Friends and Supporters,
I hope you had a relaxing and joyful holiday season. I was fortunate enough to visit my family in Philadelphia and take a full week of rest and recharge at home in NYC – much needed after a hectic December.
The new year is off to an exciting start with our 8th issue announcement, diving into the topic of fatness. Womanly was born out of a desire to change the narrative, particularly the negative treatment of fat people and fatness in traditional women’s magazines. The constant fixation on dieting is tired and shameful, and it's time for a shift. We're embracing our bodies, celebrating fat joy, and sharing the real lived experiences of fat people in 2024.
Check out the details below for pitching and submission guidelines.
Wishing you all the best in this new year,
Attia
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Open for Submissions and Pitches - Issue No. 8 On Fatness
We’re officially open for submissions and pitches for our 8th issue. The Womanly editorial team will accept art and written works on the topic of fatness as it relates to joy, health care, media, personal experiences, disabilities, queerness, sex, and more. We’re also accepting pitches and submissions on anti-fat bias and fatphobia. Submit until midnight EST on February 2, 2024.
Featured Opportunities
Planned Parenthood is hiring a Product Manager for their Digital Products Team. Salary starting at $98k.
BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective) is hiring a Director of Communications. Apply by February 5th. Salary starting at $110k.
The 2023 Booooooom Photo Awards are accepting submissions. Apply by January 12th for a chance to win $1k, editorial and social coverage, and a feature in a printed publication.
The 2024 Freelance Journalism Conference of the Institute for Independent Journalists is happening February 29th to March 1st. Their mission is to support the emotional and financial sustainability of freelancers of color.
SAADA creates a space of belonging for South Asian Americans. They’re hiring for an Executive Assistant. Salary starting at $55k.
Center for Book Arts in NYC promotes active explorations of artistic practices related to the book as an art object. They’re looking for an Educational Programs Manager and a Studio Community Manager. Salary starting at $60k.
Cave Canem is a Brooklyn-based organization committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of Black poets. They’re hiring a Programs Coordinator. Salary starting at $58k.
Vera List Visual Arts Center at MIT is hiring an Assistant Director. Salary starting at $102k.
Featured Founder - Darcel Rideout of GRAFRICA
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA.
What inspired you to start a clothing brand?
I was inspired to start GRAFRICA (Graph-ik-ah) after a typographical image of the continent Africa appeared to me in a dream. When I awoke from that dream I sketched the image of a blank sheet of printer paper. I was unsure of what I wanted to do with the image once I saw it in reality. All I knew was that I was sitting on a goldmine but was unsure of how to mine the gold through my creativity. When I showed the sketch to my wife, who was my then coworker, she asked if I was going to put it on a t-shirt. It is now the signature image that you see printed on our apparel today.
What has been one of your biggest challenges or learnings thus far as a small business owner?
My biggest challenge thus far as a small business owner is keeping up with popular demand. I print the Black & Gold GRAFRICA apparel myself. The demand for those products have increased but I am still a one-woman show until I can partner with a printing company who can assure the quality of our most popular product. The challenge of being a one-woman show operating a small business has taught me that a sustainable business is not operated single handedly. The saying, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”, resonates daily as I contemplate ways to assemble a dream team.
What do you need most as an entrepreneur?
What I need most as an entrepreneur is a wealth of resources to build GRAFRICA’s profitability, while allowing the business to pour its overflow of wealth into poor communities of color. As a Black woman business owner, I understand that many difficulties await me in a pursuit to leverage my business as a ticket to financial freedom. But I am motivated to set myself and others financially free with this business.
Shop GRAFRICA and follow them on Instagram.
Before you go! Resources and organizations to support…
Join The Bad Academy on January 25th for the F*ck Diet Culture online workshop to unpack diet culture and fatphobia in pregnancy and parenthood.
This guide from Flurrish on protection for LGBTQ+ folks from digital self-harm.
Contact your representatives to demand a permanent ceasefire (ceasefiretoday.com). If you live in the U.S., call 202 224 3121.
Activists vow to ‘fight back’ for Black women after Texas ruling on emergency abortions via The Grio.
Threats to abortion access cause spike in requests for abortion pills via NPR.
RSVP for a natural dye workshop on January 28th with Sustain Frame and OUTOFSEAM at Venus Store - Space in Williamsburg.
This op-ed explains how teen girls and young women in prison often have no understanding of how their body works via Teen Vogue.