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: substantive conversations for globally minded women across generations.

Unlike most women’s magazines, which tend to focus on improving their readers’ lives through beauty and fashion and self-help guides, Trix celebrates women defining success on their own terms. 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. 

Over the past few months, we’ve built out a sustainable business model, branding and production plan, mocked out our first issue incorporating story ideas generated by focus groups in San Francisco and New York, built a team of core contributors and advisors with deep backgrounds in journalism, photography, digital publishing, social media, magazine advertising and print media. We've also begun partnering with writers and subject matter experts to test story ideas and have a full prototype table of contents ready to fully develop. 

Your donations will help us build quality content for the inaugural issue, to be published in early 2019. During and after launching each issue, we'll bring our authors, featured change makers, photographers, and readers together for live Trix events in cities across the U.S., forging a community of like-minded women: curious, unstoppable, collaborative forces who firmly believe we are always better together. 
 

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. 

Operating on a lean and sustainable production staff, we’ll source freelance writers, designers, artists, and photographers from our wide network of creative women (and men!) around the world. 

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)

Custom illustrations by Cécile L. Parker https://www.instagram.com/cecile0112358/

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

Risks and challenges

In a time when digital media is disrupting traditional mediums, we're aware of the financial risks we assume by launching a glossy, print magazine. But those calculated risks are just a stepping stone to our longer term vision for Trix, which we'll sustain through a hybrid revenue model that includes both digital and print content, sponsored content, ticketed Trix events, and paid subscriptions both to our magazine and private Slack community. The online community will complement in-person interactions with fellow Trix readers, where readers and collaborators can weigh in on story ideas and explore top-of-mind questions related to the female experience. Print magazines all over the world are innovating to keep their businesses relevant in the digital age and we're tapping into our network of advisors to do the same.

It takes entrepreneurial nerve to strike out in any new venture, and given the challenges of launching a magazine, we're adopting a pro grit and learn-as-we-go mentality to bring Trix to life. As we build the first issue, we'll inevitably encounter bumps and set backs along the way -- but you have our full commitment to transparency and constant communication from our team so you know we're continuously learning and improving as we go.