Holy Glitter Zine
Holy Glitter Zine Issue #6 HEROES August 2016 Created and edited by Fleur Stiels www.holyglitterzine.blogspot.com All original artwork and text belong to Fleur Stiels and the other contributors, mentioned below
A big thank you to the lovely contributors! Mayke Peeters - instagram @maykepeeters Denise Moonen - instagram @denise_moonen Grey... - instagram @rugratsinparis Rose Blaac - instagram @roseblaac & Facebook ROSE BLAAC Angel Sunlight - instagram @angelsunlight Mikaela Monday - instagram @ mikaelamonday Karen Davis - instagram @thrifty_wzrd CĂlia CC - instagram @ciliacc Jamie VeZolles - instagram @retro_chateau Allison Tovey - instagram @suzybish0p
Welcome glittery inhabitants of planet earth Heroes are very important to me. Society needs them, I need them. Role models these days are changing; chubby models in lingerie, succesful women in tech companies, feminist risk takers. All so talented and beautiful! Heroes could be very personal. For me, the most important people in my life are my heroes: my boyfriend, my family, my grandparents (look how beautiful they were!) and my best friends. They all have characteristics I admire and would love to have myself. Other than that, I would say my biggest ‘celebrity’ hero would be Tavi Gevinson. She inspired me to start Holy Glitter Zine when I needed it the most and showed me that even young women can have succesful businesses. Let all the heroes in this issue inspire you to be your own kind of hero!
xxx Fleur
Content playlist page 6 photo series Thriftshop Heroes page 8 interview with Rose Blaac page 22 photo series Hallway Heroes by Mikaela Monday page 26 essay Stella: Blond to Die by Angel Sunlight page 32 Leonardo DiCaprio Shrine page 34 Rose girls illustrations page 42 article Garage Hero by Betheny Hall page 44 photo series The End Of The Earth by Jamie VeZolles page 46 TV Teen Heroes guide page 52 short film Build Your Own Religion by Allison Tovey page 58 photo series by Karen Davis page 62 photo series Graveyard Heroes page 66 DIY celeb bracelet page 76 article Beth Ditto by Betheny Hall page 78 shrine photo series _Issim by CĂllia CC page 80 celeb collages by Grey... page 86 photo series Hero Parade page 90
Welcome to the magical world of
playlist by Fleur
photo series by Fleur | modelle
ed by Mayke Peeters and Fleur
Interview by Fleur | Photos by Tess Seymour Photography
Rose Blaac Rose Blaac is a twenty yearold English alternative electro pop artist based in northwest London. Originally from Norfolk, her sound is a combination of Lorde-esque electronic backbeats with a touch of sultry vocal styling’s reminiscent of Lana del Rey and Regina Spektor. Who were your childhood heroes growing up? Music has always been a big part of my life, I’ve played piano since I was 6, so my heroes have always been musicians. Regina Spektor was the first person who I got totally obsessed with, her presence is like no other person I’ve seen live. I remember telling a teacher of mine my biggest hero was Regina Spektor and he thought it was such an interesting choice when everyone else had picked hugely successful artists, she just has an energy I can’t explain. She sings and plays piano like me, she’s quirky and awkward, also like me, maybe that’s why I love her so much. Another hero would be Rihanna. Rihanna is so unapologetic with everything she does. She’s talented and passionate. She’s everything I love to see in an artist.
Did any of them give you inspiration for your musical career? Absolutely. The majority of people in music I love are women, and creative women always inspire me. There is something so strong in a women making art. There are so many others who give me inspiration, like Lorde, Banks, FKA twigs, Mo, women in music are doing so well right now.
In an earlier talk we had, you mentioned that you’ve been involved in the feminist movement for quite some time. What does feminism mean to you? Feminism to me is about opportunities and choice. Women, men and all people should have the same opportunities regardless of gender and be able to make their own choices about their bodies, careers and lifes. There is no one way to be a woman, women are not one dimensional characters. Everyone should feel free to make the life choices they want as long as they don’t inflict negatively with others. It’s important to remember your privileges and accept your feminism is allowed to grow and change. Your feminism will never be perfect and that’s cool.
a a a
Do
you have any feminist heroes who intrigue you?
