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How to write for Vogue

Dream of becoming a fashion writer? Today we bring you how to write and pitch your article to the Chanel of magazines: Vogue.

Of course, the strategies I will give you can also be applied to writing for any of your other favorite magazines. From choosing the market to understanding the tone and pitching, this article has everything you need to learn to write for Vogue.

Know the differences in the Vogue markets

Vogue is not the same everywhere. The international editions, although they have some things in common because they are all Vogue, differ in the length and type of content. For example, American Vogue is known to be very commercial and feature celebrities, while Italian Vogue is one of the most artistic. Those differences define the article topics the Vogue team (potentially including you) will write about. Therefore, you should study the issues carefully and identify which international edition of Vogue appeals most to you.

Another aspect to take into consideration when choosing the Vogue market is whether you prefer print or digital. Vogue print issues are released monthly and feature less content than digital. While vogue.com publishes many articles daily so there are more chances to get your idea published especially if you are a beginner.

Finally, remember that besides Vogue, there is Vogue Business. As per the title, this online publication shares the business side of the fashion industry. Unlike Vogue, which focuses on trends, shopping, celebrities, runway, etc. Ask yourself: which one do you prefer?

Vogue in-house writer VS freelancer

In every publication you will find two types of writers : those who work in-house, aka staff writers, and freelancers/contributors.

In-house opportunities are limited and reserved for the most experienced writers. So if you are just beginning your career as a fashion writer and want to write for Vogue, you should search for internships at the magazine. Already as a Vogue intern, you might get the chance to write but more likely for the digital section.

Keep in mind that job and internship postings online are rare so you should send a cold email to Vogue editors with your resume , cover letter , and a portfolio with a few writing samples (even those you wrote for yourself) asking for an internship opportunity. I teach about cold emailing fashion companies in my free webinar.

Another possibility to write for Vogue is by freelancing. This option can be perfect for you if you don’t want to write exclusively for Vogue or you simply don’t want to work in an office. However, while there are many perks to being a freelance fashion writer, having more liberty involves more responsibilities. While you might believe it is all about writing an article, a lot of work goes into the entire process of submitting your work to Vogue or any fashion publication. Whether you choose to freelance on the side or full-time, you need certain strategies in place to help you, like adopting a good time management, setting your rates, and do a lot of pitching.

How to pitch Vogue

Pitching is the most effective strategy to get your work published. This is when as a fashion writer you contact the Editor directly via email to propose your article idea and get published in the magazine. So, once you have done all your research, brainstormed your proposal ideas and considered the writing style; you are ready to draft your pitch.

The first step is to find the email of the editor you need; it’s crucial to ensure your pitch is sent to the right editor . A common mistake many people make is pitching to the wrong Editor, which often leads to your ideas being ignored. To guarantee your article and proposal is considered correctly, you need to find the email of the correct Editor working within the category your idea falls under. For example, you wouldn’t pitch an article on the latest beauty trends to the Fashion Editor. It’s also important to consider the country you are pitching to. A publication as large as Vogue will have a different Fashion Editor for Vogue UK to Vogue America.

The next step it of course to draft your pitch. Make sure to keep it short and sweet, but as much as it’s important to keep your pitch condensed, you also want to make it clear you are familiar with the publication and it’s work, while keeping a professional tone.

Your pitch should include the following sections:

• Introduce yourself. Briefly explain who you are and what you do

2. Pitch your idea: Explain how your article fits in with Vogue and by which date you can send it to them.

3. Attach links of sample articles of previous work you have had published

4. Add your contact details like your email address and your LinkedIn profile.

Understand the tone of the publication

Before you begin to consider anything from your article idea to the pitch, it’s important to first research the publication! Head to vogue.com or to your local shop to pick up the latest print copy of Vogue.

