Dismantle Magazine is a U.S. online title about how understanding fashion, pop culture and social issues ‘can help us dismantle systems of oppression’, writes Gary Dalkin. It aims to feature the work of writers, scholars, activists, and artists in a supportive, collaborative environment and the editors, Sara Tatyana Bernstein and Elise Chatelain, seek to provide an ‘ad-free, completely independent space for exchanging and exploring stories’. Recent features have included ‘Why Do We Fall for Impractical Fashion Trends?’, ‘Why are the ’90s still popular?’ and ‘How Academics & Experts Can Do Public Writing without “Dumbing Down” Their Work’.
Bernstein and Chatelain are especially interested in personal essays that explore larger issues related to fashion, pop culture and social change. Rather than straight cultural analysis, they prioritise work that puts story first. They want compelling characters and vivid scenes, words that make them think and feel.