Kurt Cobain is the first one who comes to mind. He was such an intriguing man. He stood up for what he believed in even if that detracted people from his art. His views were intersectional and so progressive for his time. Once I read that he told his fans if they hated homosexuals, people of colour or women they shouldn’t buy his music or come to his shows. He got arrested for spray painting the words ‘God is gay’ and he believed that the future of rock was women. He was a man in one of the biggest rock bands and he was unafraid to stand up for women despite what controversy he may cause.
Do you believe you could be a hero for other girls your age? I’m not sure if people set out to be someone’s hero. You should always be you and do you. Letting the idea of wanting to be a hero impact your decisions and choices could be dangerous. Being passionate about what you believe in is the most important thing. You can have as many heroes as you want, no one person is perfect, we’re all problematic in someways.
What would you like to say to girls who could need a hero? Girls are strong, brave and powerful. You don’t need someone to save you. Be the hero you wish you had.
Keep a look out for Rose Blaac on Soundcloud as she will be putting up music soon. In the meantime, make sure to follow her on Facebook (ROSE BLAAC) or Instagram (@roseblaac).
“Be the hero you wish you had”
Stella
Blond To Die
I was sitting in my bathtub having one of my nervous breakdowns when I realized something. Blonds are made, not born. And if we look through history, it’s true. Just Google any one of the infamous blonds of the world. Marilyn, Mansfield, Harlow, Bardot, Madonna or Anna Nicole Smith before she was famous and a brunette will pop up. My whole life I thought God had made a mistake. I always thought that I was meant to be a blond. Blond hair means glamour. It’s America. Blond hair is partying and romance, it is independence from the shackles of loneliness that plagues me. Brown hair is depression. It’s anxiety attacks and fake friends. Brown hair is selfhatred. It’s nothing anyone wants. I deeply loathed my sunkissed light brown hair. Sure, it was long and flowed, but it needed to be gold if anyone was going to notice the beauty in it. I was suffering as a brunette. I wanted to be a blond. Like Marilyn. The first time I saw her was when I was at a diner when I was a little girl. She was standing above the subway grating in that infamous picture, the air blasting up her white dress, blowing up the fabric to reveal her white knickers. But that’s not the part I noticed about it. It was her hair. Her blonde hair somehow made her closer to God. Nevermind her angelic face, it was her hair that brought her to the heavens. To me, she represented America and I represented the first generation born on its free land. But she wasn’t always blonde. She used to have curly brown hair. She used to be shy and withdrawn. She used to be sad. I’m sad. When I was eight years old my mum gave me one of her old CDS. The cover featured a young woman with eyebrows not unlike my own but she was rocking bleached blond hair. She was wearing a wedding dress made out of wire and a name plate belt that read “Boy Toy.” The blond woman is laying on an elegantly bed covered in baby blue satin. To me, there was no one above Madonna, especially during her Like a Virgin phase. Nobody above her, not even God himself. Madonna was a super star, something I so longed to be. And I think a lot of it had to do with her hair. When I was younger I used to pray to God every night to make me a star like them.To make me as beautiful and as loved as them. Not only did I crave their beauty but covet all the attention they’d received. I wanted the praise and the affection. So I decided that, I, too, would become a blond, bleaching away my Italian heritage, as madonna had nearly 3 decades before me had done. In turn I would become America’s sweetheart, the Miss Golden Dreams of the new century. I was becoming reborn. I’d raise out of the cold bath water as Venus. I’d be closer to the heavens with a golden halo. It is the hair of the angels. And I’m an angel..or, at least, I wanna be.
