Champions
Freya Holland
"We have to acknowledge and celebrate our differences"
Background
Freya is associate editor and public relations Officer at indigo, a magazine for 10-14 year old girls.
Freya, tell us more about the work you do.
I love my job - I’m lucky enough to work with people who inspire me every day – the indigo team and all the girls who contribute to each issue. Together we tackle really interesting and challenging topics – big issues like puberty, bullying, self-esteem and body image, while maintaining a positive, fun and creative feel to the magazine.
Have you personally experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination?
When I started high school I was picked on for not wearing a bra, and having a small bum! At the time I remember feeling so upset and humiliated. All I wanted was to be like my friends and to be accepted. Lots of girls will have been in similar situations. Through indigo, we’re raising awareness about the issues and providing tips and resources for girls to help them get through difficult times. More articles on bullying are planned for future issues and we’ll consult expert researchers and advisors to make sure our information is as up to date and helpful as possible.
There are a number of magazines for girls on the market. Why another one?
The goal of indigo is to promote understanding that self respect/worth is not dependent upon size, skin colour, clothes or popularity. It’s about celebrating your uniqueness, being passionate, taking risks and loving yourself. We support this by using images of real, everyday girls of varying shapes, sizes and backgrounds. Our readers and contributors are a diverse group of girls, who drive everything we do. They’re fantastic. They contribute to every single issue, providing advice on the content they want to see… the style… what’s cool. And in a nutshell, that’s what the magazine is all about - individuality, creativity and giving girls a voice!
Why do you think it’s important to give girls a voice?
I believe that it’s important that girls believe in themselves and feel they can achieve their dreams. Young girls may look at other images of girls in the media and feel inadequate, as the experiences they are having or the way they look is different to what they think it should be. It is all a matter of perception and opinion. indigo is an opportunity for girls to dictate, mould and be totally involved in a magazine they want to read. It is an empowering experience!
What are some of the issues that the girls have identified?
Starting new schools is a big one, bullying, body image, boys, growing up… Many girls like to share their experiences, what they’ve learnt and how to survive difficult situations - to show others that they went through a tricky time, but they got through it, and the reader of their story will too!
This approach sounds a bit different to what tends to be promoted as ‘cool’ in the movies, on TV and in magazines . How is it being received?
The focus in other media tends to be body image oriented - how you look, what you wear, what you’re seen doing. indigo is moving away from that. The response has been overwhelming - girls love the fact that when they flick through the magazine they can see themselves in the pages. The focus is on individuality, not perfection. It’s been received well by schools too. Some schools are buying class sets and copies of the magazine for their libraries to stimulate discussion on the sensitive topics that we address.
What would you personally like to achieve when it comes to making a difference?
I’d like to change public perceptions of what is beautiful. No small task!
More information:
www.indigo4girls.com
Indigo magazine from newsagents
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