It’s crucial to have an understanding and knowledge of the magazine from the tone and style to the content. This will ensure your ideas and pitch will fit Vogue perfectly. When looking at the online publication, take note of which categories and subcategories stand out to you. Which best suits your niche and writing interests? Ensure you read some of the articles within this section to get a feeling for the tone of voice of the magazine. You can apply the same strategy when reading through the physical copy. You should even underline or highlight phrases, words, or sentences that stand out to you within the articles.

As you read the articles within your niche ask yourself:

Is this a more casual, chatty tone or serious and professional?

Does it feel like you’re reading from an older sister or a serious industry insider, or even a mix of both?

Is it written in the first or third person?

Use these questions to help you get a deeper understanding of the tone of voice within Vogue, to ensure you can fit within this writing style.

Consider the Lead Time

But before you begin brainstorming any ideas, it’s important to consider the overall the lead time. This term acknowledges the time taken from the moment you submit your article idea to the publishing date. It can help you decide between writing for print or digital.

Any professional writer will be mindful of how relevant and fresh an idea will still be, once it is published. As print is published monthly, the lead time can be from 6 weeks to 3 months. Therefore you have to think ahead clearly. Whereas if you aim to write for Vogue online, the digital platform is updated daily and the turnover is a lot quicker. So you can even pitch a week in advance. However, as Vogue is the top fashion magazine in the world, I would include even a week or two to answer your email pitch. Ensure you consider anything from 2 weeks to one month in advance when searching for your ideas to get published for Vogue.

Generating Vogue article ideas 

Coming up with an article idea can be the most challenging part of fashion writing. Sometimes you can feel out of inspiration or lost of thoughts. To guarantee you can bring out your best ideas, there is a plan you can put in place. Let’s face it, you don’t want to have one of those blank pages the day you send your pitch to Vogue, do you?

Start by mind mapping any ideas you may already have stored. It’s surprising once you start writing down your base ideas, how many more will suddenly spring to mind. Take a look at current news affairs and the digital Vogue categories again. Write each category out and think about what you would like to read within that category. Or what the audience of Vogue might be missing? Don’t underestimate the power of a good pen and paper brainstorming session. Once you have your idea, you can search the keywords of them within the website, to ensure they haven’t been published recently. You don’t want to come across uninformed to the editors of Vogue.

Of course, this strategy is more difficult to implement with print, as there is no way to see a constant workflow of ideas from the publication. It is crucial you take into account the longer lead time and propose several ideas if you want to write for Vogue.

Develop your Writing Style

Once you have your article idea, think about how you will write it. Take your notes from the very beginning and remind yourself of the tone of the publication and their writing style just before you write your piece. This will ensure you are fully in the mind of a writer of Vogue. It can help to re-read your favourite articles to soak up the writing style.

Nevertheless, it is also important to not lose your unique voice within your writing. Don’t be nervous if your writing does not look exactly like that of other Vogue writers. Everyone has their own writing style which will shine through all their articles and makes them recognizable. Publications want you to fit within their tone of voice while bringing a unique voice and a fresh perspective. So developing your writing style is a fundamental aspect to consider when writing for Vogue.

If you want to impress Vogue editors and you aim to write for the digital platform of Vogue, then consider learning SEO aka Search Engine Optimization . Using SEO in your writing is fundamental to fashion publications to drive traffic to the website. Although it may sound complicated, it is as simple as following some guidelines when writing. This can include adding keywords and external and internal links throughout the article.

Proofread your Vogue articles

When writing your piece, it is crucial to re-read it several times to make sure all your grammar and spelling are on point. No publication, especially Vogue will ever publish an article with a mistake. This is incredibly important to establish yourself as a professional writer for the top global fashion publication.

To learn more about how to start your career as a fashion writer and become published by your favorite publications, enroll in my online course The Fashion Writing Accelerator or start with my free webinar .

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Writers wishing to submit nonfiction to Harper’s Magazine are invited to send queries to the address below, accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The magazine will neither consider nor return unsolicited nonfiction manuscripts.

