The shifting 'indie' femininities of Frankie magazine

At a time when print media is said to be in decline, Australian indie lifestyle publication Frankie magazine has been an industry success story with circulation figures that now surpass glossy women’s titles such as Cleo and Australian Vogue (AdNews 2015). Frankie evokes nostalgia for bygone eras with its illustrated covers, retro aesthetics and focus on handmade crafts yet must be understood in relation to the current ‘indie’ trend. This article draws upon earlier studies of women’s magazines to examine Frankie’s shifting ‘indie’ femininities in the context of contemporary debates surrounding media representations of women. The article applies Schippers’ (2002) theory of ‘gender manoeuvring’ to a textual analysis of recent Frankie covers suggesting the magazine makes both subversive and conservative moves in relation to gender. The article argues that Frankie offers multiple and often contradictory feminine identities which may be key to its success.