Lady Sings the Blues
Marissa Arterberry is a young designer we've been keeping an eye on for a while; a fav, as she seems to be making a whole career out of busting stereotypes particularly in the realm of gender and gender representation. Her new zine Girlblue is a slim, 12-page teaser for her upcoming book devoted to the out-of-the-ordinary black female experience. After a few false starts with the printer, we're told the zine has finally shipped.
Through photos and essays, the Girlblue book will profile all manner of black women who don't quite fit in--from Tamara in Owings Mills, Maryland (more widely known as the 'net celebrity "Bitchface"), whose personal style is an idiosyncratic transmutation of Japanese street culture to Zombie Baby Doll, a Lawrence, Kansas artist who specializes in imagery of hypodermic needles made all cute 'n' cuddly.
The Girlblue zine and follow-up book explore these women's stories, how they grew up, and where they are now.
12 February 2007