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Unlike many magazines, Creative Nonfiction draws heavily from unsolicited submissions. Our editors believe that providing a platform for emerging writers and helping them find readers is an essential role of literary magazines, and it’s been our privilege to work with many fine writers early in their careers. A typical issue of CNF contains at least one essay by a previously unpublished writer.

We’re open to all types of creative nonfiction, from immersion reportage to lyric essay to memoir and personal essays. Our editors tend to gravitate toward submissions structured around narratives, but we’re always happy to be surprised by work that breaks outside this general mold. Above all, we’re interested in writing that blends style with substance and reaches beyond the personal to tell us something new about the world. 

Creative Nonfiction accepts submissions online through Submittable. Please read specific calls for submissions carefully. 

When you submit online, you will receive a confirmation email from Submittable. We try to respond to all submissions as quickly as possible, but because the submissions are more often than not at the upper end of the word limit and because we really do read everything carefully, the process often takes a long time. Unfortunately, this is especially true for work we like. If you have not heard from us since the initial confirmation email, please assume your manuscript is still under consideration. 

What is Creative Nonfiction?

Dive in with CNF Founder and Editor, Lee Gutkind

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78 / Experiments in Voice

Uncoventional narrators & shifting perspectives

What is voice? How do you find yours? How can you change it, rearrange it, play with it? And then, how can you use it to make change in the world? This issue is a celebration of writerly playfulness, exploration, and risk-taking, featuring breathless, epistolary, speculative, second-person, and snarky essays.

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We’re looking for writing about writing—smart and insightful ideas related to the art, craft, history, or philosophy of creative nonfiction.

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Essays accepted for publication in Creative Nonfiction undergo a fairly rigorous fact-checking process. To the extent your essay draws on research and/or reportage (and ideally, it should, to some degree), CNF editors will ask you to send documentation of your sources and to help with the fact-checking process. We do not require that citations be submitted with essays, but you may find it helpful to keep a file of your essay that includes footnotes and/or a bibliography.

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Here at Creative Nonfiction, we are always reading, searching for excellent new work to showcase in our various publications. At any given time, we usually have several submission portals open (see above calls for submissions), many of which require writers to pay a reading fee to submit their work.

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HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK TO TOP FASHION MAGAZINES

How to get published in Vogue? Fashion magazine submissions can be tricky. Whether you're looking to get your work published in Vogue Italia, Another Magazine, or L'Officiel magazine, we'll explain how to submit your work to top fashion magazines, with the help of photographer and Founder of Afi Magazine, Conrad Lee. You can also download a free list of magazines accepting submissions below.

How to Submit Work to a Fashion Magazine?

• Tell your shoot team that you intend to submit the work. Most submissions come from test shoots (collaborations with fashion teams) and it's important that, if you are the one arranging the test shoot, to tell the shoot team that you intend to submit the work and ask them not to publish or share the shots anywhere until you've sent them to the fashion magazines. Some fashion teams sign a  Test Shoot Agreement  (download a test shoot agreement template by clicking the link) before they shoot with a clause that outlines this point. If a fashion magazine sees that the shoot has been published elsewhere, it's less likely they will publish your submission. If you would like to arrange a Test Shoot (for free), click here to post your idea and source a shoot team or browse and apply for Test Shoots live on the Collaboration Board .
• Make a list of the magazines you'd like to submit your work. Pay attention to their previous content and themes. Read the submission guidelines to ensure you meet their criteria. Check if they have a particular theme for their next issue. Submission guidelines can generally be found on their website. If not, email them and ask if they A) accept submissions and B) when is the deadline for submissions and C) what the theme for the next issue. 
• Follow the submission guidelines . Some magazines have an online submission process. For example, Vogue Italia has a specific online process dedicated to online submissions. However, if you're required to email the work, a ZIP file containing high-res images, a PDF with the order of the shots and credits of the team will do.  
• Don't bulk email to a database of magazines. Typically, you can only have your work published in one magazine so choose your preference and work your way down the list. Give it around 2 weeks, if you don't hear anything back, re-submit the work to another magazine. Exclusivity (including use on their social media channels) is, more or less, mandatory. 
• Show editors that you understand their magazine. An email saying “Here are my photos, publish me” is less appealing to one explaining why you think your work is suitable for publication.  To get featured in highly competitive magazines such as, for example, Vogue, it's crucial that you understand what's required of your work before sending off your Vogue submissions. 
• Tell a story. For editorials, the story is key. What are you trying to convey in your fashion or beauty story? What mood? What product? Etc. An editorial with a good story is one that would likely to be picked over one without.

