Food, Family, Fashion: Why Lifestyle Journalism Is Necessary In Today’s Society

As a young and eager journalist ready to share her words with the world, it’s important that I figure out what I want to actually write about first.

I am not a serious person. I am a half glass full, look on the bright side type of gal so my writing topics need to reflect that. You will never catch me writing about the news or politics or some other serious topic and don’t even get me started on sports (LeBron James is a football player right?).

That is where I stumbled upon lifestyle journalism or what I like to call, the “lighthearted” side of journalism. Don’t get me wrong; news, politics, and yes, even sports, can be important and interesting topics to cover, but not for me. The latest restaurant opening, fashion trends, or even what happened in the latest episode of The Bachelor (that fence jump!?) — these are the topics in which I truly thrive and enjoy writing about.

My passion for lifestyle journalism stems from my genuine enjoyment reading lifestyle magazines as a child growing up. When I was younger, you could expect me in the magazine aisle of the grocery store reading the latest issues of Tiger Beat and Seventeen as my mother shopped around. As a child, I was a fashion and celebrity enthusiast. All I wanted to talk about was the latest news regarding One Direction or the best places to shop for school dances. I never asked for this life — maybe being named after Kelly Taylor from Beverly Hills, 90210 meant I was born for this life.

Even Kelly Taylor doesn’t like sports via: giphy.com

As I mentioned, this passion was not discovered recently. In high school, I was an avid blogger. From sharing tips and fashion advice to my readers (although they were mainly close friends and family) to discussing milestone moments (graduating high school, turning 18, prom, etc.), I have always thoroughly enjoyed writing about everyday events for the everyday person.

When I got the opportunity to intern for New York Family magazine last spring, this is where it actually hit me that I could make a living writing about what I truly enjoy — fashion, family, and most importantly, food. Being able to interview doulas, MET choreographers and more opened my eyes to a world I was ready to enter. People like reading stories about spring fashion trends or tasty 5-minute recipes as these can only make you feel better in the end. I want my words to put a smile on people’s faces.

via giphy.com

Writing about lifestyle is more than who wore what or who just got married to who, it’s about sharing stories about topics that can actually influence people’s lives. For instance, it is very rare that someone is going to buy a neon green jacket just because they feel like it. It’s going to be because somewhere on the internet, they read how neon is coming back in fashion (it is) and that it is a necessary item to add to their wardrobe.

As someone who is constantly reading lifestyle material to change and improve my own life, I feel it only makes sense that I give back to all of those I have learned from over the years with the hopes that one day, my words can inspire and influence a young girl out there in a positive way as well.

So what now? How will I take this goal of becoming a lifestyle journalist and make it a reality? Well, that’s kind of the hard part at the moment. I know where I want to work and I know the type of content that I am well-suited to create, but I am just not sure what to do to actually get my foot in the door.

That is where this blog will hopefully come in. Starting now, I am going to push myself to write more content that I actually want to write about. From covering red carpet looks during award ceremonies to the top food trends to try this year, I am going to create more content with the intention that my words will be available for the world to see. Who knows — maybe the right person will come along and read one of my posts and I will be on my way in becoming the next Anna Wintour (although we can all agree I’m more of a Grace Coddington).

Opening image courtesy of rawpixel

#writing #fashion #blogging #journalism #food #family #lifestyle