Naked Truths

New student magazine reveals a multitude of voices

March 3, 2009

The Naked(truth) team takes a break upstairs in the Quarry. From left: Grace Perry '11, Rachael Deskin '09, Michelle Hadley '09, Dan Soltis '09 and Abigail Prang '09.

If you're looking for a campus magazine with multiple points of view, you'd be hard pressed to find one more varied than Naked(truth), the newest student publication at Dickinson.

Launched as a print magazine in October, Naked(truth) is unapologetically feminist, but the editorial team wants to celebrate the many varieties of feminism on campus, according to Michelle Hadley '09, editor-in-chief. Two issues have been published so far—one print and one online—and already the magazine has created quite a buzz on campus in its approach to politics, gender, sexuality and popular culture.

"There are people who write for our magazine who would not identify as feminist," she says. "That actually is the point."

A key point, says Hadley, is dialogue. Abigail Prang '09 in the October issue writes of "Feminism v. Femi-Nazi," explaining the differences between the two. Not so fast, responds Grace Perry '11, business manager, in her February online article, "Warriors Don't Need Qualifiers."

The first issue focused on the 2008 presidential election and included articles on the media's portrayal of women politicians, a history of women and elections and pro-and-con pieces on John McCain, Sarah Palin and Barack Obama.

February's issue, which was published online, focused on love and sex, just in time for Valentine's Day. Hadley, a former opinion-page editor for The Dickinsonian, wants each issue to revolve around a specific theme, with room for quirky, even taboo, subjects.

"Because [The Dickinsonian] comes out every week, there's a really fast turnaround," she says. "Sometimes it's too fast to flesh out an idea, give it some thought. I think that's the heart of the magazine—it gives people plenty of time to really develop an idea."

Hadley also believes in the importance of great design: with its brightly colored, glossy pages, the magazine aims for aesthetic pleasure along with provocative prose. Although the second issue was published online, she hopes to have it printed soon and is planning a women's history issue for March/April.

Susannah Bartlow, director of the Women's Center and advisor to the magazine, immediately saw the value of a publication like Naked(truth) and, through the Women's Center, helped fund the inaugural issue. She also contributed a piece on body image in February.

"[The magazine] is something that bridges the creative and the journalistic," she says. "What really impresses me is the quality of the editorial voice, the sweep of the magazine."

The editorial team is applying for club recognition from Student Senate and plans a T-shirt fundraiser. In the meantime, the staff continues to field ideas and suggestions from already-loyal readers and the campus at large.

"The great part about Naked is that you get positions from all over the spectrum," says Dan Soltis '09, assistant deputy editor. He encourages everyone—women and men—to join the conversation.