Do you need new fashion images to submit to fashion magazines? Click here to apply to test shoots and submit to magazines.

What makes a great fashion magazine.

There are a few things that I think make a great fashion magazine. Firstly, it’s great content, and this depends on the fashion magazine submissions. The content really defines the magazine and what it is about. What the magazine covers and whether readers like it is somewhat subjective. Whilst some Fashion magazines may focus on latest trends, others may focus more on news, business etc.

We at Afi chose to showcase the creative side of the fashion and photography industry by featuring fashion and beauty editorials, as well as interview creatives from this industry to share their work and words of wisdom. 

The key aspect is to have content that your target readers will find interesting and to predict that, you need to know and understand your target audience.  I often ask myself what I want my readers to feel after reading our magazines issue? Inspired? Motivated? Or maybe even in love?

The second aspect that I feel makes a great fashion magazine is it's aesthetics, especially for magazines showcasing fashion editorials. Magazine design and layout are really important aspects that help put a fashion story across in a cohesive way. The layout and designs also grabs attention and assist an editorial to become memorable. As an editor, I feel putting a good amount of effort into making the design neat and representable is a way of respecting the work of your contributors.

The magazine is like a gallery, I want to showcase my contributors work in the best way possible. This process is not easy, layout and designing is itself a creative process that requires time, and constant self-scrutiny and revision. Every aspect, from deciding on the cover, editorial title, type of font, to where the captions are placed can actually be tough decisions that one has to make. The quality and feel of the magazine really has to be consistent.

My third point is its exposure on social media and its influences. More readers mean your work gets seen to a wider audience, where future jobs and collaborations may arise. Certainly for a young independent magazine, building a following and network takes time to grow. However, the advantage of these smaller magazines is the personalised connections that they can make with it’s readers and contributors. Where, when and how a magazine shares contents can be a game changer in getting readers.

How do you choose which editorials to feature? 

It is often very hard to choose from numerous fashion magazine submissions! But firstly I would like to see that the submitter has followed all the submission guidelines when they send in their work. Fashion Magazine submissions  here .

Guidelines are there for a reason, and it also shows the editor that you have taken it seriously. Obviously, if the images do not meet the technical aspect for print (e.g. <300 dpi) then we cannot use them. Some magazines are very strict on guidelines, from the number of outfit changes, the source of outfits, to the requirement of agency models.

At Afi, I like to be less restrictive to give opportunities to a wider range of creatives. Therefore my advice is that before you submit anything, make sure it meets the requirements, from image size and format to team credits.

The photography, styling, makeup and hair are obviously all aspects that I will look at when deciding if an editorial is accepted. It really has to be creative, top notch work. Originality is great, as this will help inspire our readers with fresh content. Secondly, for editorials, the story is key. What are you trying to convey in your fashion or beauty story? What mood? What product? Etc. An editorial with a good story is one that would likely to be picked over one without. Changes in outfits, makeup, and hair etc will help make an editorial more interesting (although for those who do not have the team or budgets to create such a shoot, Afi magazine also accepts single images).

You also want to show editors you have an understanding of the magazine [you are suggesting to]. An email saying “Here are my photos, publish me” is less appealing to one explaining why they think their work is suitable for publication. We sometimes put a preferred theme in an issue and will put out a mood board, submissions consistent with the theme are obviously preferred. Just bearing all of these little things in mind may help you get your work published.

