Our Wounds: A Caring Zine About C Section Scars
APac
12 pages
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Our Wounds is a quarter-sized, black and white zine of art and quotes about birth-givers and caesarean scars.
“After the birth of my daughter, my cesarean scar became a source of anger…”
APac doesn’t shy away from the topic of C-section scars, and that shows both in her art and in the way she introduces this zine. Right on the inside cover, we read about how processing her anger about her scar led to a sketchbook of “birth-givers’ characters who had undergone cesareans” and combined with Reddit testimonies about these scars to create this zine. Each page features black and white art of a single character, each with their scar on display and in a different environment to the rest. Each portrait is accompanied by a quote with the writer’s name and date of the quote.
The scars we carry can hold depths of meaning for us that the people around us may never understand. A scar that comes from giving birth – a whole topic area with so much emotion and differing opinions surrounding it – has to be a whole level that I can’t fully comprehend as someone who does not have a C section scar. I appreciate this glimpse into a part of life I didn’t really know much about, and I doubly appreciate that APac included a variety of quotes that showed people expressing a range of emotions and experiences with their scars.
APac’s art style is a pleasure to look at with lines of various thickness creating shadows as well as delicate details. The characters are all quite distinct from each other in body shape, how scars are shaped and displayed, and even different ages as well. Each has there own accompanying surroundings, be them birds, bats, tentacles, or mushrooms. As if to say their scars are a part of them – but only one part of them.
I admire it when people are in touch with their feelings including the darker ones. Even moreso when they are able to take those negative feelings and turn them into powerful art. APac combines strong emotion, art, and quotes into a powerful zine that is definitely one to check out.
