So many women today are making personal and professional strides: starting movements, breaking barriers, nurturing the next generation, exploring and shaping the world, caring deeply for their families and communities, and investing significant time and energy into improving the quality — not appearance — of their lives.

 Why aren’t their stories more widely represented in magazine publications for women? 

This very question inspired a collective of women, led by Jess Weiss, Carly Schwartz, and Angela Altus to co-found Trix magazine: for women who define success on their terms.

Unlike most women’s magazines, which tend to focus on improving their readers’ lives through beauty and fashion and self-help guides, Trix meets women where they're at. We are anti-perfectionist and pro-grit. Our stories spark curiosity, elevate female voices and role models and explore the range of complex issues facing women of our time. 

We need more magazines for women with strong role models and female voices.

The origin of Trix magazine, in Jess's words. I was on vacation last December looking for something to read by the pool. The hotel had two options: a well-known women’s fashion and beauty magazine, and a men’s lifestyle magazine. A catchy sounding article caught my eye in the women’s publication: “how to kill it in 2018 with your best year yet.” 

To my utter bemusement, I discovered around 250 words praising liquid eyeliner for its superpower ability to disguise your hangover. This was supposed to be a fast-track to up-leveling my life and the woman I aspired to be? It sounded more like a giant mess than a giant leap for womankind.

Struck by the contrast between the two publications, I posed a question to a private Facebook group of 500 mutual female friends: where are all the quality women’s magazines? Does anything exist out there for women who are interested in deeper learning about themselves and society, who are exploring and making their mark on the world? Nobody could come up with anything beyond a patchwork of general topic and niche feminist publications.

Carly chimed in with a suggestion: “Let’s make our own! Side hustle project?”

A few video conferences and a full competitive analysis later, we realized we might be onto something. We quickly assembled a network of advisers from the magazine industry to test our concept. Their reactions were all the same: a publication like this doesn’t yet exist—and the time is right for starting one. 

We've been hard at work to bring you a magazine you deserve. 

Since launching our concept a year ago, we’ve gone from research and development to a full blown production cycle for our debut issue, coming in June 2019. We put in hours and hours of collaboration over the past year to build out a sustainable business model, branding and production plan, focus groups in San Francisco and New York, a global team of contributors and advisors with deep backgrounds in journalism, photography, digital publishing, social media, magazine advertising and print media. Issue One brings together over 40 writers, photographers, illustrators, designers and editors from all over the world, with stories that span 

Your donations will help us build quality content for the inaugural issue, to be published in early 2019. Our features traverse the U.K., Syria, Guinea Bissau, Mexico, India, the South Pacific, and the U.S., showcasing the stories of women shaping food sustainability, climate change, combat discrimination and the future of cities. We delve into the science of endurance training, unravel the psychology of female competitiveness, and debunk common fertility myths. “He Said” takes us inside the rise of men’s circles, where emotions define modern masculinity. We cover travel, herstory, career and culture through a female lens, from the art of traveling solo to closing the investment gap.

 

Trix stories meet women where they're at, not where they're supposed to be.

 The first half of Trix magazine is designated for quality, bite-sized content. Literary, film, music and entertainment reviews featuring up-and-coming female creators. Practical life hacks beyond love and looks. An athlete’s personal tips for longevity, performance, and recovery. Op-eds from subject matter experts and thought leaders on our most pressing issues today. “Herstory,” an untold slice of female history, from high heels to birth control. “He Said,” a male-authored perspective on gendered topics we’re all grappling with. 

The second half is designated for long-form features and deep dives on global affairs, design, travel, health and wellness, and change makers across a variety of industries and causes. A glimpse into matriarchal societies on disappearing islands. How the #MeToo movement is impacting the developing world. DIY design projects. The recent rise in female alcoholism and its ties to mental health issues. The evolutionary biology behind toxic female competitiveness and how to turn it around.  Women leveling the playing field in the rise of cryptocurrency. Career retrospectives. Motherhood, including the perspective of alternative types of families. A choose-your-own-adventure road-tripping guide. Women solo sojourning to Antarctica to set athletic records and advance scientific research. 

Woven throughout our content will be strong female voices and role models, including entrepreneurs, activists, scientists, financiers, teachers, artists, academics, athletes, and explorers. And we’ll tell their whole stories, including all the things they learned from failure and the choices they made when things didn’t go as planned. 

It's more than a magazine -- it's a movement. By elevating the voices of strong women, we aim to advance a world where their stories are the norm, not the exception. 

We know about the negative impact that typical fashion and beauty magazines can have on self-image: studies have shown it takes just 60 minutes for a woman to feel a decline in her self-worth after reading that kind of publication. 

Trix instead will lift women up by showcasing the humanity behind inspiring role models. By fostering a community of strong female readers around the globe. And by amplifying storytelling that pushes the boundaries on what it means to be a woman in today's world.

Video credits and recognition: 

Video production by www.chrislcone.wix.com/csquaredmedia (IG: @csquared_media)

Music and soundtrack by Jocelyn Mackenzie (www.jocelynmackenzie.com)