GRRRLS ONLY: A Limited Edition Zine
POND Magazine and the fashion label, Dolores Haze, bonded immediately over the mutual desire to celebrate Women’s History Month by showcasing emerging female artists who excel in male dominated industries, or as we like to call them, “all boys clubs.” To make space for a “grrrls only” club, we photographed and interviewed inspiring female photographers, musicians, and artists. We captured each editorial on film to show our passion and nostalgia for analog photography.
We landed on the name, “GRRRLS ONLY,” as a homage to the ‘90s Riot Grrrl movement, when all-girl punk artists started creating zines to inspire a generation of females.
Read through for an excerpted version of GRRRLS ONLY. You can find the full print edition here as well as at local stores.
FASHION by
DOLORES HAZE
TEXT by
SAMANTHA GIORDANO
RACHEL CABITT
NATALIE LEONARD
ELISE HOGGARD
SPONSORED by THINX
Photo by Kelsey Reckling
In 1865, the Photographic Journal commented on British photographer Julia Margaret Cameron’s soft focus styled work:
“Mrs. Cameron exhibits her series of out-of-focus portraits of celebrities. We must give this lady credit for daring originality, but at the expense of all other photographic qualities. A true artist would employ all the resources at his disposal, in whatever branch of art he might practice.”
When defining a “true artist,” the journal uses male pronouns such as “his” and “he,” neglecting the thought that a woman could ever even be considered a “true artist.” In the 1980s, the Guerrilla Girls, an anonymous group of feminist female artists known for protesting the inequality in the art scene, asked,
“Do women have to be naked to get into U.S. museums?” And answered with, “less than 3% of the artists in the Metropolitan Museum are women, but 83% of the nudes are female.” The infamous statistic has barely budged since, proven in artist Micol Hebron’s collective project, Gallery Tally, citing Mary Boone Gallery, out of numerous others, with 84% of their art-ists being male and 16% female.
In 2012, the Celloid Ceiling Report stated that only 9% of directors and 4% of cinematographers wor- king on the top 250 films of 2012 were women. In 2014, The Fader asked, “why aren’t more women be- coming music producers?”, pointing out that “women represent less than 5% of music producers and engineers,” in the industry.
In 2016, POND magazine, and the fashion label, Dolores Haze, collaborate to create the zine, GRRRLS ONLY, paying tribute to the Riot Grrrl movement of the ‘90s, and celebrating 10 emerging female artist produced 100% by female artists. A “true artist,” as earlier defined by the Photographic Journal is not only male, but female, transgender and is gender fluid. It’s not about their gender identity, it’s about their art, and that’s the gap that needs to be closed.
LIV MARSICO
LOS ANGELES MUSICIAN
Photo by Kelsey Reckling
There aren’t many drummers who sing. What is it like juggling these roles?
The transition from drummer, to drummer and singer took some psychological rewiring. It freaked me out at first, but I knew it was necessary. It takes practice to split your brain in two and simultaneously do both. But now it’s pretty second nature. If I create a part that’s hard to sing to, I just practice it 100 times until my brain gets used to it.
Many female artists are tired of being asked what it's like to be a woman in the industry. Why is it important to talk about this?
I don’t think it’s important to keep this conversation going. Talk to me as an equal artist, not as a female artist.
It is important to Liv that she can create music and discuss her work, without having to discuss how it might differ due to her being female. With mentors such as Flying Lotus and Jeff Hamilton, Liv was destined to pursue a sound with originality and raw feeling, apparent in her band Liphemra, where she is the lead. Fearlessly transcending emotions, such as heartache, into evocative songs with lyrics like ‘did u cry’, she presents a bold and honest attitude towards music today.
Photo by Kelsey Reckling
CHLOE CHAIDEZ
LOS ANGELES MUSICIAN
Photo by Grace Pickering
Chloe Chaidez was 19 when Rolling Stone named her band KITTEN’s album one of the ‘Top 20 Pop Albums of 2014.’ Now she’s 21, about to begin a 20-date tour, following their latest EP, “Heaven or Somewhere in Between.”
Her advice: ‘Follow through! Finishing is the hardest part!’ She talks determination, DIY lifestyle, and her admiration for Annie Lennox.
Many female artists are tired of being asked what it's like to be a woman in the industry. Why do you think it's important to keep this conversation going?
Photo by Grace Pickering
I think it’s important to keep an open dialogue in culture about the different experiences that we all have, especially when it comes to some of the pitfalls and compromising situations that a young female artist can find herself in. Women need to remember their worth as artists and human beings, as opposed to being commodities or tools of the industry. If my experiences can o er some small amount of help or comfort to another struggling female artist, it’s an honor to share them.
Have you had any mentors along the way?
My manager and songwriting partner Chad Anderson has definitely been a mentor to me through- out my professional musical life. I was very young when I started the project, and naturally needed direction. As I’ve grown into adulthood we’ve become much more like peers, but he has taught me a lot. Hayley Williams from Paramore is also someone that has given me advice and guided me through some difficult situations and also encouraged me. Same with Shirley Manson. I have been very fortunate in finding good people who have chosen to share their experience and guidance with me as a young artist.