Written by Angel Sunlight | Photo by Fleur
Leon DiCa Shri
photo serie
nardo aprio ine
es by Fleur
Rose Girls by Fleur
GARAGE HERO Growing up, I was one of those pop lovers – Britney, Christina, NSync… You name it I loved it. To me, a pop hero was someone who would have the full package: great moves, great voice, very attractive and provide catchy pop songs that combined steamy music videos (cue Britney Spears ‘Slave for U’). However, as the years went on a wisdom overcame mainstream pop conveyer belts, I managed to find my own hero; it came in the form of Garage music. Roll back to the early 2000’s and you find yourselves emerged in a decade of self-discovery, alongside trashy pop songs and RNB urban delights such as Destiny’s Child and TLC. Yes, these artists and genres were what gave women the opportunity to grind down on a random crouch in a dark club, plus provide men with an opportunity to whine about big booty’s (snore) but Garage music stood beyond all of that. Gone were extremely high budget LA singers on MTV and instead came Nokia 3310 inspired beats and synths (Ring Ring Ring – an actual garage song you know?) that hid in back rooms of suburban pubs and lurked in the last 30 minutes of a dance set in the local night club. What Garage did most for the teenage youth was to provide them with music that was light hearted; fun. Lyrics of RNB status that banged on about how your man has done wrong by you or that you need to wear ‘tighter blue jeans…I just wanna get to know ya’. Seriously, it was a little boring. As I approached 14 years of age, Garage was in its prime. A good 15 years ago mind, it was a celebration of the underdog. Garage MC’s could come in all shapes or forms and put on a cheap night down at the local rec and pull as many faces in as your local nightclub. What Garage gave the youth of the early 2000’s was ‘real talk’. Zed Bias ‘ Feel Good’ basically talking about how everyone just needs to head on down to a party and ‘feel good, good good’. Love thy neighbour – grab them and go have some fun. Young communities gracing the MTV music videos showing various backgrounds and cultures coming together. MJ Cole, providing one of the sexiest songs of the decade ‘Crazy Love’, which embraced female sexuality and informed women that it was ok to sleep with people you barely know –it’s not love; its lust. The Streets that told us stories which we could all relate to. I t didn’t matter if you were brought up in Hampshire, Romford or London – you related to the lyrics of ‘Blinded By The Lights’ and So Solid Crew who were telling us about the ‘Haterz’ around and that we should not give a fuck what they say. It was really refreshing. Cue 13 years after attending U18 nightclubs and roll on the legal age of attending mainstream nightclubs and festivals. Disclosure, Jack Garatt…influenced by Garage. Dare tell someone who slams Garage that artists like these are influenced by it and you get a mouthful. Garage is seen as a joke by many and favoured by a minority. What Garage brought us was an escapism that didn’t have a gender attached to it and made nightclubbing a pure pleasure – about the music. So Garage, you may be rejected to the ‘bargain bin’ or the last 30 minutes of a shit DJ Set in a club, but when we hear you, we love you. Garage, I salute you.
Written by Betheny Hall
The end of The end of The end of photo series by
f the earth f the earth f the earth Jamie VeZolles
a 80s, 90s and 00s TV typography by
V hero guide by Fleur Denise Moonen
Sixteen Candles (1984) Being ignored by her family most of the time (even on her birthday!) this girl still stands strong and even knows how to win the heart of the boy she’s in love with. Plus: she sure knows how to stick up for herself.
10 things I hate about you (1999) Both being stubborn as hell, they sure do fit together. Although she still ‘hates’ him, he does has some features to like (not to mention his appearance...)
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) She is smart (Harvard here she comes!), witty, a very fast talker, keen coffee lover and she adores books. Knows how to get cute (slightly wild) boys as well and that’s definitely worth mentioning!
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Despite being a young teen, Margot is an extraordinary child. A playwriter at heart and always looking cool in her oversized fur coat. One who’s excellent at keeping secrets.
Say Anything... (1989) Not exactly mister Popular, but a true romanticist. Trying to win his crush’ heart with a lovesong, standing outside her home carrying a boombox. Now if that ain’t love!
The Virgin Suicides (1999) Ofcourse the fifth Lisbon sister is supposed to be in the picture, but everyone knows what happened to her... Despite the loss of their sister, the Lisbon sisters enjoy doing girly stuff, lay around gloomy all day and go to high school dances with hot blokes.
The Breakfast Club (1985) A pretty bizarre clique: a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. All so different, but all so alike as well. They make detention look cool.
Clueless (1995) Some consider her clueless, but Cher is just her plain self. Charismatic, dramatic, a tad naive and always there for her best friends. Oh, and don’t forget her great sense for fashion, her strong debating skills and her expertise in shopping!
