So, I can die happy now. Or at least my 17 year old self can! Today we visited Hearst Italia today which publishes and sells Cosmopolitan, Elle, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, and Esquire just to name a few.
I’ve always wanted to write for one of these magazines so the whole time I was fangirling over their staff and office.
We had the pleasure of meeting the fashion editor of Cosmo, the editor in chief of Cosmo, the editor in chief of Marie Claire, and art directors of Elle, and many intelligent, talented, and prolific journalists of all kinds.
I had a girl-boss moment when I built up the courage to ask the fashion editor in front of everyone if Hearst is doing anything to choose models with a range of body types and looks not just the typical model body.
She rambled a bit but what I took out of it was that, yes they do but they won’t ever be on the cover. Overall they look for naturally slim, more “athletic” models and Marie Claire is starting to use different models with skin imperfections and out of the 18-30 year old range but they won’t ever be on the cover.
So I guess it’s a step in the right direction. I was slightly frustrated because they could single handedly change the stigma around beauty all over the world but they choose not to.
Other than that I thought the office space was energetic, colorful, and all of the employees seemed to be genuinely passionate about their jobs. Although I don’t agree with all of their practices, I would still LOVE to work for a company like this. Maybe one day i could inject my own inclusive ideas about beauty.
After we left and I finished I pinching myself a million times, a few friends and I went shopping. Then came the farewell dinner. It did not disappoint.
The vegans and I had a flavorful ginger carrot soup, bread like pizza crust, creamy asparagus risotto, horseradish potato cakes with chopped vegetables, and we finished up with a sugary sorbet. It was all so delicious and visually beautiful. I could see the effort the chefs put in the meal before I even tasted it and I always appreciate that.
I can’t believe tomorrow is my last day! I’ve learned so much more about the expansive profession of communications, the country of Italy, and myself than I could ever put into words.
All I can say is how thankful I am to have been here for all of these moments. I’ll cherish this trip forever.