femme

From Culture femme is the 2024 culture special issue on the concept of femininity and what it means to people. Femininity is in everyone and everything, and we hope these pieces encourage you to look for it and embrace it.

All in femme

Three drag performers are in black and pink in formal wear. One person sits on a television, and the other two stand behind her holding a red telephone.

November 7

Through the grapevine: Gossip encourages safety and solidarity between women

Breaking into the Vancouver music scene was when I really began to grasp the gravity of another woman’s word.

Elena Massing, Photos by Guntas Kaur

A ballet dancer sketched in black and grey on a red background.

November 7

Muscle memory

I wore my hair in a slicked-back bun today, a style my mirror hadn’t seen on me in years.

Ava McAdam-Beder, Illustrations by Abbie Lee

Close-up shot of drag performers Acacia, Carrie Oki Doki and Gaia.

November 7

The power of drag: Performance and gender expression

It’s been just over one year since UBC Drag announced it was going on an indefinite hiatus.

Aisha Chaudhry and Elena Massing, Photos by Guntas Kaur

A person in a long red dress and matching gloves lies on the ground. Another person in a floral dress and headpiece feeds her grapes.

November 7

Teacher's pet

I was 10 years old when I got called “teacher’s pet” for the first time. Perplexed, I pushed my big square glasses up my small nose and asked, “What does that mean?”

Erin Greenwood, Photos by Guntas Kaur

A person in a black sequin dress is lying on the ground, with only their collarbone and lower face visible. There is a clock, a cup of grapes, white gloves and an open magazine at their side.

November 7

The plight of the thought daughter: I know I am, but what are you?

On a small island inside the internet — governed by @joan.of.arca, Binchtopia and Ottessa Moshfegh — lives a world of literate young women.

Avery Nowicki, Photos by Guntas Kaur

Three women with long brown hair watch TV, sitting under pink blankets with bowls of snacks at their side.

November 7

Just watching

The three of us would gather on my bed, five odd feet from a laptop playing Riverdale.

Iman Janmohamed, Illustrations by Abbie Lee

Illustration of a green suitcase, a blue floral handbag and a red shopping bag.

November 7

Bags, weighing me down

In my life, there were always bags.

Fiona Sjaus, Illustrations by Ayla Cilliers

November 7

Not just a girls' club

Despite the media-imposed stereotype that ‘girl’ friendships are characterized by petty fights and falsity, close personal relationships are a staple of girlhood. From BFFs and playdates to a support system to get you through high school drama, everyone needs a community they can trust and find comfort in.

Natalie Vakulin, Photos by Saumya Kamra

Sketch of a naked woman picking a red fruit from a tree.

November 7

eve

good lord, what have i done / to be so far from you?

Abbie Lee

Drag performer Gaia, wears a gold robe and pretends to bite into a mirrorball.

November 7

Girls! Girls! Girls! Pop girls in the spotlight

I have always been attracted to — and easily distracted by — pretty people.

Rhea Mann, Photos by Guntas Kaur

A whole pomegranate, with another half of an open pomegranate beside it and seeds spilling out.

November 7

why can't i be a fruit tree?

i am a fruit tree / but a delicate rose is all you should see / — all i want you to, at least.

Roz Golshani, Illustrations by Abbie Lee

November 7

kintsugi

she is of passing notes / twisted games of telephone

Roz Golshani

A girl balances on a tightrope as a large hand holds the end of it.

November 7

Do you want to see how far I fall?

I always wanted an older sister growing up. I so badly wanted someone who had already experienced everything I was going through — someone of a similar age to talk to, to look up to and to have my back.

Aisha Chaudhry, Illustrations by Ayla Cilliers

A still from the film Scream. A close-up shot of a woman's face, distraught and covered in blood.

November 7

The fundamentals of final girls

It’s a chilly October night. You’re in a dorm room somewhere on campus. Wind howls outside as rain patters against the window relentlessly, filling the sidewalk below with a slew of runoff and leaves.

Olivia Vos

Three white masks with exaggerated facial expressions on a red background.

November 7

'One of the guys' erases me

At my summer student trades jobsite, everyone wore the same thing: an orange long-sleeve shirt and navy blue fire-retardant pants, both with reflective safety striping. Everyone looked the same. Well, mostly everyone.

Lauren Kasowski, Illustrations by Ayla Cilliers