What advice would you give freelancers who wish to submit editorial work to magazines?

With fashion magazine submissions, you must pay attention to the magazine's previous contents, future mood boards, and themes. Make sure you read the magazine's submission guidelines and that your images meet their criteria. The more creative and original your editorial is, the more attractive it is for publication. Think about what message and mood you are trying to convey in your editorial story, and plan your makeup, hair, styling, lighting and location etc accordingly.

Sometimes your editorials will still get rejected despite how awesome it is, purely because it may not fit with the style of the magazine, so make sure you have done your research, and keep trying. Once you have been accepted for publication, make sure your work remains exclusive until it is officially released by the magazine. It is not unheard of to have editorials pulled from a publication if it was shared prior to its magazine release. My last piece of advice is to keep a good relationship with the magazine and editors. Consistent quality work and a friendly face will help you get ahead of the game.

You have worked with some incredible freelancers @ Afi magazine. Which freelancers have been highlights for you?

Everyone that I have worked with on Afi has been incredible and they are all highlights in their own respect. Working with creative individuals from different parts of the industry has really broadened my way of thinking. From styling, colour matching to photo compositions. I have a tremendous amount of respect for everyone involved in these projects, and I really believe team-work is the key to producing an extraordinary outcome. So get out there and network, form your teams, make friends and create something beautiful. Freelancer Club is a perfect platform for this. 

Is your work good enough?  Upload your work now to the latest projects page to be seen by 1000's of fashion magazines.

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Here's How to Enter The New York Public Library “Books For All” Writing Contest

Have you ever wanted to be published in Teen Vogue? Well, now’s your chance!

We’re teaming up with The New York Public Library in honor of Books for All , their national initiative inviting communities across the country to stand against book banning and protect the freedom to read. The initiative includes a Teen Banned Books Club, with access to frequently banned titles for anyone in the U.S., as well as a National Teen Writing Contest for people aged 13-19 — with the grand prize-winning essay to be published here in Teen Vogue! Because of the vast increase in book bans and challenges throughout the US, the Library launched “Books For All,​​" in collaboration with the American Library Association and Unite Against Book Bans , to expand digital access to select titles and encourage members of the public, especially teens, to engage in the conversation around book bans and censorship. The campaign highlights the importance of reading and access to knowledge for all. It also underscores the vital role that public libraries play in our democracy.

“Teen Vogue is absolutely thrilled to work together with The New York Public Library on this contest in an era of increased book bans and attacks on education,” Versha Sharma, Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue, said. “Our mission at Teen Vogue is to educate, empower, and amplify the voices of the younger generation, a mission that feels more vital than ever. We encourage young people from all over the country to submit to this contest, something I definitely would have applied for as a teen myself! We are excited and honored to be partnering with an institution as essential as a public library, and are huge fans of NYPL’s efforts to make banned books available to read to students across the country.”

NYPL is the largest and most recognizable public library system in the country, with a wide array of services and offerings just for teens . Teen Vogue is renowned for combining youth-focused journalism with robust activism, including covering the Library’s annual Anti-Prom. NYPL provides teens with free spaces to create and explore who they are—including dedicated Teen Centers at select branches across the boroughs they serve, in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. With their Teen Voices magazine , they also give teens a platform to share their unique perspectives with the world, which is why we’re teaming up. There is a significant amount of overlap in our teen audiences. We share a joint base of young people who are empathetic, engaged, and passionate about the issues confronting our country — which includes book bans.

“At a time of rising book bans and challenges, The New York Public Library is inviting teens from all over the country to make their voices heard in our teen writing contest celebrating the freedom to read,” NYPL President Anthony W. Marx said. “Thank you to Teen Vogue for helping amplify teen voices on this crucial issue, particularly since we know many of the bans and challenges are directly targeting books for young people. The freedom to read is essential to our democracy and a right we must never take for granted.”