FRANCES ROSE
NEW YORK CITY SISTER POP-DUO
Photo by Rachel Cabitt
Sisters Michelle Rose and Sarah Frances Cagianese grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley, so it comes with no surprise that the fresh air upstate and childhood nostalgia are essential elements for inspiration. They call themselves ‘Frances Rose,’ an amalgamation of their middle names. They started out with the violin and cello, which soon turned into a need to create their own unique sound, blending influences including R&B, indie rock, grunge, and contemporary chart-pop.
Why do you think it's important to continue the conversation around women's experiences in the industry?
M: Honestly, because everyone has their own unique experience. Being a woman in the industry is subjective. Opportunities aren’t equal, aspects of the music industry sometimes feel like a boys club, and we’re working on the attitude adjustments.
There’s a movement of feminism within counter-culture in New York City that involves a heightened sexual aesthetic. Style and image can be ironic and twee, but when it comes to innovation and change, there are a lot of double standards in the industry and more needs to be brought to attention aside from armpit hair and the irony of feminists wearing stripper pumps.
S: The importance remains preserving gender equality. Women are not treated equally in the music industry. Female drummers are rare. Men dominate the studio world. There are not many females within the patriarchy of the record industry. There are only two female record executives out of 15 management positions at Warner Music Group, for example. We need to encourage females to be producers and engineers, and work on both sides of the industry. I love producing and engineering, and I’m constantly learning something new in Ableton or ProTools. The realm of technology is male dominated, but there is space for women.
VANESSA HOLLANDER
NEW YORK CITY PHOTOGRAPHER + FILMMAKER
Photo by Rachel Cabitt
The walls of Vanessa Hollander’s East Village studio is neatly collaged with ‘60s and ‘70s memorabilia: pastel vintage telephones, Kodak encyclopedias. She and her boyfriend, Wilson, of seven years are known as the photographic duo ‘wiissa,’ filmmakers and photographers who work in their own aesthetic.
Vanessa started with no prior experience, developing her analog style from her community of friends. Now, her and Wilson have a national client list.
Think Jane Birkin, Pamela Des Barres and Joan Jett. The vibe is nostalgic and playful, and leaves an audience yearning for more of her sun-drenched retro videos.
You recently started DJing with your two best friends, what role does music play in your creative process?
Music is my favorite thing in the whole world! I wish I could make make music, but I don’t play any instruments. I’ve danced my whole life, so music has always played a big role there, and now it’s the inspiration for almost all of my photos and films. It’s usually a musician, a lyric, or a song that will spark an idea for a photoshoot or video.
Why do you think it's important to continue the conversation around women's experiences in the industry?
Sometimes, I think we women believe we’ve progressed a lot further than we actually have, and I think it’s important to keep ourselves aware of the struggles many women still face in their industries. I am still always shocked when I hear statistics about how few women are in the film industry. Only 9% of directors and 4% of cinematographers are women working on the top 250 films of 2012, (Celloid Ceiling Report.) There’s the wage gap, especially for women of color. It’s important to keep having these conversations because awareness is the first step towards progress. That being said, I also don’t think it’s helpful to constantly point out and emphasize how a musician, director, or artist is a “female musician” or “female director”. They’re musicians and directors, just like their male counterparts. People say “girl bands” or “girl drummers”, but we wouldn’t call an all male rock band a “boy band” with a “male drummer”. It’s definitely not intentional for a lot of people, but when we always put “girl” or a “female” in front of their jobs titles, it makes it seem like it’s some rare occurrence and separate from the norm of other directors and musicians.
EKKAH
LONDON ELECTRIC POP-DUO
With matching names and the same infatuation with ‘Like A Prayer,’ Rebecca Wilson and Rebekah Pennington were destined foreach other. As the pop duo EKKAH, the two girls bring back 80’s feminine nostalgia with dance anthems accompanied best by a disco ball. These two just want to make people dance.
BEFORE IT WAS JUST YOU TWO, YOU WERE IN THE BAND, THE ARCADIAN KICKS. WHAT WAS THE TRANSITION LIKE?
It was a natural progression, as soon as we were old enough to start going to clubs and experiencing different types of music we wanted to make music that we could dance to together and that’s what made us start EKKAH.
There's definitely an '80s dance vibe to your music. Do you draw inspiration from anyone from that era?
Madonna, definitely. Musically and aesthetically she was so determined. Her appearance in Desperately Seeking Susan was pretty epic. We also both take inspiration from groups like Pointer Sisters for their synchronized moves. That adds something to a performance and just makes it so much more fun to watch!
Photo by Grace Pickering
BLU DETIGER
NEW YORK CITY DJ + BASSIST
Photo by Tess Mayer
It’s a rare thing to see a girl on the bass. It’s even more rare to see one simultaneously DJ. But with a name like Blu Detiger, she was bound to shake things up. “This gives me way more freedom when DJing because I can make up my own bass lines, which essentially generates live remixes in the middle of my sets,” she says. Her music is an extension of her self-expression.
