Monday, April 5, 2010

March 25, 2010: Colour your gender yourself: An interview with Jacinta Bunnell





Gender gender gender gender gender .... what do you look like? What colour are you? Jacinta Bunnell makes good colouring books for those of us who love crayons and colouring but don't like Disney, or Warner Brothers, or Hot Wheels, or Pixar... or princess colouring books, or maybe you like those things but you'd prefer something better?

Young brains are like sponges! Children are so influenced by the images around them! We need to be careful about what images kids see the most! We need to make sure they are supportive and really, REALLY reflect the world (and not fucked up fairy tales!)

Jacinta Bunnell , Irit Reinheimer and Julie Novak collaborated on Girls Not Chicks, a feminist colouring book. Its cute, and stylish and punchy. Very girl butch enthusiastic... what a relief. Work like this is easily loved by those of us who are still looking for images of ourselves, or support our gender expression. We're looking and looking... and now here is not only a book of great images, but also you get to colour them! What fun!

In this interview, Jacinta talked about the history of Girls not Chicks Colouring Book, and Girls Will Be Boys will be Girls. She talked about the evolution of Girls Will Be Boys Will be Girls from zine, to published books.

Blowing up images really large, and hanging them, and everyone colouring together is one of Jacinta's favorite thing to do with the colouring book.

If we have kids in our lives, we (as adults) should have images and kids books and colouring books and images and art that we love, that validates our identities and our friend identities.. and this book does that.

It was really exciting to talk to Jacinta. I hope when you hear this interview, you get a copy of her colouring book and/or you and your friends make your own.

visit www.girlsnotchicks.com

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