Below, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about the contest and how you can get your very first Teen Vogue byline.

The writing contest will ask teens around the country: “Why is the freedom to read important to you?”

There will be a selection board of NYPL staff members and Teen Vogue editors.

The grand prize winner will receive a $500 cash prize, and 20 additional essays will receive a $250 prize. Winning submissions will be published in a special issue of NYPL’s Teen Voices magazine, and the grand prize winner will be published on teenvogue.com.

Contestants must be between the ages of 13–19.

December 29, 2023.

Contestants can submit entries online at nypl.org/writingcontest.

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Want more from Teen Vogue ? Check this out:

Looking for more career advice? Check these stories out:

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Are You A Budding Creative? Here’s Your Chance To Be Featured In British Vogue

British Vogue and YouTube UK’s ongoing Vogue Visionaries series offers masterclasses with some of the leading British creatives helping to shape the cultural scene today – and, critically, helps up-and-coming talent figure out how to break into their industry of choice. Learn how to prepare for an audition with Aladdin star Naomi Scott ; hear Alexa Chung’s brilliant advice for launching your own fashion brand; watch as hairstylist Sam McKnight shares his insights into establishing working relationships; let Bernardine Evaristo teach you how to write a novel – and get it published –  and listen to Celeste retrace her journey towards becoming a Brit Award-winning musician.

Now, it’s your turn to show us your unique creative vision. From 2 July 2021 , British Vogue and YouTube UK will be accepting submissions for their Future Visionaries competition to seek out remarkable individuals whose creative work deserves to be featured in the pages of British Vogue . Whether you’re a student, a recent graduate, or a professional with a side hustle, all entrants are welcome. Using the Vogue Visionaries videos as a guide, show us a project you’ve been working on that deserves to appear in the magazine and on Vogue.co.uk . This could be a short story, a self-taped audition or musical performance, a distinctive hairstyle or a fashion moodboard. As long as it’s creative, we’re keen to see and hear about it.

What you could win

The winners and their work will be featured in British Vogue magazine and on Vogue.co.uk, and will receive a mentoring session with a Vogue editor or an expert in your field.

What to send

Either (1) a video or audio recording no more than one minute long; (2) up to five images of your work in a portfolio style; or (3) a written entry of 500 words. All work must be original!

What to say

As well as giving us an overview of your work, your submission must be accompanied by 100 words about yourself and your inspirations. Tell us how you found your distinctive style and voice. From your community to your heritage to your life experiences, what makes your perspective unique? And how will you help shape the future of your chosen industry using that unique perspective?

When to send it

Conditions of entry.

• Entrants should be 14-years-old or above and be resident in the UK. Entrants under the age of 18 should seek permission from a parent or guardian to enter.
• Entrants must be submitted by email to arrive no later than the closing date, to [email protected]
• By entering this competition you confirm your entry is your own original work and you will be assigning all copyright in your entry to Condé Nast Publications Ltd. Condé Nast Publications Ltd also has the right to publicise your name and location in relation to the competition.
• The competition results will be announced in the January 2022 issue of British Vogue and on Vogue.co.uk.
• The Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue will have the final decision in relation to finalists and winners.

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The New York Public Library Collaborates with Teen Vogue to Publish Winning Essay from the National Teen Writing Contest: Freedom to Read

Contest deadline extended to Friday, December 29

DECEMBER 20, 2023 — The New York Public Library and Teen Vogue announced today the grand prize winner of the Library’s National Teen Writing Contest: Freedom to Read will be published in Teen Vogue . The contest is part of the Library’s Books for All campaign, which launched during Banned Books Week in October and was created in response to the alarming rise in book bans and challenges around the country. The campaign is the largest and longest anti-censorship campaign in NYPL history. 

