Introducing: Behind the Veil
I have a big announcement, and it’s important.
But first, I have a question for you.
When was the last time you read Marie Claire magazine? Just a handful of years ago, I’d gather that the answer for most of us would be “never”. Originally intended for the 90’s American career woman, the magazine’s relevance faded over the last few decades. It was stale, dusty, dated — a glossy whose luster had dulled.
Until 2023. That’s when Nikki Ogunnaike, a beloved editor and fashion industry fixture, took the helm of the faltering title. (After being acquired from Hearst in 2021 by Future Media, the company was intentionally beefing up their women’s interest portfolio by also adding Who What Wear to their docket not long after — more on that at BoF.)
The TL/DR is this: At Hearst, the ship was sinking. Future pulled it out of the water and installed a new captain. Almost immediately, Marie Claire — and Nikki — were the names on New York’s lips.
The turnaround has been swift and mighty. Nikki, along with WWW’s Hillary Kerr, built a veritable “dream team” of editors and contributors that whipped Marie Claire’s (now almost entirely digital) presence into shape.
The brand launched a hit podcast and newsletter, added a robust event calendar and overhauled the content offering, effectively turning the publication from a no-read to a must-read.
Nikki has been vocal about her ambitions to broaden and deepen Marie Claire’s beauty coverage in 2025.
That’s where I come in.
Earlier this year, I expressed my desire to contribute an ongoing column somewhere and Nikki reached out right away.
We both liked the idea of a pop-up column detailing the beauty treatments I’m doing leading up to my New Year’s Eve wedding.
Every month, I’ll write about something new: think holistic dentistry, wild peels, tackling the taboos of “looksmaxxing” and deep-diving into stuff like facial posture.
If it’s weird, experimental, and effective, I’m trying it this year — and writing about it for Marie Claire in a new column called “Behind the Veil”.
It’s important to note that Substack writers and legacy media can be complimentary. A major collab like this benefits everyone, but it takes a visionary leader like Nikki to see that.
(I am still shopping around another column idea btw — looking at you, Vogue).
I’ll leave you with this great quote from her in Feed Me a few weeks ago, a sentiment I fully cosign:
“In my opinion, [legacy media and newsletters] coexisting (and not just that, but actually creating a symbiotic relationship) is the way to succeed. I have a good friend who often says “everyone can eat,” and I truly feel this way (and not on some Pollyanna-type of vibes). I just believe that if your product is good—whether you work in legacy media, social media, or if you’re a legacy social media creator (see what I did there? Because those also exist!)—there will be a space for you. And you should work with people across these various groups to create great content.”
See y’all behind the veil. First column’s out now.
You're the real deal.
Oh this is so fun, can't wait to read it!