The Best Girl Zines Changing Print In The UK

Skip navigation!

Begin Slideshow

From fan fiction to politics to intersectional feminism, the zine has always been marked by one distinctive trait: passion. Originally defined as a "self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images usually reproduced via photocopier", the resurgence of the zine in 2016 looks a lot more polished but they're still a political reaction to the state of mainstream media in the UK today. We decided to track down the women behind the most exciting and challenging zines being produced in the UK today.

All married by a frustration with mainstream content magazines and newspapers, these are the publications saying 'no' to large-circulation media outlets who marginalise and mute subcultures such as the transgender community, feminists, immigrants, nudists, and nihilists. Here are the platforms representing diversity and liberalism. Whether taking discussions that had begun on Tumblr about radical feminism into a (slightly) more formalised place, or championing the immigrant experience in the UK, these zines are forces of opinion and humour (with some rather good quizzes to boot). Over to the editors...

More from Books & Art

The 57 Most Erotic Books You Will Ever Read

by Shannon Carlin

In Defence Of ‘Chick Lit’

Reading has always been a joyful experience for me. Since the moment I was old enough to sit still and read a book, I have spent many of my waking hours do

7 Books That Tell A Forgotten Black British History

The origins of Black British history (the who, what, why, when and where…) remain a constant source of confusion and contention in the UK, with many

These Feel-Good Photos Celebrate Friends & Their Clubbing Outfits

“Nothing could better signify the fashions of Glasgow than the club culture the city has to offer and the people who get dressed up to enter these sp

by Joanna Cresswell

Yomi Adegoke’s The List Is A Cautionary Tale For The Chro...

Yomi Adegoke refuses to look up reviews of her debut novel, The List, online — especially on TikTok, a side of the internet she openly admits she’s “

by L'Oréal Blackett

These Nostalgic Photos Celebrate The Girls Of Cornwall

Growing up in rural Cornwall, photographer Francesca Rowse often found herself questioning her place as a young woman. “It’s a very patriarchal cou

by Joanna Cresswell

8 Summer Reads For Every Type Of Holiday Destination

by Maybelle Morgan

These Photos Capture The Bond Between A Mother & Daughter Just 17...

by Joanna Cresswell

These Photos Tell The Love Story Of A Past Relationship (NSFW)

by Joanna Cresswell

Reflective Photos Of Daughters Who Have Lost Their Mothers

Berlin-based photographer Marina Hoppmann was just 17 years old when she lost her mum, Ria. The two of them had been exceptionally close and the experience

by Joanna Cresswell

Growing Up, My Mother and I Couldn’t Understand Each Other ...

I began writing my memoir without knowing how it’d end — a strange thing to say about a type of book that’s literally comprised of the memories that

In Pictures: Young People Living With ADHD

London-based Norwegian photographer Nora Nord was diagnosed with ADHD in 2018, when she was in her early 20s. It was an immensely freeing feeling, she says

by Joanna Cresswell