To support this exciting opportunity, the submission deadline for the writing contest has been extended to December 29. To enter, teens nationwide should submit an essay between 500 - 1500 words that answers the question: “Why is the freedom to read important to you?” Contestants must be between 13–19 and can submit entries online at nypl.org/booksforall . 

In addition to being published in Teen Vogue, the grand prize winner will receive $500. Twenty finalists will also receive a $250 prize. All winners will have their essays shared in a special issue of NYPL’s Teen Voices magazine. 

The writing contest, which is in partnership with 826 National, is part of the Library’s banned book initiative, which highlights the vital role public libraries play in our democracy. The campaign also features a new “Books for All: Teen Banned Book Club" that will run throughout the 2024 school year and provides unlimited nationwide access to select young adult titles that have been the subject of bans and/or challenges to anyone via the Library’s SimplyE app. The first book selected for the book club was Mark Oshiro’s “ Each of Us a Desert. ” The Library will announce the second book in the series next month. 

“At a time of rising book bans and challenges, The New York Public Library is inviting teens from all over the country to make their voices heard in our teen writing contest celebrating the freedom to read. Thank you to Teen Vogue for helping amplify teen voices on this crucial issue, particularly since we know many of the bans and challenges are directly targeting books for young people. The freedom to read is essential to our democracy, and a right we must never take for granted,” said NYPL President Anthony W. Marx.

“Teen Vogue is absolutely thrilled to work together with the New York Public Library on this contest in an era of increased book bans and attacks on education,” said Versha Sharma, Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue. “Our mission at Teen Vogue is to educate, empower, and amplify the voices of the younger generation, a mission that feels more vital than ever. We encourage young people from all over the country to submit to this contest, something I definitely would have applied for as a teen myself! We are excited and honored to be partnering with an institution as essential as a public library, and are huge fans of NYPL’s efforts to make banned books available to read to students across the country.”

About The New York Public Library

For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support. 

About Teen Vogue

Teen Vogue is the young person’s guide to conquering (and saving) the world. The brand aims to educate, enlighten and empower its audience to create a more inclusive environment (both on-and offline) by amplifying the voices of the unheard, telling stories that normally go untold, and providing resources for young people looking to make a tangible impact in their communities. Part of the Condé Nast portfolio, Teen Vogue covers the latest in celebrity news, politics, fashion, beauty, wellness, lifestyle, and entertainment.

Media Contacts

Media contact: Amy Geduldig, [email protected]

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

Finding—And Writing—A Space for Myself 

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I spent most of my adolescence with a painful, permanent indentation in my belly, the result of squeezing into jeans that were too tight for me, the button pressing angrily into tender flesh. At 13 I was already wearing the largest size available in the teens section of most of the local stores in Malaysia. By 17 I was wearing the largest available size for adults. At school, in the standard blue pinafores all Malaysian public school girls wore, I felt suffocated; the waist was always too tight. Over the years I learned how to sew just so I could unstitch the pre-sewn clasp and move it to expand the waistband, but even then I would come home at the end of the school day with red welts on my skin from the pinafore digging into me. Outside school, at the mall, other girls wore crop tops to expose defined abs; my tops were cropped because they simply didn’t cover my stomach. As a fat young person, it was always implied that my sartorial options would be limited. It was decreed, by society and by every overbearing aunty in my life, that I would be limited to loose black T-shirts, baggy dark-colored bottoms, and tankini swimsuits—the kind with frilly skirts to hide the offense of having thighs.

In the 2010s, as a 20-something millennial exhausted by the tortures of low-rise jeans, I, like many big girls my age, embraced the body-positivity movement. We followed plus-size fashion bloggers, embraced our curves, urged retailers to begin stocking more plus-size fashion. These changes have continued to push the industry to evolve—in 2021 the women’s plus-size market accounted for almost one fifth of women’s apparel sales in the US. Women above a size 14 have gone on to become successful and visible, something inconceivable when I was growing up. Ashley Graham , a size 16 host and model, continues to walk on runways and has hosted major red carpets. Paloma Elsesser , an African American and Swiss Chilean plus-size model, has become the face of a revitalized and more inclusive Victoria’s Secret. Barbie Ferreira, who at 200-plus pounds would previously only be cast as a fat sidekick, has played the stylish Kat on the acclaimed television show Euphoria . Plus-size talents have finally started making their way into film and television without being the butt of the joke.

