Zine Review: Joining the Dots: A Queer, Fat Positive Perzine About PCOS

Joining the Dots: A Queer, Fat Positive Perzine About PCOS
Holly Casio & Friends
http://www.coolschmool.com

Joining the Dots is an A5 black and white zine that describes itself best in the subtitle: A queer, fat positive perzine about PCOS.

Someone suggested this zine to me after I put together Umbrella, and I am so, so happy to see another PCOS zine out in the zineverse. There’s so much confusion, and it’s a condition not talked about enough.

I love how Joining the Dots starts out with a ‘Holly Casio Fact File’ as if to say, “I am going to write about PCOS, but I am a person – not a diagnosis”.

Joining the Dots then jumps right in with what PCOS is and the frustration people with PCOS often encounter due to how uninformed many doctors STILL are about it. This zine quickly becomes a valuable resource offering not only personal stories and tips but also places online where to do more research and find PCOS friends.

At no point did I feel like any reader knowledge was assumed, which is a big plus in my book.

I identified so much with Holly’s story. Too many doctors are focused on THE FAT that they ignore everything else. Or, even better (that’s sarcasm), they take the ‘have babies or lose weight’ track that does little to address actual symptoms of PCOS.

But I’m going off on a tangent.

Holly invited friends to share their PCOS experiences, which I think is great because PCOS is so varied from woman to woman.

I think this is an absolutely brilliant zine that covers perspectives often not acknowledged in medicine when it comes to PCOS – queer, not wanting children, IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE FAT, DOC.

Even if you only have the beginning suspicion you might have PCOS, get a copy of this zine.