if FKA twigs can get through a very public breakup wherein an engagement was called off, fully recover from a uterus surgery to remove fibroid tumors, & complete 9 months of pole-dancing training then you can deal with whatever mild fuckery is currently holding you back
sOmE pRoFeSsIoNaL nEwS: today i can finally announce that iโll be joining
@archdigest
as the digital design editor! still waiting for someone to pinch me because i canโt believe this is real ๐๐พโโ๏ธ
all my black friends working full-time in media should be given at least one day off this week on the company dime for mental health purposes, but upper management rarely looks out for you like that
delayed announcement, but i was recently promoted to life & culture editor! this is a step i've been working toward taking ever since i got my journalism degree, and it's extremely important to me as a WOC. happy to finally be here at this stage in my career.
@lanadeathrey
there are two types of people in this industry: those with so much privilege that they can do it for fun at any price, and the rest of us who often have to take on extra side jobs to have enough income for covering bills, rent, life, etc.
today i become the second black woman in highsnobiety history to do a cover story, and the first for the frontpage franchise. let this serve as a reminder that more black writers deserve to be given these opportunities soonerโthe talent is out there, look beyond the clout.
surprise! i'm officially in the NEW YORK TIMES. i've been quietly working on this report for the past few months, but really this debut has been years in the making... so excited to finally share this story with y'all ๐
so today i was laid off from my job. i'm still processing because it feels so surreal, but talk about a fresh start post-pandemic... anyway, plz hmu at syd[dot]egore[at]gmail[dot]com for any full-time or freelance opps! music, culture, lifestyle & wellness content is my jam 0:-)
i want to challenge music publicists to start caring more about WHO is telling their artist's story as opposed to WHERE the story is being published... the writer is just as if not more important than the brand and that should be taken into consideration moving forward
there are SO MANY roundups of black-owned brands going around so i decided to curate a list for byrdie to highlight 47 of my personal faves in lifestyle, home + wellness! power to the people ๐๐พ
there are so many takes on the
#yeehawagenda
, but i'm gonna toot my own horn & say that mine is the best because of my fascination w/ black cowboy culture specifically. special thanks to
@BriMalandro
for sharing her wealth of knowledge on this subject! ๐ค
surprise, i'm the new associate music editor at
@highsnobiety
! hmu at sydney.gore
@highsnobiety
for general submissions, premieres, pitches, memes, etc.
brands always wanna use black faces to promote products and then when life gets complicated they'll compose a message of solidarity, but what are they actually doing to help the people they profit from? we are more than a meme
This is one of my favorite episodes of
#Losers
simply because of how well it explores the greatness that is Surya Bonaly's career. Her athleticism was unmatched - and the epitome of Black girl magic. ๐๐พ
you can have the talent, experience, work ethic & DEGREE to back up your credentials for fulfilling a job & youโll still be told that you havenโt earned your place. the sooner you stop trying to prove yourself to people who arenโt invested in your growth the better off youโll be.
i have waited SO LONG to see this day... after spending MONTHS working on it, i can finally share my special report on whitewashing and the spreading of misinformation in the wellness industry!
i was going to wait until tomorrow to unveil my
@voguemagazine
debut, but 12/29 holds so much significance. my life drastically changed on this day when my pop-pop passed away in 2018. letting go is hard, i hope this story can be of comfort to othersโฃ๏ธ
people wonder why i strayed from music journalism and one of the many reasons was that i got real fed up with feeling treated like an extension of PR as an editor. writers do not serve the artist, weโre supposed to tell stories based on nothing but the truth. facts matter.
made my
@TeenVogue
debut on juneteenth with this powerhouse of a piece that
@tahairyy
trusted me to put together. supporting black brands and businesses is more than making a one-time purchase. i spoke to some of my favorite founders to learn more ๐ ๐พ
had the pleasure of speaking to
@MosesSumney
about controlling your narrative on and offline, being a black indie artist, finding peace in nature, and life in hibernation as a taurus โจ
as a hybrid journalist, itโs about time that i checked off digital cover story from my list โ truly couldnโt have asked for a better person to profile than
@jaden
. my intent was to provide a glimpse into the future he hopes to build...
more people than you realize are silently suffering from invisible illnesses. this is a reminder to practice kindness, you truly never know what pain somebody else could be carrying. be more mindful
but have y'all streamed
@oliviagobrien
's debut EP yet? if this feature that
@Ricky_Michiels
& i teamed up on 7 months ago didn't make it clear, she's going to be a star โจ
for months i wondered how i could enter the snoopy discourse and then it hit me: MERCH & MEMORABILIA. i spoke with a bunch of snoopy heads about their collections, the role snoopy plays in their home decor, and why they donโt wanna gatekeep this dog ๐ถ
making my debut home tour for
@ArchDigest
with
@BrandonFlowers
is an absolute dream come true. i discovered
@thekillers
in middle school and never looked back so i've kind of waited my whole life for this assignment... it's a full circle moment ๐จ
sorry but you canโt claim to be โracially diverseโ if 90% of your staff is caucasian... iโm so tired of (media) companies getting praise for FINALLY getting around to diversifying their content when they refuse to apply the same process for hiring. representation works both ways
while iโm on the subject of working in media while black, over the weekend i got this email & itโs the first time in my career that iโve ever received a note of genuine support from a boss/supervisor/director in the wake of racial conflict. POC need to hold positions of power
for all the writers out there, i hope you work with editors that are willing to fight for you. this is one of the most important parts of my job whether i'm going to battle for story placements, freelance rates, or a credit. it's a huge disservice if no one will advocate for you.
a common theme from all of these testimonials from black women about the employers that failed them is that they followed protocol for seeking solutions. i have never hesitated to report problematic incidents to HR, but have also never believed that it will make a real difference
adding this to the top of the list of things i never thought i would be doing during a global pandemic: engaging in a delightful conversation with
@Sethrogen
about weed on a zoom call for
@voguemagazine
๐ชดโจ
i've been doing A LOT of writing over the past few months & i think it's worth stressing how incredible it is to be given the flexibility to take as much time as you need to work on a piece as opposed to being rushed to file it. i can't wait to share more stories with y'all soon.
i swear i had a clip from a mariah carey interview collecting dust in the drafts for this precise moment, but it seems to have disappeared so i'll have to go rogue for this special announcement... i've officially been promoted to senior editor status ๐ฉ๐พโ๐ป
the one piece of advice i want to give aspiring writers this year is don't let them pigeonhole you, especially if you're a person of color. it's fine if you only have one area of interest that you're eager to explore, but don't give others the power of telling you where you fit.