HOT PANTZ: Do It Yourself Gynecology Herbal Remedies

This publication is a transcription of the 1995 Montréal zine HOT PANTZ, written by Isabelle Gauthier and Lisa Vinebaum, which was the English adaptation of C'est toujours chaud dans les culottes des filles (2nd edition). Later editions included updated information, but this publication follows the layout, graphics, and text of the original zine, and as such is to be read as a historical document reflecting its time.

“Patriarchy sucks…” is how the text begins, followed by varying chapters covering in depth knowledge of one’s anatomy and bodily processes; information on periods, abortions, STDs, and AIDs; as well as herbal recipes and remedies for varying gynecological conditions. Further reading and helpful diagrams are supplied alongside commentary on women’s conditions, oppressions, and options. This information is provided for the reader to be self-empowered in the face of the (male dominated) medical establishment; to provide alternative, more holistic, treatments; and to produce community and correspondence between women who share similar concerns. A list of contemporaneous women’s organizations and support for HIV-AIDs across Canada is included, which gives an insight to the options available to women at the time.

HOT PANTZ is a window into 90s feminist empowerment, DIY culture, zine communities and mail order information, and is part of the long lineage and practice of witches, herbalists, and midwives collecting and sharing treatments to give the practitioner agency in a world exerting control over their body. HOT PANTZ is seen as a sister publication to PRESCRIPTIONS (HP06), which provided the same service in the 1600s as HOT PANTZ did in the 1990s.

Hildegard Press 14, 2026 | perfect bound, 5x7”, digital print, 56 pp.