Krystal McCook ’20 and Medina Purefoy-Craig ’20, communications officer and junior editor, respectively, of Misstique, a magazine that allows women to share their views on feminism.
Zachery believes we all describe ourselves as horses, hence his logo.
The shocking statistic that every woman makes 80 cents to a man’s dollar in the United States shows the stark inequality that still exists. In regards to women’s voice through publications, Abi Drummond ’18 felt that gender inequality existed for females at Choate. And instead of accepting the problem, Drummond decided to start Misstique, a feminist magazine.
At Choate, Drummond saw a negative connotation towards feminism, and a lack of female voices expressed on campus.
“I wouldn’t go as far to say that I felt women were being censored, but there were things that the culture of the school that prevented people from saying. It was hard to have discussions I wanted to,” said Drummond. “Misstique is all about being the medium for women to say what they would otherwise not be able to talk about through art, photo series, interviews, essays, short stories, and poems.”
Feminism is an extremely crucial issue, and many patriarchal constructs still exist throughout Choate. Misstique is not a solution for that, but rather an outlet for improving gender equality at Choate.
“Feminism affects Choate in every way. More and more, I begin to see girls identify as feminists, therefore there is increasing pushback against the harmful effects of the patriarchy on campus, such as the toxic hookup culture that exists and more voice for women in STEM,” said Drummond.
Misstique has kicked off to a great start, according to Drummond. “It is always exciting to be able to print and distribute”, Drummond said, although more school participation is still needed through submission to Misstique.
The name Misstique comes from “a play on the word mystique from Betty Friedan’s, The Feminine Mystique, and the name is not affiliated with other feminist magazines. Although the name is independent from past popular and influential magazines like Ms., magazines have made a great impact on gender equality and Misstique is following in their footsteps.
Be sure to lookout for the publication of Misstique each term. Drummon and her team of writers are looking for ways to expand the publication, sure to submit to the publication.
