Why aren't boys called sluts?
"Why aren't boys called sluts" is a zine written by Margaret Rooks circa 1992, published by zine materials.
Summary of Zine
Using the word “slut” in a derogatory way or in the context of gossip is harmful to women and allows others the power to give them a bad reputation. Women should empower each other and stick together to stop the spread of degrading labels, and at the same time, women should take the time to consider how these labels can ostracize other women and why they don’t seem to be used with other genders. “Why Aren’t Boys Called Sluts?” highlights the ways in which people oftentimes denigrate and belittle each other, and why we should all take a moment before we say something to wonder at the possible harm our words may cause.
The zine is designed on a bright pink background, and utilizes a mixture of typewriter and handwritten styles. It is in a flyer format, and appears to have been meant to been folded lengthwise and widthwise, with the lower-left quadrant, (the corner reading "slut."), serving as its cover.
Author Bio
From general to feminist zines, Margaret Rooks, while a renowned self published writer, was also a collector and trader of these forms of writing, becoming an important figure within the Riot Grrrl movement. Having majored in Women’s Studies at Mount Holyoke College, Rooks’ knowledge on both feminist movements and theories was able to be directly applied to her zine collections. From her self-published and authored zine “Why Aren’t Boys Called Sluts?” to her various other pieces of work that spanned from 1990 to 2005, Rooks addressed the various challenges faced by women while simultaneously advocating for female empowerment.[1]
Background of the Riot Grrrl Movement
The Riot Grrrl movement was created because women did not feel represented in punk music, which evolved into a fight against sexist culture in general.[3] Young women started making zines because it was an accessible way for them to share their opinions and or redefine what it meant to be a girl. The zines were short and angrily discussed universal experiences for women, such as this zine, which fights the derogatory term “slut,” arguing that it is degrading for women because no one talks about men the same way. In an article from the Yale Review, Tobi Vail, a founding member of Bikini Kill and the Riot Grrrl movement, expressed concern that “in this environment it is too easy for our doctrines to turn into dogma… I encourage girls everywhere to set forth their own revolutionary agendas from their own place in the world, in relation to their own scenes or whatever, rather than to simply think about ours."[4] This statement from Vail is vital to the heart of the movement. As a founding member and famous singer, her words held weight to the generation of young girls looking for change. Without the support and inspiration for the movement, zines from lesser known people like Margaret Rooks may never have been made.
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “ArchivesSpace Public Interspace: Mount Holyoke and Hampshire College Archives.” ArchivesSpace Public Interface Mount Holyoke and Hampshire College Archives, https://aspace.fivecolleges.edu/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2025.
- ↑ Ferrier, Aimee. “Tobi Vail’s Favourite Albums of the 1990s.” Far out Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023, https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/tobi-vails-favourite-albums-of-the-1990s/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2025.
- ↑ Darms, Lisa. The Riot Grrrl Collection. New York, NY, Feminist, October, 2016.
- ↑ Greenwald Smith, Rachel. “Rachel Greenwald Smith: “in the Riot Grrrl Archive.”” The Yale Review, 19 July 2021, yalereview.org/article/in-the-riot-grrrl-archive.
