Flatline Zines’ (Olivia Portegello, Boston) most recent zine, MENSTRUATION HAPPENS, is a folio style, full color, photographic study on menstruation. The photographs are in a first-person viewpoint of pads and underwear with evidence of menstruation. The only text in the zine consists of two pages with “MENSTURATION HAPPENS” on repeat like a normalizing chant to embed the message into the reader that menstruation happens and there really isn’t any need to hide it because it will continue to happen over and over.

I’ve never had a conversation about menstruation. It’s always been my secret experience that I don’t tell people about so I’ve definitely never seen another person’s period except Red Flag (1970) by Judy Chicago. Even when looking through this issue, I started to pay more attention to the nicely painted toenails and bright orange sandals against the white tile floor which really proves the point of this study.

Zines like MENSTRUATION HAPPENS are why zines are super. The author concisely brings up a paradox and leaves it up to you to ponder or research further.

Look for more Flatline Zines, including mini zines and fanzines, online.