The Brainwash Project

A$5,105
of $4,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 20th Oct 2012 at 1:00AM.
IT'S HERE! Brainwash Magazine is available for purchase online. Head to brainwashmagazine.com to pick up your copy!

Pozible campaign success!
Huge thanks to everyone who has donated in support of this project - I really appreciate it. I'll be organising for all of you to receive your awards in the next week or so (once my assessment week is over!)
I'm planning on having Brainwash Magazine published in April 2013 and will be sure to keep this page updated so none of you miss out on a copy!
If anyone is visiting this page for the first time or would like to contribute, I am still accepting donations and looking for submissions. Please shoot me an email: [email protected] if you'd like to help out. Again, thanks so much to all who contributed, I really cannot thank you enough.
Make sure to also check out this mini-documentary that the very talented Francis Hadid has put together. It explains a lot about the rationale for the project: http://paper-people.com/
Please see below for the project description:
This is a project for everyone interested in the state of women’s magazines. I am not satisfied that the majority of mags out there for women are focused primarily on sex, boys and appearance. I want to work with YOU to create a magazine that truly represents what is important in our lives and makes us feel good about ourselves.

I have spent the last ten years reading trashy women’s magazines that re-hash the same old topics and try to present them as fresh and important month after month. I hate it. As a woman I feel insulted that this is what females have been presumed to want in magazines. And I don’t think I’m alone.

For the past four months I’ve been rifling through women’s magazines cutting out articles that drive me mad and noting trends and common tricks employed throughout. I’ve also been researching online and applying for numerous scholarships, fellowships and grants to help this project get off the ground. I’ve trawled through hundreds of online magazines looking for what is good and what is bad – I like to think that I represent a vast proportion of women who want more from their magazines.

What I need now is your help to decide what should go in OUR magazine. I need your suggestions, advice and concerns because this is all for YOU!

Every single person who supports this project will be given access to an exclusive online space that will serve as a discussion board and editorial workshop for the magazine. It will be a place where you can put forward ideas for articles/design/values and imagery as well as a place for me to get your opinion on big decisions like the cover design.

I know that we can make an incredible magazine that is everything the current mainstream women’s magazines aren’t – inclusive, empowering, intellectually stimulating and fresh.

Together WE have the power to create change and make something worth giving to daughters, nieces, sisters, cousins and friends.

The point of the project is to convince major players in women’s magazines to respect their readers and to stop digitally altering the appearance of models.

It involves:
1. The creation of Brainwash Magazine – a prototype created by all of us.
2. The collection of signatures to stop magazines using airbrushing techniques
3. The presentation of Brainwash Magazine and the petition to the editors of Cosmopolitan and Cleo Magazines

Who am I?

I am a writing student at RMIT in Melbourne. I live in the suburbs and am really interested in reading, photography and leaving this world a better place than I found it.

I have completed internships and work experience at Cosmopolitan Magazine, Melbourne University Press, Onya Magazine, RMIT Communications, and S-Press Magazine. I write regularly for a variety of online magazines and have had my work published in Catalyst – an RMIT student magazine, Lip Magazine – a feminist magazine for young women, and accepted for publication in Betty Magazine – a feminist magazine from Tasmania.

Where will the money go?
The money will go primarily towards printing costs. I am hoping to get upwards of 200 copies made so that they can be distributed to as many young women as possible. Unfortunately, printing is very expensive and at this stage, the minimum cost of printing 200 magazines at 100 pages will be $4000.

$4000 is NOT my target, it is simply the MINIMUM amount required to complete this project. It is NOT the ideal amount. Ideally I would like $10,000 so that I can print triple the amount of copies and pay for some marketing and PR assistance to get this to those who need it the most and importantly, to the offices of Cleo and Cosmopolitan.

Any money donated over $4000 will go towards paying writers and photographers for their submissions. While many magazines are put together using voluntary contributors, I would like the opportunity to pay them. Too often writers contribute their work for free or are sorely underpaid for the work they do. It is a growing problem and it will only be stopped if enough people put their feet down and refuse to accept unpaid work.

This is a self-funded publishing deal - that is I am paying for everything. The $4000 will go toward printing costs and any additional funds will help pay for the things listed below and a bigger print run which would also be a great.

- copyediting
- ISBN, barcode and CiP Registration
- advertising
- postage costs
- payment of writers, designers, models and photographers
- flight to Sydney to present finished magazine to the editors of Cosmo and Cleo

This project is my dream and while $4000 would help me achieve it, I would always wonder what it would have been like with enough money to do it properly. Please help spread the word, donate a dollar if you can spare it and help me to help young, impressionable girls find a healthier alternative to what is currently on offer in women’s magazines.

What if I really want to participate but would prefer to contribute something other than dollars?
There are two things that you can do that would really help me out.

Number one:
I realise that like me many of you will be students and unable to contribute financially. Something you can do that would really help is to share the link to this page with your friends, family, neighbours, enemies – anyone that you can, and as often as you can. If you’re a high school student let your teachers know and get it put in the school newsletter – every person you tell allows my project the chance to become reality. If you can do this, I will be so, so grateful.

