Real Friends and the Emoji We Use
Imogen Dall
https://www.instagram.com/bigfacegoods/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/bigfacegoods/

Real Friends and the Emoji We Use is an A6 full-colour zine about the emojis Imogen’s friends and family use the most and what their use really means.

“Because talking on the phone is weird and awful.”

Yes. Yes it is.

Real Friends opens with a funny homage to the show Law and Order that makes me chuckle every time I read it. I’d love to quote it, but I’d have to quote the whole thing – and that’s a bit of a spoiler. I’ll just say that anyone who watched the show will, at the least, get a smile out of it.

Imogen’s homage to their friends’ and family’s often-used emojis follows after this amusing intro. Each person gets their own coloursful page with their name, emojis, and the ‘true’ meaning of that person using those emojis. Mixed in with these ‘emoji profiles’ is a spread of obscure emojis (and what they really mean), the history of emojis, and a great conclusion. (There have been studies about emoji usage!)

I enjoyed this zine a lot. I’m a big fan of pastels, which are used throughout the zine. I’m so glad Imogen went with full colour for this zine because it puts the best kind of icing on this cupcake. I also really like the ‘decrypting emojis’ premise mixed in with plenty of humour as well as emoji facts.

Real Friends and the Emoji We Use is a nice mix of colour, humour, and facts. It’s a zine that left me smiling.

I’m Just Not Hungry: A Zine About Surviving an Eating Disorder
Hattie Porter
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/dogsnotdiets
https://www.instagram.com/dogsnotdietsshop/

I’m Just Not Hungry: A Zine About Surviving an Eating Disorder is an A6 black on blue paper zine about dealing with disordered eating no matter what your specific diagnosis is.

Note: There is some gendered language in this zine. I read it as a consequence of the studies being referenced not accounting for trans or non-binary people.

I’m Just Not Hungry opens with a warm introduction in which Hattie writes about trying to cover a number of experiences no matter what your diagnosis or stage of recovery. As an ‘Eating Disorder NOS’, I appreciated that kind of inclusiveness.

From there, Hattie writes about the wonders of the human body and the importance of challenging beliefs in order to start/keep recovering. Hattie tackles subjects like weight and calories to provide a clinical view of them. Hattie also includes an ‘Important Notes’ section and wraps up with a section you can use to fill in reminders to yourself.

This was a tricky zine for me to read because I am so sensitive to the subject. It’s hard to read about the wonders of the human body when your body malfunctions due to incurable conditions. But once I mentally stepped back and focused on Hattie’s intention in making this zine, I found I got a lot from the words.

Hattie writes:

“Eating disorders are complicated… There will be parts of this zine that aren’t really relevant to you…”

I agree completely. I think if you approach this zine with that in mind, then you can pick and choose the gems that speak to you like I did. Hattie does a good job of a difficult task in encompassing a disorder with many different symptoms in a mostly general way.

This zine is about a sensitive subject and should be treated as such. That being said, I think that there is wisdom to find here if you’re up to reading it.

Cui Shirts Vol 1
The Syncsters
https://www.instagram.com/cuishirts/

Cui Shirts Vol 1 is a (roughly) 14cm x 14cm full colour photography zine taking a funny look at so-called fashion. In this volume, we have Cringe Shirts.

I review zines based on the zines alone, but I do love creative packaging. Cui Shirts arrived on a small clothes hanger. A clothes hanger! I love it so much. (Not to mention that it’s a green hanger, too.)

Spelling mistakes, strange sayings, random tassels… The shirts pictured in Cui Shirts will leave you shaking your head or having a good chuckle as you wonder what went through the mind of the people who dreamt them up. For someone like me who doesn’t know the first thing about fashion, I appreciated the ‘poke’ and laugh at current ‘fashion’.

I can’t write this review without mentioning the physical aspects of the zine, too. Nice smooth pages with rainbow backgrounds somehow just fit the feel of the zine, and the cover is printed on really cool, sort of holographic shiny cardstock.

All up, Cui Shirts is a zine with a creative presentation and enjoyable format. It’s as quick or as long a look through as you like and is a bit of fun that may leave you taking a closer look at what you have in your closet.