As Women in Horror Month draws to a close, so will the frequency of support for women in the genre, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The following are 10 ways you can continue supporting women in horror beyond the month of February.
1.) Actively seek out work by female, and female-identifying, horror creators, especially work from those who are new to you.
Familiarizing yourself with more women in horror introduces you to a range of voices. If you don’t like one artist, you may like another. How will you know if you don’t observe them all?
2.) Support those creators by sharing their work with others.
Chances are that if you haven’t heard of someone, other people might not have either. Share the love! Spread links to their work and invite friends to screenings or other events!
3.) Inspire and empower other women to work within the genre.
The only way for the genre to continue growing as both an art and a fandom is to introduce new blood. There are many ways to do this, such as teaching young artists and writers the ins and outs of making horror art or writing horror, or even just sharing the genre with other women. If there is a person who is not quite into horror, maybe they just don’t like a certain kind of horror. If slashers aren’t their thing, show them something more atmospheric. Horror has many faces to love.
4.) Create women in horror events for the whole year.
Events shouldn’t exist just in February. They should happen all year! If you’re capable of running events, think of how you can add more regarding women in horror to your roster.
5.) Attend events that feature women in horror outside of February.
In addition to the above, seek out and attend more events that feature women in horror. If there is an art show and a female horror artist has an exhibition, go to that! If a film festival is showing films by women and some of the films happen to be horror, check them out! The events don’t have to be exclusively for women creators, but if you see women are on the list, support the event.
6.) Collaborate with other female horror creators.
Whether you are male or female, if you create art and entertainment, consider collaborating with more female creators. This helps get more work out there and seen. Not to mention, you can share audiences.
7.) Keep a list of your top five or ten female horror creators to have on hand.
Have a list handy, whether that is on your phone or embedded into your brain, of who some of your favorite women in horror are so when someone needs a recommendation or you need to spill some facts, you don’t stumble or need to search for a name.
8.) Donate to organizations that support female empowerment in the genre, and arts in general.
Enabling organizations that are already empowering women to create art, and especially horror art, helps more women get work done and out there. A great directory of organizations and festivals can be found on Hollywomen.com that includes Women in Horror Month, Girls Make Games, and many more female-oriented arts and entertainment organizations.
9.) Volunteer at events.
Volunteering at an event helps the event run smoothly, and if you can volunteer in a position that can bring more attention to women in horror, that’s even better. One awesome position is a screener for film festivals. You may have certain criteria to reach before you can vote something into the festival, but keep an eye out for that gem that may be as good as, or better than, The Babadook.
10.) Review horror work by women that you purchased on Amazon, Goodreads, and other websites where you are able.
When you finish a book, game, movie, or whatever, take the time to write a review about it and post it somewhere that it will be seen! Ratings on Amazon, Goodreads, Netflix, and etc. help drive more audiences to the work and the more people that see the work, the more acknowledged the creators become.
These are just a few of the many ways you can support women in the genre. Hopefully, this list will help you become more active in supporting the artists you already love and those you haven’t discovered yet.