In the same years that these women were gaining visibility, I responded to an open casting call from fashion blogger Nicolette Mason , who was looking for a diverse group of plus-size women to model for a segment on national television about fall fashions for the plus-size woman. When the producer from NBC’s Today reached out to me, I leaped into action. I may have been a broke 20-something working as a low-level associate at a PR firm, but it felt like a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I flew across the country, at my own expense, from my then home in San Francisco to New York. I crashed on a friend’s couch. I tried not to think about how I would make the rent that month after incurring this additional expense. I was vibrating with excitement, but I kept it a secret from my coworkers, didn’t even take the day off, praying that no one would schedule any kind of emergency client call while I was getting ready. The NBC town car picked me up in pitch-black darkness for my early call time. 

On the Today set, I was surprised at how small the platform was. I worried I would fall off. For a brief five-minute segment, I, alongside four other plus-size women, paraded out in front of host Savannah Guthrie as she and Mason discussed plus-size fashion for the fall live for millions of viewers. The result wasn’t ideal for my television debut: My makeup was terrible, my eyebrows were much too short, and clad in a pair of too-big heels and a leather dress inexplicably labeled “military trend,” my walk was uneven. Still, I was beside myself: I, a fat woman who had spent her life hiding within her clothes, was now getting to model aspirational clothing for all of America. For years afterward, I considered this one of the best moments in my life. But still I kept it a private triumph—I limited the audience on my Facebook post and never even saved the video clip, which has since disappeared on the internet. It all felt illicit, impermissible. Fashion was still not for big girls like me.

If I did not see a world in which fashion could fit me, I also could not perceive a world in which my written words were of any value. I’ve always written compulsively: in my adolescence, in a paper diary I named Ariel, and later on the Xanga page I updated surreptitiously. Early on I tried to write a novel, then abandoned it. Often I would stroll bookshelves, roaming the aisle with all works by authors with last names beginning with Ch and dreaming of my hypothetical book sitting alongside them. But as a Malaysian woman without access to the centers of the publishing industry, reading books written almost entirely by white men, I couldn’t envision a life for myself in literature. I never felt permitted to think of myself as a writer.

Instead, I build a career writing things for others—speeches, press messaging, op-eds, and statements for CEOs, politicians, and on-air talent. I had moved to the US on a work visa; the idea of a creative career—where financial stability is not the norm—seemed like too much of a risk. When I did make attempts at writing fiction, my characters weren’t fully fleshed out—literally, they had no skin color, race, ethnicity, or background—because I was unable to imagine characters that weren’t derivative of Western works. Writing was beyond the possible. Even daydreaming felt like setting myself up on a dangerous pedestal of disappointment.

It took years to learn that both my body and stories deserve to exist—the body regardless of its shape, the stories regardless of their origin.

These days I write fiction for a living. I spend my days creating fiction about people who look like me and come from the same sunny, stormy country. When I attend book-related events, I lean toward bright colors and body-skimming silhouettes. I accept the compliment when thin women ask me where I get my clothes. And when I appeared on Good Morning America earlier this year, once again on a nationally syndicated morning show with millions of viewers, it was to talk about the book I had written , in an outfit I chose that fit perfectly—my twin rebellions for the pen and the body converging. And this time, unlike the last, I took many photos and videos of the segment and shared them with all my friends and family. I commemorated the moment as a reminder that fat immigrant women too deserve a life filled with words and style—that my body and my voice are exactly where they need to be.

Vanessa Chan is the author of the best-selling novel, The Storm We Made, a Good Morning America Book Club pick.

The Storm We Made

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