I love to read magazines.
I will look through other magz but Ebony, Essence, Seventeen, Vogue, and Teen Vogue are the main ones.
As I flip through each glossy page I noticed something: there are NO magazines targeted towards YOUNG BLACK WOMEN.
While I love reading Ebony, Vogue and Essence, some things aren't targeted towards someone in my age range (I'm 21). As a young adult, I would like to read about topics that are more relevant to me, not my older sister (no offense, lol).
Vogue is known to ignore Black models all together but I they're making strides by putting JHud and Michelle Obama on the covers...i guess.
Then comes Seventeen and Teen Vogue. This magazine covers topics like, sex, health, education and fashion (Seventeen on a budget; Teen Vogue high-end). Fine. But most of it is targeted to white girls. Yes, white girls.
Seventeen does waaaaay better at being diverse than Teen Vogue, that I must say. However, they may have an article about hair for black girls and all we see are women like Beyonce (who wears lace fronts and other women with relaxers O_o). We, as black girls, are tooo diverse when it comes to hair/makeup to put us in one category. Sorry.
Then there's Teen Vogue. As a monthly subscriber, I've noticed that the ones that reoccur in the magazines are Rihanna, models Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn, Keke Palmer and the one random black model that they put in every spread so it can be diverse. O please. Even in The Teen Vogue Handbook there were like three Black people in the (that's including Chanel Iman).
After reading each magazine every month, I am left with a void. No, really. Because there are soooo many smart, classy, fashionable Black girls out there and no one is giving them a voice. There should be a a magazine target towards Black teens and young adults. Maybe even two, to separate the two age groups. There we can discuss things that are universal to girls (i.e. boys, clothes, friend drama, and school) and things that are unique in the Black community (i.e. hair styles for natural girls, skin issues, whether or not to attend an HBCU).
I think it would be great if Essence or Ebony started their own little-sister magazine. But why wait? I should start one myself.....
Until next time,
LeonaDee