What first led you to the bass?
When I was 7 years old, my older brother was taking drum lessons. I wanted to do something a little different and bass seemed a bit cooler than guitar. I think I was also subconsciously attracted to the groove-oriented elements of music.
Why do you think it's important to continue the conversation around women's experiences in the industry?
Because the industry is still dominated by men. It’s improving, but it’s important to be informed and aware of what’s really happening. Conversations like this really help. In the performance and songwriting part of the industry, there are a lot of women at the forefront, but in terms of producers and music executives, there really aren’t a lot of women. There’s no female equivalent to a Clive Davis, a Quincy Jones, a Max Martin, or a Pharrell Williams that I can think of. I would have to research to find some women in that area.
MIRANDA BARNES
NEW YORK CITY PHOTOGRAPHER
Miranda Barnes first picked up a camera, a disposable camera, to record her last year of high school. Now, after a stint as the Youth Representative and Documentary Photographer for the Women’s Caucus for the Arts at the United Nations, Barnes has evolved into a photojournalist in the truest sense. She’s consumed by a desire to create images that make the viewer think.
Barnes uses the camera to not just document, but empathize with the subject. Barnes was deeply impacted by the police brutality seen in Ferguson. Her travel diary style and Americana landscapes emanate a sense of nostalgia. Deeply impacted by the police brutality seen, social activism is now a driving force behind her work.
Photo by Jacqueline Harriet
Photo by Jacqueline Harriet
What is one thing you hope your viewers take away from your photographs?
My reasoning behind taking the photos. I could care less if certain people don’t actually like my work, but much of my work now plays with the ideas of race in America and I would hope people can see why it’s important.
Who is a female figure that has either come before you or is making waves today that you admire?
Carrie Mae Weems for sure; her series Kitchen Table was one of the first collection of photographs that resonated with me.
FABIOLA LARA
NEW YORK CITY ILLUSTRATOR
Photo by Rachel Cabitt
When Fabiola Lara’s family got their first computer, the illustrator learned to digest pop culture and turn that into digital art. Kim Kardashian is one of her many subjects, and Fab continues to break down the internet for all the right reasons. Web woman and self-proclaimed hot girl, her work spans from Tumblr commissioned GIFs of Troye Sivan to iPhone wallpapers of her favorite rapper, Drake.
Backed by her fellow “internet girls,” Fab lets her consciousness stream into her art without inhibition.
Your work is heavily influenced by pop culture, what is it about these subjects that attract you to them?
What draws me toward pop culture is how far removed I am from all the fame and fortune. I love obsessing over celebz because it’s so far-fetched and unrelatable. That allows me to enjoy it light-heartedly without over-thinking. It’s both easily consumable and mindlessly consuming all at the same time.
Any advice for other creative ladies out there?
Go out and try it before you decide to preemptively knix it. For the ladies, make sure you’re getting paid, not underpaid, for new and original work. And watch out for unwelcomed dudes who compliment your work only as a means to hit on you!
ELIZA CALLAHAN
NEW YORK CITY MUSICIAN
Upon meeting Eliza Callahan, of the retro surf-rock band, Jack & Eliza, at her downtown NYC apartment, we stood wide-eyed before a living room floor sprawl of guitars, amps, mics, and a book collection that would leave anyone crushing hard. She often turns to them for creative inspiration for artistic pursuits that extend beyond music, delving into the worlds of print making and text based art.
Picking up the guitar when a friend from pre-school needed one more person in their Suzuki method group, Callahan transformed into a precociously dis- ciplined four-year-old balancing M&M’s on her hands to perfect her form as she played the guitar.
Callahan wants to change the conversation about women in music. When asked her opinion on the conversation around the experience of female musicians, we were met with her referencing Carrie Brownstein about being a female musician is another job in itself.
Photo by Rachel Cabitt
Photo by Rachel Cabitt
What got you interested in playing the guitar initially?
My dad’s a music fanatic. Music from the ‘60s and‘70s was constantly playing in my house growing up. He doesn’t play music but has an amazing ear. That’s where my interest was sparked. Instead of reading me bedtime stories, he would hum Beatles songs and I would guess which one he was humming. We went as obscure as Beatles songs can get, “Hey Bulldog”, “Mr. Moonlight”, “Dr. Robert”, “Anna”, I loved it. That’s what made me really want to play. I started out playing Suzuki classical guitar at age four because my friend needed another member for a lesson group. When I was 8 or 9, I started learning jazz and playing good old rock ‘n’ roll.
How do you think growing up in New York and its immersive culture has affected your work?
I spent a lot of time with eccentric adults growing up, many of whom were involved in the arts, I was constantly going to shows, plays, readings, gigs— all of which continue to inform my work.
JACQUELINE HARRIET
NEW YORK CITY/ LOS ANGELES PHOTOGRAPHER
Photo by Miranda Barnes