Chickadee Magazine. An Objective Review

Have you got a copy of Animal Liberation Queensland’s Chickadee ‘magazine’ yet?
The ‘magazine’ that is aimed at ‘tween’ females to promote awareness of sentience in animals, and help inform young consumers of ways in which they can make compassionate choices for animals every day.

Whilst Animals liberation Queensland is supposedly an organisation that aims to remove our speciesist view of other animals, they are more than well known for their sexist attitude and views towards humans.

Does anyone remember their ‘Beef-Eating Blokes’ image or the use of females in cages at a circus protest?

Unfortunately, this ‘magazine’ is no different.

Aside from the ‘magazine’ reinforcing age barriers by being labelled as a ‘tween’ magazine, whatever a ‘tween’ may be. It is aimed at females, a group that is drastically over represented in animal advocacy.

If Animal Liberation Queensland were truly interested in promoting an awareness of the sentience in other animals, a ‘generic’ one would have been much more effective. Or a ‘twin’ male and female focused publication.

Knowing that this ‘magazine’ is produced and published by a group called Animal Liberation Queensland, a group that exists to “abolish man’s  attitudes of speciesism towards animals”, “to promote veganism as the most ethical and ecologically sustainable lifestyle”, and “adhering to a policy of non-violence, inclusiveness and collaboration”. This magazine actually reinforces those views and goes against everything that this group is supposed to stand for.

To begin with, if you exclude the ‘recipe’ and ‘advice’ section (3 pages), and not include three jewelry images, the word vegan is only mentioned three times. Not bad for 14 page magazine published by a vegan organisation.

Though it doesn’t get much better for veganism or other animals.

In the ‘Girl Power’ section, three ALQ members, with two of them being committee members, were asked “What’s the one thing that everyone can do to help animals?”. One of them actually does mention ‘going vegan’, though sadly it wasn’t the organisation’s secretary.

And to add insult to injury, the same question brought the response of ‘go vegetarian’, and using free range eggs in the school canteen.

Once again, not bad for an organisation that is supposed to promote veganism as the most ethical and ecologically sustainable lifestyle.

Though by far, what has to be the worst ‘sin’ committed by Animal Liberation Queensland with this publication, is the sexualisation and total lack of respect for young female activists, their target audience.

Beginning with the use of the word ‘tween’, though use of the word is justified by Gayle when she says “the word tween is only to describe the age of the readers that the mag is targeted towards“. I guess they don’t have enough respect for their audience to say 10-12yos instead choosing to use some derogatory ‘industry term’.

So much for inclusiveness.

Should we be sexualising young females?

If it isn’t acceptable for groups like PeTA to ‘use’ adults wearing little clothing to promote their ‘animal message’, then surely it cannot be acceptable to market ‘cruelty free’ cosmetics to 10-12 year olds?

Justifying it by saying that it is ok because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right. Let’s also remember that everyone else consumes and uses other animals, though that is a behaviour/attitude that this ‘magazine’ is trying to change.

The title is no better either.

I certainly wouldn’t be happy having someone refer to my nieces or children of friends as a ‘Chickadee’. Surely they could have come up with a different title for it.

[GARD]Just in case I am going to get criticised for something that I may or may not have said in this article, please understand that I believe people are able to have their own views on things, and I am not attempting to tell people what they should think or say. What I am doing is saying that the organisation Animal Liberation Queensland has made a huge error and gone against the stated aims of the organisation. If you want to promote vegetarianism, or free range eggs, go for it. I just do not believe that it should be done in a ‘magazine’ produced by an organisation with the words animal liberation in it’s name, or one that is supposed to “to promote veganism as the most ethical and ecologically sustainable lifestyle”.

What are your thoughts on the ‘magazine’? Is it suitable for it’s intended audience or does it miss the mark all together?