Jillian IlanaComment

Who I'm Looking Up To: Elaine Welteroth

Jillian IlanaComment
Who I'm Looking Up To: Elaine Welteroth

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been an active reader. My dad told me that when I was two I could recognize all the letters in the alphabet. One of my earliest childhood memories is carrying around my Sleeping Beauty book from room to room, insisting on reading it to anyone who would listen. It’s true that you always remember the books that change your life, that make an impact. Earlier this week, Monday to be exact, I finished one of those books. It was written by someone I should have known about sooner. She is the former editor-in-chief at Teen Vogue, the second youngest editor and second African American editor-in-chief at Condé Nast, and is a judge on the new Project Runway. Her name is Elaine Welteroth and her memoir More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) changed my life. 

A trailblazer in the fashion industry, Ms. Welteroth describes what it is like to be an FOD: First. Only. Different. She writes, “Being an ‘FOD’ in your field comes with a unique responsibility and a powerful opportunity: to rewrite rules, to redefine norms, to represent for the communities that haven’t had a seat at the table before.” She certainly did that, working her way up in the magazine industry from unpaid intern to editor-in-chief. With fierce tenacity, when the time came for her first promotion, Ms. Welteroth took a chance and demanded the title and raise she felt she had earned (and she did). She risked it all, going as far as not showing up to work to prove her point. Even though Ms. Welteroth does not recommend this tactic to her readers, her point was clear: know your worth. As a little person I still struggle with that. 

When you exist in spaces that weren’t built for you, remember sometimes that just being you is the revolution

During her reign at Teen Vogue the focus of the magazine expanded. They talked about politics and social justice, critically covering the 2016 presidential election and featuring conversations with Zendaya and Michelle Obama. She oversaw the evolution from print to digital and the creation of the Teen Vogue Youtube channel. Slate magazine wrote that under Elaine Welteroth’s direction the magazine became a “...teen glossy with seriously good political coverage and legal analysis, an outlet for teenagers who—shockingly!—are able to think about fashion and current events simultaneously.”

Ms. Welteroth describes her “Aha! Moment” where she discovered her path and her mentor. She was applying for a summer internship when she noticed an issue of Ebony magazine with Alicia Keys on the cover. Reading the cover story she learned of the name Harriette Cole, the editor-in-chief of Ebony. Describing the immediate impact Harriette Cole had on her, Ms. Welteroth writes, “...Harriette had emerged as my North Star, a shining example of how I wanted to navigate the media world. Her bio became a blueprint for my own career path. Magazines would come first, then TV, books, films, and beyond.” 

I had a similar experience reading her memoir. Prior to opening the book (okay, Kindle app if you want to be technical), I thought I had my “Aha! Moment” reading the September issue of British Vogue that I’ve talked about many times in many posts. Yet, months have passed and Sinéad Burke is still the first and only little person on the cover of an issue of Vogue.

“It takes more than a few token covers to incite meaningful change”

Reading Ms. Welteroth’s story, absorbing her words of wisdom, I never felt more seen, more understood by someone in the fashion industry. I believe in keeping books pure (unless they’re textbooks) yet I found myself highlighting sentiments that continue to resonate with me. 

When talking about the vitality of authentic representation, Ms. Welteroth wrote, “In order to change the stories, you must change the storytellers.” I aspire to follow in her footsteps and become one of those storytellers. The blog is just the start, I know believe it is. I cannot thank you enough Ms. Welteroth for being an F.O.D., for breaking boundaries, for sharing your story.