This month SHE DEFINED turns three. And what a wonderful three years it has been.
When I started this business in 2017, I had a vision to create a publication that could speak to women in a different way. I wasn’t interested in celebrity gossip columns or spruiking crazy diets, and I was sick of the click-bait headlines that never delivered what they promised.
What I really craved was stories about real women facing real issues amidst all the complexities of this modern world. I wanted to elevate the voices of women and offer women more of a representation in the media. I wanted to produce well-researched and thought-provoking articles that would appeal to a diverse audience of women. I hope we have achieved that to some extent.
I realise launching a digital publication as media companies are shrinking, print titles are closing, and the online landscape is becoming increasingly competitive seems counter-intuitive, but nothing is ever easy when you’re trying to do something different, when you’re trying to challenge the status quo.
We have covered a huge gamut of stories over the past three years, including feeling undecided about having children, what a female software developer looks like, what it’s like to live with endometriosis, why we need to stop complimenting women on losing weight, how gender inequality still affects Australian women today, removing the stigma of seeing a therapist, and, more recently, what it feels like to be living through a global pandemic.
Over the past three years, we have published more than 260 stories, interviewed hundreds of women, worked with 15 writers and other creatives, and partnered with other publishers to syndicate content.
But these quantifiable metrics in no way measure up to the incredible feedback we receive from readers about how relevant and enjoyable our stories are, and I hope our content continues to reflect what you – our readers – truly want.
While we have our own purpose-driven mission, we always aspire to evolve and listen to what you tell us. Because there’s nothing better than resonating with another woman’s perspective, or realising that your concerns are shared, or finally feeling seen in the media.
We are only as good as the women who engage with us, so I encourage you to keep reaching out and consuming our content, so we can continue to evolve.
I’d like to personally thank every single reader that has engaged with SHE DEFINED on some level – every article you’ve read, every Facebook post you’ve shared, every comment you’ve left, every email newsletter sign up we’ve received, I am grateful for it all. Without our readers, this publication wouldn’t exist.
And if you enjoy our content, I encourage you to share it with your friends and family – the more this publication grows, the more we’ll be able to bring you good stories and continue supporting and empowering women.
I can’t begin to imagine what the next few years have in store. I hope you continue enjoying the stories we publish and that you can continue to support this independently-run publication created by women for women.
