Paintings. Poems. Photography. All very different forms of self expression, yet all able to capture the same multitude of emotions that we feel.
Off Brand, the high school’s feminist magazine, started in 2015 and meets every other X block. Combining writing and art, the magazine strives to raise awareness about feminist topics while engaging the broader school community by providing an outlet for expression.
Themes vary, but they often focus on intersectionality and erasing common stereotypes about feminism. Junior Eliza Kamholz has been involved in Off Brand for almost two years and said the magazine is able to promote those ideas by offering a wide platform for students’ work.
“Visibility is honestly a big part of it, because it’s so hard to broadcast messages, especially in high school,” Kamholz said. “A lot of people are pretty apathetic to a lot of things. It’s nice to have an outlet for your anger or sadness or just any emotion you’re feeling, getting it out there and actually impacting the school.”
Senior and editor Elle Setiya said the platform of art is valuable, as it allows students to express themselves freely.
“I’ve seen people capture things in visual art that they often are uncomfortable talking about if they just have a conversation, like instances of gender-based violence, harassment [and] discrimination. A lot of those things are really difficult to talk about and confront, and art can offer a platform to address them in a way that feels authentic and real,” Setiya said.
Because the magazine accepts almost any kind of contribution, Setiya said there is a strong connection between readers and writers.
“We are influenced by each other’s work,” Setiya said. “We read each other’s pieces, and we’re like, ‘Oh, that seems like something that I would love to write about or that I really liked.’ So we’re all kind of just learning from each other all the time, and that’s something that I really like.”
According to Kamholz, recognizing feminism is crucial, and education is the first step in doing so.
“If you expose people to things they’re not familiar with, the majority of the time they get more comfortable, not more hostile. It’s just a really big important thing in human culture as a whole I would say,” Kamholz said.
Kamholz also said it can be difficult for the magazine to find artists and writers who are willing to showcase their work, as pieces can often be personal. According to freshman Anika Ryan, a goal for Off Brand’s future is to increase readership and submissions.
“I would want [the magazine] to be more of a well-known thing because I think it really is impactful,” Ryan said. “I’ve seen some of the older issues and they’re really beautiful and there’s so many stories in them, and I wish that a lot more people were able to view it and have it in their hands and be able to flip through it.”
While feminism strives to get rid of stereotypes and promote equality, magazines like Off Brand have a bigger goal in mind: showcasing who women truly are. Setiya said that is an imperative aspect that the magazine strives for.
“Women of color, immigrant women, transgender women: These are all groups that deserve to be platformed and to have the space to express how this makes them feel, and to have a space outside of that for people to view them as full people,” Setiya said. “We’re not just people who are being discriminated against or are treated poorly. That is one part of our experience, but we also are our own selves.”
