Boink
Boink was a magazine created by a group of undergraduates at Boston University. The first issue made its debut in February 2005. Boink exclusively featured articles and photographs related to sexuality, and it distinguished itself by using real college students as models in its pictorials. The magazine was a quarterly publication, with an aim to strike a balance between artistic aesthetics and candid exploration of human sexuality. The founders of the magazine, Alecia Oleyourryk and Christopher Anderson, strived to create a publication that was both visually stimulating and intellectually engaging.
The magazine’s content was a medley of provocative photos, fiction, advice columns, and profiles of college students, with a particular focus on candid discussions about various aspects of sexuality. The choice to use real college students as models gave the magazine an authentic feel and resonated with its primary target audience — college students and young adults. The magazine's tagline, “For the inner student in all of us,” reflected its mission to connect with the youthful and inquisitive nature of its readers.
One of the seminal pieces in Boink was an article by a Boston University student who shared her experience working in the adult film industry. This piece exemplified the magazine’s ethos of open dialogue and exploration. Other features included interviews with authors and experts in the field of human sexuality, as well as personal essays and fiction that delved into themes of desire, love, and relationships.
Though predominantly a print publication, Boink did make several of its issues available online. The magazine also produced a book titled “Boink: College Sex by the People Having It,” which was a compilation of the best content from its initial issues. This book was published in 2008 and provided a broader audience with insight into the provocative and candid nature of the magazine’s content.
In its time, Boink garnered attention from a myriad of media outlets. The frankness with which it approached topics of sexuality, combined with its unique aesthetic choices, made it a noteworthy addition to the landscape of college and lifestyle publications.
As of the late 2000s, Boink ceased publication. Its legacy, however, persists as a daring and innovative endeavor that pushed the boundaries of what a college magazine could be. It serves as an exemplar of student-driven media that was unafraid to tackle taboo subjects with both earnestness and artistry.{{Categories}}