Everything that glitters is Bronze!!

“It feels so good to inspire others, whether it’s on our website, digital issues, or on social media, while providing a platform where some of the not-so mainstream individuals can tell their stories and shine.”

Shawn Stuldivant, Founder/Editor-in-Chief at Bronze Magazine

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Roar wants to celebrate one our She-roes, the one and only Ms. Shawn Stuldivant. Shawn is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief at Bronze Magazine, an online magazine that seeks to celebrate, empower and inspire women of color. After coming across this amazing online masterpiece, we simply had to celebrate the woman behind the scenes who overcame the obstacles within her industry and is now making and sharing the true beauty that lies within women of color in a world that too often tries to dull our shine. It is my sincere pleasure to share my conversation with Shawn about her journey to Bronze Magazine and how she is doing her part to ROAR!!

ROAR: Tell me a bit about yourself.

Shawn: I am the Editor-in-Chief of Bronze Magazine, an online/digital/print-on-demand platform that celebrates, empowers, and inspires women of color. I am a native NJ girl who now resides in Queens, NY with my husband Barry (who I Co-own Bronze Magazine with) and our cool cat named Kitty. I have both a Bachelor’s and MBA in Marketing. In my down time I love to travel, attend concerts/plays, read, spend time with family, eat good food, watch movies, and listen to good music.

ROAR: What are some challenges that you faced as a woman of color within your industry?

Shawn: I’ve been at this for five years, and I can honestly say that I have faced tough challenges in general, more so than challenges specifically based upon my race. Independent magazine publishing is a very competitive industry, especially since it is heavily saturated. I think one of our biggest challenges is in making Bronze more visible to potential subscribers/fans. We don’t have this huge marketing budget like most mainstream magazine publications, so it takes a lot of hard work and creativity to put the word out. I am confident though, that interviews such as this (thank you very much!) will help to get more people familiar with the magazine.

ROAR: Tell us about your journey to – and within – Bronze magazine.

Shawn: I began my journey with Bronze Magazine quite by accident. I was looking for a way to use my voice to inspire other black women, so I started a blog. I had never blogged before, nor did I have any real technical skills when it came to creating a blog/website. But I did some research, and then I was on my way. At that time, I noticed that media outlets weren’t depicting black women in a positive light, if at all, so I decided to use my positive voice to make a change. Since my target demographic was African American women, I wanted a strong name that would represent who we are. I decided on Bronze, because if you look it up in the dictionary, bronze is defined as an alloy (a metal that gives greater strength or resistance to corrosion) of copper and tin and sometimes other elements. This definition blew my mind, because it represented exactly the message I wanted to convey about the strength of black women and our various beautiful brown shades that make us so unique. So once I had the name, I was ready to start putting some inspiration out into the universe! Over time, the blog changed and evolved into a magazine, and many articles and interview later, we are still going strong. I find that as I continue on with this amazing platform, that I learn so much from and become inspired by the amazing individuals we interview/feature.

ROAR: What is the best part about the work you and your team are doing at Bronze Magazine?

Shawn: The best part is definitely the inspiration. It feels so good to inspire others, whether it’s on our website, digital issues, or on social media, while providing a platform where some of the not-so mainstream individuals can tell their stories and shine. We always read about the lives of rich and famous celebs, but there are so many other individuals out there who also have awesome stories to tell and journeys to share.

ROAR:Why do you think it’s so important for women of color to have magazines such as Bronze Magazine out there?

Shawn: This is a great question. Black women get a bad rap in mainstream media. Let’s face it. We aren’t represented enough, celebrated enough, or even understood enough. Magazines such as Bronze provide an outlet or platform so-to-speak, which allows women of color to see themselves positively in all cultural aspects of life: Beauty, fashion, health/fitness, relationships, business, entertainment etc.

ROAR: What’s one of the biggest challenges and advances that Bronze Magazine faces in your industry?

Shawn: I think one of the biggest challenges is in standing out against the other more mainstream magazines which are geared towards African American women, and tightening our target demographic here in NYC. I think one of the advances we have is in continuing to strengthen and increase the reach of our target demographic through digital media.

ROAR: We’ve spoken about your movement, Brown So Beautiful, but tell me a bit more about your inspiration for creating it?

Shawn: Brown So Beautiful, formerly known as Love My Body, Love My Skin, was born out of my desire to see the beauty of black women celebrated. We come in so many various beautiful shades, sizes, and hair textures, yet, we are very rarely acknowledged for our beauty. Even within our own culture there is self-doubt and even in some instances shame, because we don’t fit into the European standard of beauty. Brown So Beautiful is a movement that says, “Hey, you are beautiful just as you are, with your full lips, curvy hips, or kinky natural hair, and dark/light skin.” There’s no need to worry about fitting into anyone else’s cultural standard of beauty, because here we have our own, and it’s Brown So Beautiful! And yes, this also goes for our sisters who are beautifully mixed ☺

ROAR: What do you hope to accomplish with the Bronze magazine and the Brown So Beautiful movement?

Shawn: I think what I am trying to accomplish is a celebration of culture as black women infused with inspiration and empowerment. There are many cultures that celebrate their own rich heritages and customs with pride. There is nothing wrong with being proud of who you are.

ROAR: How important is it for women of color to unite in our fight against sexism and gender inequality?

Shawn: On top of everything else we battle as women of color, I think fighting sexism and gender equality are equally important. I truly believe that coming together and not seeing one another as the enemy will help us to remain strong together. Knowing our worth, standing strong, and making our voices heard individually as well as collectively will help to effectively create social change.

ROAR: If you could share one core inspirational message to all women of color, what would it be?

Shawn: I have a favorite excerpt from a poem titled Believe in Miracles! By someone named Vickie M. Worsham that goes, “Love your life. Believe in your own power; your own potential, and your own innate goodness. Every morning, wake with the awe of just being alive. Each day, discover the magnificent, awesome beauty in the world. Explore and embrace life in yourself and in everyone you see each day. Reach within to find your own specialness.”

Thank you Shawn for sharing your story to #Celebrate #Empower and #Inspire us as women of color! #hearher #Roar

#Bronze #Magazine