Number two:
Visit: http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/cosmopolitan-magazine-cleo-magazine-stop-digitally-altering-images-to-change-appearances and sign the petition to stop Cosmopolitan Magazine and Cleo Magazine using photo-editing software like Photoshop to change the appearance of their models.

**** Exciting Links****
The Brainwash Project Facebook page
The Brainwash Blog.
Petition to get a warning label and one unaltered photo shoot featured per issue in Cleo Magazine


The Challenges

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You will receive access to an exclusive online space where planning decisions about the magazine will be shared and discussed.

1 chosen

Est. delivery is Jul 12

You will receive access to an exclusive online space where planning decisions about the magazine will be shared and discussed.<br /> + Your name will be listed as a financial supporter in the magazine.<br /> +You will receive a digital copy of the first of a series of Zines created for the Brainwash Project.

13 chosen

Est. delivery is Jul 12

You will receive access to an exclusive online space where planning decisions about the magazine will be shared and discussed.<br /><br /><br /> + Your name will be listed as a financial supporter in the magazine.<br /><br /><br /> +Your face will be included in a collage that will be paired with an article in the finished Brainwash Magazine. It will look something like this:

16 chosen

Est. delivery is Jul 12

Brainwash Magazine hard-copy. It is 188 pages long and is full colour. Domestic postage included. Please email: [email protected] for international postage costs before purchasing.

0 chosen / 200 available

Est. delivery is May 13

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /><br /><br /> +Your name will be listed as a financial supporter in the magazine.<br /><br /><br /> +Digital access to editions one and two of a Zine created especially for the Brainwash Project<br /> +Your face will be included in a colour collage that will be paired with an article in the finished Brainwash Magazine. It will look something like this: <br />

10 chosen

Est. delivery is Jul 12

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /><br /><br /> +Your name will be listed as a financial supporter in the magazine.<br /><br /><br /> +Digital access to editions 1-4 of Zines created especially for the Brainwash Project <br /><br /><br /> +Your face will be included in a colour collage that will be paired with an article in the finished Brainwash Magazine. It will look something like this:

15 chosen

Est. delivery is Jul 12

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /><br /><br /> +Your name will be listed as a financial supporter in the magazine.<br /><br /><br /> +Zines 1-4 will be mailed to you. <br /><br /><br /> +Much love and appreciation <br /><br /><br /> +Your face will be included in a colour collage that will be paired with an article in the finished Brainwash Magazine. It will look something like this: <br /><br /><br />

2 chosen / 38 available

Est. delivery is Sep 12

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /> +Your name will be listed as a chief financial supporter in the magazine.<br /> +Digital access to editions 1-4 of the Zines created especially for the Brainwash Project, made by yours truly.<br /> +Pick a word, any word. As editor I will make sure it gets used somewhere in the magazine. This is a chance for both of us to get creative.<br />

4 chosen / 16 available

Est. delivery is Jul 12

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /> +Your name will be listed as a chief financial supporter in the magazine.<br /> +Digital access to editions 1-4 of the Brainwash Project Zine.<br /> +Pick a word, any word. As editor I will make sure it gets used somewhere in the magazine. This is a chance for both of us to get creative.<br /> +A limited edition Brainwash Project postcard of thanks will be mailed to you.<br /> +Your face will be included in the colour collage in the finished magazine.

1 chosen / 24 available

Est. delivery is Sep 12

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /> +Your name will be listed as a chief financial supporter in the magazine.<br /> +Digital access to editions 1-4 of the Brainwash Project Zine.<br /> +A paper person will be made in your likeness and used in the magazine. Amazing!<br />

7 chosen / 13 available

Est. delivery is Jul 12

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /><br /> +Your name will be listed as a chief financial supporter in the magazine.<br /><br /> +Digital access to editions 1-4 of the Brainwash Project Zine. <br /><br /> +A paper person will be made in your likeness and used somewhere in the magazine.<br /><br /> +A postcard of thanks will be mailed to you.<br /><br /> +1 free badge from the Brainwash shop. Check out the Brainwash FB page for details.<br /><br />

0 chosen / 15 available

Est. delivery is Oct 12

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /> +Your name will be listed as a chief financial supporter in the magazine.<br /> +Digital access to editions 1-4 of the Brainwash Project Zine. <br /> +A paper person will be made in your likeness and used somewhere in the magazine.<br /> +Hot of the press; be one of the first to receive a copy of Brainwash Magazine

0 chosen / 10 available

Est. delivery is Jan 13

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /> +Your name will be listed as a chief financial supporter in the magazine.<br /> +Digital access to editions 1-4 of the Brainwash Project Zine. <br /> +A paper person will be made in your likeness and used somewhere in the magazine.<br /> +You can give me any topic and I promise there will be an article about it somewhere in the mag. *within reason, perhaps email first.

1 chosen / 9 available

Est. delivery is Nov 12

You will receive access to the exclusive online space.<br /> +Your name will be listed as a chief financial supporter in the magazine.<br /> +Digital access to editions 1-4 of the Brainwash Project Zine.<br /> +Your face will be used in a colour collage in the magazine. <br /> +A paper person will be made in your likeness and used somewhere in the magazine. <br /> +Endless love and appreciation!!<br /> +Free editing of up to eight pages of text with written feedback.

0 chosen / 5 available

Est. delivery is Dec 12