functioned similarly to pain: a natural response from the body to alert that what was happening should stop.
This mentality taught me to submit to shame. I was at its mercy. I felt the need to hide my body, my desires, my rage, my sadness, my apathy, my effort, my intentions, and ultimately many of the traits that made me human. After years of feeling that I didn't deserve to occupy the space I inhabited, it occurred to me that these feelings of inadequacy might not be a necessary evil. They largely stemmed from my habit of trusting that shame is good and correct--an attitude I must challenge.
I want to acknowledge that there are many kinds of shame, and it can affect anyone in any number of ways. This issue of Please Hold Magazine is my attempt to shed some light on the struggles surrounding shame specifically related to femininity. I am proud to publish the work of 17 artists exploring the subject via writing, illustration, video work, and photography. I encourage you to click through the pages and consider what the work has to say about the role of shame in femininity. You will see that a lot of the work in this issue deals with female sexuality, and I encourage you to recognize your gut reaction to the work and question why you react the way you do.
Thank you for viewing our Spring 2015 issue, Feminine Shame. I hope you enjoy!
Kristie Wickwire
Editor-in-Chief
I have been forced to confront the problem of feminine shame for most of my life. A particular struggle when dealing with shame is the controversy over whether it even constitutes a problem. Growing up in the American South, I considered the feeling of shame to be an indicator of inappropriate behavior. If I was ashamed of something, that meant it was wrong. In this way, shame functioned similarly to pain: a natural response from the body to alert that what was happening should stop.
This mentality taught me to submit to shame. I was at its mercy. I felt the need to hide my body, my desires, my rage, my sadness, my apathy, my effort, my intentions, and ultimately many of the traits that made me human. After years of feeling that I didn't deserve to occupy the space I inhabited, it occurred to me that these feelings of inadequacy might not be a necessary evil. They largely stemmed from my habit of trusting that shame is good and correct--an attitude I must challenge.
I want to acknowledge that there are many kinds of shame, and it can affect anyone in any number of ways. This issue of Please Hold Magazine is my attempt to shed some light on the struggles surrounding shame specifically related to femininity. I am proud to publish the work of 17 artists exploring the subject via writing, illustration, video work, and photography. I encourage you to click through the pages and consider what the work has to say about the role of shame in femininity. You will see that a lot of the work in this issue deals with female sexuality, and I encourage you to recognize your gut reaction to the work and question why you react the way you do.
Thank you for viewing our Spring 2015 issue, Feminine Shame. I hope you enjoy!
Kristie Wickwire
Editor-in-Chief