Lava Zine

Founder, Editor-In-Chief, & Creative Director — Julia Morgan / Contributors – Aleah Ann Nugent, Amber Lauder, Genre Z, Kate Murphy, Katie Chai, Lauren Gerrish, Laurence Guenoun, Mattie Drucker, Nancy Duer, Rikki Horvatic, Naydeline Mejia, Noelle Dillman, Sorina Condon, and Tabitha Carver

Lava’s debut issue uses the mirror as a lens to dissect beauty in contemporary culture. Although the mirror is a tool we use to decorate our faces and bodies, it also flattens us into two dimensions. Thanks to phones and computers, we look at ourselves more than ever, constantly self-optimizing. In the process, we trade our multi-dimensionality for a flat image. Discover a range of art, writing, and personal stories from over 45 contributors, all beautifully exploring beauty rituals, self-perception, and distortions in our hyper-visual culture.

Why Lava? Why Now?

The beauty industry is a $450 billion empire that preys on women’s insecurities. Countless images of beauty and the female body are shared online, shaping how women perceive their own value and self-worth. Today, 45% of girls believe there’s “no excuse not to be beautiful,” with filters and procedures readily available. The body has become a project, one that two in five women would trade years of life to improve.

Lava is a feminist beauty zine that is both a reaction to and a result of toxic beauty culture. The pressures of beauty culture still shape how many women experience their bodies, self-worth, and autonomy. When beauty standards continue to fuel insecurity, exclusion, and control, it indicates that the work of feminism is far from done. This is precisely the work that Lava hopes to do, making it a highly relevant and timely project. Falling under the category of media activism, my zine examines how feminist media can challenge Western and Eurocentric beauty narratives. Through both format and content, the zine will center non-normative ideas of beauty and build a physical community for women in the post-internet era.

The Mirror Issue

The first issue, ‘The Mirror,’ asks: What happens when we look at ourselves, and what happens when we look away? These questions guide an exploration of how women see themselves, and how turning away from the mirror might open pathways toward empowerment. Ultimately, Lava is an investigation into whether it is possible to simultaneously critique the patriarchal systems that make beauty so toxic while also relishing in the creativity and communion that it offers.