A Note from the Editors: Issue 43

Venture into the woods of patriarchy and capitalism and it won’t be long before you meet today’s alpha male. He smokes cigars, wears sunglasses indoors, and degrades women while defining himself by how much they desire him. This type of man talks about the need to dominate other men, defines women’s bodies as male property, and believes the #MeToo movement has created an unsafe environment for men. One wildly (depressingly) popular “alpha” might come to mind, but since he’s been deplatformed we don’t see the need to give him any more attention. Iykyk, and if not, you’re one of the lucky few. 

While deciding on our next issue theme, we wanted to see how contributors would respond to one that centered masculinity. “Alpha” evokes conversations about hierarchy, dominance. and control. While the idea of alpha males has been rising on the internet, alphas are not a new concept. The idea first emerged in the 1940s, when Rudolph Schenkel wrote a paper titled “Expressions Studies on Wolves”, which argued that wolves fight within a pack to gain dominance and that the winner is the alpha wolf. The idea has since been disproven. Most wolves who lead packs achieve their status by mating and having pups, which become their pack. In other words, the alpha wolf is actually just a Dad, bossing his kids around. 

Interestingly, many of our contributors wrote about relationships between fathers and children for this issue. We also noticed how masculinity was defined by the female gaze throughout the submissions: an author imagines finishing his novel will finally get him female attention, a man erases his identity and with it his ability to be loved by his ex-girlfriend, and a woman watches men watching her in public spaces. Alpha maleness consistently destroys characters’ abilities to genuinely connect with each other. Throughout the work, masculinity is disrupted by layers of narratives that are equal parts humorous and painful. 

Whether you’re reading about a man’s first butt wax, diving into a poem about an eel farmer, or watching a short film about the pressure of masculinity and migration – we hope to add a footnote to your definition of who and what an “alpha male” really is.

Love always, 
Vamika & Zoe

Issue cover photography by Shane Rocheleau