Introducing Tweety Elitou, a seasoned wordsmith for multiple media outlets whose journey through the realm of literature has now led to a new chapter as a publisher/editor-in-chief of BrownStyle Magazine.
What inspired the creation of your multicultural online publication, BrownStyle Magazine, and how does it align with your mission to celebrate the lives of modern women of color?
Working as an editor in the fast-paced media world, it was far too easy to get sucked up into “hustle culture” and the stress of maintaining a work-life balance.
After six years working at BET, I decided to take a chance on myself and embark on my soft life journey. It wasn’t long before I began to meet other women who were also seeking a life filled with self-care, opulence, unity, and love. BrownStyle Magazine is a lifestyle and luxury platform dedicated to today’s Women Of Color who want to live a life filled with good vibes only!
In the ever-changing digital landscape, how do you plan to differentiate your platform and make it more inclusive for today’s women of color?
My background in editorial has given me an up-close look at how powerful storytelling can be. Even in today’s ever-changing digital landscape, people still value reading stories that uplift and inspire. At BrownStyle Magazine, we make it a point to write stories that speak to our readers’ minds, bodies, and souls.
Can you provide an overview of the diverse topics and areas of interest that your platform will explore?
At BrownStyle Magazine, we cover a broad range of lifestyle categories— including fashion, beauty, wellness, travel, love, success, and relationships.
How do you intend to cultivate a sense of community and engagement among your audience?
BrownStyle Magazine is built on community! As a safe space for WOC, our platform provides women the opportunity to share stories that uplift, inspire, and start thought-provoking conversations. For example, we recently published a personal essay about a married woman who happily solo dates and it started a healthy discussion with our readers about the importance of solo dating as an act of self-care and self-love.
Your mission emphasizes empowerment; could you elaborate on how you aim to empower women through your platform?
As women, our accomplishments and achievements are often overlooked. We hope to change this. It is our desire that our platform empowers WOC to continue to shine brightly by providing them with a platform to celebrate their wins. We also want to empower our readers to define their own #SoulfulSoftLife filled with self-care and wellness.
What role do your talented team members play in crafting engaging and informative content for your readers?
Our writers and contributors do an amazing job of writing stories that are both engaging and informative. And a big shoutout to our editors and the creative team for all that they do!
Could you share some examples of the types of stories and discussions that your audience can anticipate?
I’m really excited for our audience to check out our self-care and wellness section. Emerald Elitou, my sister and co-founder, recently kicked off her “Ways To Wellness” column with a fascinating interview with Tia Mowry. In the conversation, the busy mom and actress opened up about her self-care and wellness routine and how she keeps her peace of mind. It was a great example of the kind of discussions we will continue to have on our platform.
How does your platform plan to reflect and promote diversity and inclusivity in its content and community?
In my opinion, diversity and inclusivity make the world a beautiful place. At BrownStyle Magazine, we hope to use our platform to offer unique thoughts and perspectives from today’s WOC. We also think it’s important to offer a space for allies of the Black and Brown communities to share in the conversation and celebration of our creativity (without gaslighting us).
What exciting offerings can your readers expect from your newsletter, and how they can participate in exclusive content and events?
Our BrownStyle Society is an exclusive community that’s rapidly growing! I can’t share too much about the experience without ruining the surprises, but I can say that it’s all about good vibes and good energy. It’s truly an extension of the experience you get on our website. If anyone is curious, I highly suggest they sign up for our email newsletter!
How do you see your platform contributing to the broader cultural dialogue regarding women of color today?
Despite the differences in our cultural backgrounds, we have far more in common than we all think. In the Black and Brown community, we share a lot of similar experiences and I feel like I learn that more and more as we invite WOC from around to world to share their personal experiences on our platform.
In your opinion, what are some of the unique challenges and opportunities that women of color face today, and how do you plan to address them?
Thanks to social media, today’s WOC experience endless pressure to keep up with the rich and famous. There’s constantly this reminder that you have to live a lavish lifestyle in order to be happy. We want to combat these ideals by inspiring our readers to define their own luxury.
Lastly, what advice would you offer to aspiring women of color interested in pursuing careers in media and journalism, especially in the digital age?
I would urge WOC who are interested in a career in media and journalism in the digital age to be patient. Work hard and you will get the benefits. In today’s fast-paced environment, it could seem that everyone else is succeeding faster than you are, yet this couldn’t be further from the reality. You just see the result; you are not aware of the amount of time and effort it took them to get where they are. They offer an illusion of perfection but trust me when I say that they didn’t get there by chance.
BE’N ORIGINAL
