Abstract

This study examines Korean independent women’s magazines through the lens of subculture to understand how women of the digital-media generations are disseminating ideas through printed magazines. It reveals how Korean women in their 20s and 30s, who have often been excluded from the traditional publishing world, are able to find influence and community through independent magazines. This study also considers the history of the rise of independent women’s magazines in Korea and how these magazines differ from commercial magazines for women, as well as past magazines for feminists. The rise of independent women’s magazines also reflects changes in the outlook of young collegeeducated women, and how they are now claiming their space in a patriarchal society. The subculture dealt with in this study is not the heroic type of protest popular in the mid-20th century; rather, it is closer to the ambiguous, complex type of protest widespread in post-modern societies. Indie (independent) magazines for women function as a field of subculture that strengthens the sense of community among women in their 20s and 30s and helps confirm their self-identity.