Amidst the superficial glitz and glams that resonate from the fashion media, Beena Yusuf continues to remain a tough lady who remains true to her cause. As the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of SHE Magazine, Beena has ventured beyond merely turning what is an inadequate personal passion into a venture of women’s empowerment, into writing about overcoming struggles in her own life.
From a girl with Dreams to a Media Magnate
Typically, Beena Yusuf’s journey to success was any normal and predictable story. Being a simple girl at school with special features plus a normal name, she became interested in other worlds and other people through the paper worlds of magazines. What she did not anticipate, however, was that these were the first steps to building her great future. “Those magazines weren’t simply about fashion to me,” she recalls.
“They were windows to a world where I could belong, where stories could change lives.”
This early passion for storytelling and fashion would eventually culminate in the creation of SHE Magazine USA, a publication that goes beyond superficial beauty to celebrate the strength and courage within every woman.
Turning Personal Struggles into Professional Wins
Beena’s rise to the top was nothing less than a fated twist of events. She had her share of the troubles that would have derailed most people such as her battle with a brain tumor whilst pregnant. But these were also the moments that made Beena strong. “There I was staring at my dreams from the ICU and then to the Operating theater room. I was still aspiring. ”She comments, “Such experiences did not destroy me, they turned out to be the bedrock of SHE Magazine’s vision.
No doubt, this experience on a deeply personal level is what gave SHE Magazine USA some story depth and compassion, which was applaudable in their fashion magazines. The old women working at the magazine became under Beena’s leadership a voice of women all around the world embracing latest trends in a broader way than those oriented on a mono cultural model of diversity and inclusion which was developed in Yusuf’s multicultural environment.
Something Fresh On The Fashion Media
Beena as an Editor in Chief of SHE Magazine USA as well as developing her personal story shows rather interesting approach to Soldiers before Traitors. Understanding the influence and role of currently errant media in creating and changing views about fashion, she redirected the affairs of the magazine towards a more constructive approach towards fashion and beauty.
“We are not about trends you know; fashion is not really that flat,” Beena clarifies. “We are about those worthwhile aims and things, we are about those uneasy to admire women who fought so hard, and we are about positive beauty.”
This vision is also true for the magazine’s concern about sustainability and social responsibility. Beena has established SHE Magazine USA on the principles of sustainable fashion and has involved designers and social figures to fight against this negative image of the fashion industry.
Empowering women, one page at a time
SHE Magazine USA under Beena’s leadership at its very center has emerged as a means for women empowerment. Every issue is constructed to inform and mobilize the people with stories of struggle, success, and strength of women belonging to all generations and societies. ‘All women’s stories are equally important, and every woman has a story,’ she maintains. ‘This is why we are, and we must be, careless about who we follow. This is also why our job is to give those stories a medium in whatever form they expect.’
This vow of empowerment is perhaps what Beena would consider her greatest legacy. By speaking about her experiences and those of many other women, she created a network that is not limited to the boundaries of a periodical.
Looking to the Future
While Beena has brought the principal strengths of her work into SHE Magazine USA she continues to look forward. Her aim has always and will always remain that every woman is seen, heard and dully incorporated.
Beena finishes, “It is worthwhile to stress that we have not only changed the narrative in fashion….We have transformed what women think and how they wish to function in the society….That is the actual impact of what we do.”
In a society so often obsessed with just appearance; SHE Magazine USA empowers that faith, beliefs, hope, and truth are more powerful. This is a legacy sure to captivate coming generations of women, that style does not only come from how one dresses, but it is also how one stands, how one leads and how one raises others whilst going up.
Photo Credits:
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