photo series by Karen Davis modelled by Miranda & Maddie
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Instagram @niakova
Alan Rickman
Memorial at Platform 9 and 3/4, King’s Cross Station (London)
Instagram @jamievezolles
David
Memorial at t Walk of Fa
Bowie
the Hollywood ame (USA)
Pr
Memorial at Paisley P
Instagram @bougiedaddy
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Park, Minnesota (USA)
Instagram @bougiedaddy
All the innocent victim that died due t Memorial for the France victims
ms from all over the world to terrorist acts after the Nice attack (Berlin)
do it yourself do it yourself do it yourself
celeb bracelet celeb bracelet celeb bracelet by Fleur
What you’ll need: -Modpodge -plastic bracelet -magazines -scissors -sponge brush Step 1: cut out your favourite celebs. Make sure they are small enough to fit the bracelet Step 2: put Modpodge on the bracelet
Step 3: put the celebs layouts on the bracelet Step 4: add an extra layer of Modpodge Step 5: glue all the cutouts onto the bracelet and repeat the previous steps Let dry overnight and wear your celeb bracelet with proud!
Written by Betheny Hall | illustration by Fleur
As a rather chubby teenager, I was always fascinated with the slim, smooth silhouettes of the RNB singers, TV personalities and LA based celebrities that always graces the screens. I didn’t really understand why out of all my friends, I had to be the fat one; single one. Music was an escapism and with that came the beautiful, the mad and the ugly (according to media magazines). But, influenced by everything I read, I thought that I needed to be slim in order to be accepted and in order to meet a man in ‘da clurrrrb’ and have a 58 minute romance in the back of some Rolls Royce (thanks Chistina Milian). However, despite the growing popularity of the female form under the spotlight and the every growing female fan base of teenager hearts, I found a woman who changed everything for me: Beth Ditto. The moment when I heard the dolsic tones of her raw and beautifully pitched voice – it was love at first listen. Who the hell was this woman? Her empowering vocals sent shivers down my spine and encouraged me to deliver deeper into her music. Who was she? As the theme song for the TV show Skins, it was ‘Standing in The Way of Control’ that blew my mind. I imagined yet another size 8 gracing the stage with her perfect pins, smothered in baby oil but instead I found a rather large heavyweight, covered in tattoos, wearing an ill-sitting dress with hairy armpits. This, for me, was liberation! Where the fuck had she been hiding and where can I meet her? What Beth Ditto does, which I admire is that she doesn’t give a fuck. She rocks whatever she wants to wear and she sings about whatever she wants to sing about. Looking at her background, from a fairly religious family, where being gay was a big no-no, in a remote down in the not so liberal America, she was an outsider who was from a poor family and formed The Gossip in 2009 where she became famous for her outspoken ways and feminist views. Once, she was criticised because she didn’t shave her armpits and admitted she didn’t ever wear deodorant. Who cares? Well, when popstars or bands are meant to follow a particular mould, this was blasphemy! She made newspaper headlines because of this and the fact that she walked round bare foot on stage, while squeezing herself into a tight little dress. To me, she was perfect. She was everything that I pretty much wanted to be, but had to change because of society. Marrying her long term girlfriend last year, she is a modern icon for anyone who feels sheltered because of their sexuality, feminist views or size. She has launched her own clothing line and supports plus size bloggers with her fashion events and I love that. What we need are more Beth Ditto’s in the world. I think it would be a much more interesting place with a self-proclaimed punk who doesn’t shave rocking our screens on a daily basis.
_ISSIM
shrine photo series by CÃlia CC
I study in arts school. For an exhibition I contributed with a shrine. The place where the exhibition was located was an old shop. It had a cupboard on the wall and when I saw it, I immediately imagined a shrine in there. I asked if I could use this space.
I wanted to make a shrine in honour of the heroes from my teenhood. I placed figures of Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, cats... I filled the walls with pictures of Jesus, Virgin Mary and saints. As well as representing pictures of Lana del Rey A Clockwork Orange, Keith Haring, DalĂ...
In order to fill the space, I added plastic flowers
and
flower
crowns,
make
up
that
reminds me of feminity, stones, shells and mud figures (representing the earth). I also added candles, a magic wand, spreaded spikes (representing magic) and a pair of candles with the number 19: the last of the teen years and my own age.
collages by Grey...
HERO
Lana del Rey
photo serie
es by Fleur
PARADE
Clémence Poésy
Totally Spies
Florence Welch
David Bowie
Tavi Gevinson
You’ve reached the end of the Heroes World I wish to thank you warmly for reading the sixth issue of Holy Glitter Zine!
Copyright Š 2016 Holy Glitter Zine Fleur Stiels www.holyglitterzine.blogspot.com