No gender bias please!
I have a couple of comments about issue 120. The edition was absolutely amazing – I love the diversity going on. Second, a note on Charlotte Ahlgren’s “inequality” comment. You asked what the readers think and I disagree with her (and if it matters, I’m a female). ImagineFX is an art magazine, not a gender-based magazine. It’s meant to show great work and amazing resources, not be equal in gender. The gender of the artist makes no difference in the art, therefore that’s not the aspect ImagineFX should focus on. You gave the proper response. She may be upset about it and ImagineFX may lose her as a customer, but that’s just one person swimming in the pool of many who don’t care about what gender the artist is – just that the art is good! Nadia Rausa, via email
More gender bias thoughts
I’m highly offended by Charlotte Ahlgren’s letter in issue 120, especially in her wanting “a few goals about what per cent (of either gender) should always be represented”.
The purpose of ImagineFX is to promote science fiction and fantasy art in terms of knowledge, tips and guides, products, artist information, rising stars and so forth, regardless of their gender. Are a number of the artists predominantly male? Perhaps, but my purpose in reading the magazine is to gain knowledge and learn about products, new artists and see new art – not to count how many artists in the magazine are male or female.
Establishing any sort of goal-based system on what percentage of artists in any issue must be male or female defeats the purpose of the magazine and changes the focus from one of discussing the artist and their art to one of ‘ did we meet the gender quota for this issue?’ The art suffers and the information suffers as well. The artists featured in each issue are there because their art meets the magazine’s standards.
July 2015