A new magazine for young girls is in the works and it is something to get excited about. KAZOO is a new kind of print magazine for girls aged 5-10. It will inspire a young generation to be smart, fun loving, fierce and true to themselves.
New York-based mum of two girls and magazine editor and writer, Erin Bried conceptualised KAZOO after struggling to find something appropriate for her daughter to read. Lining magazine stands are tween magazines overflowing with images of pretty hairstyles, dolls, princesses and celebrities. Bried wants to change this media landscape by celebrating girls for all that they are.
Bried has recently started a Kickstarter page to help fund her project. The magazine, published quarterly, will be themed around art, nature, science, tech, cooking, travel, sports, emotions and critical thinking. Words from inspirational women will feature to share a slice of wisdom and their take on the world. Artist Mickalene Thomas, who has exhibited her work at The Guggenheim and MOMA, award-winning Chef Fany Gerson and New York Times best-seller Lucy Knisley have already been confirmed to participate in the launch issue.
Young girls are inquisitive and smart however often lose confidence by adolescence. Body image woes and a loss of self-assuredness in teenage years greatly contribute to negative self-esteem. Bried wants to change the fact that girls and women are underrepresented in our culture. Bried reveals, “Six in ten girls stop doing what they love, because they feel bad about their looks,” and even more confronting, ‘By age 11, 30% of young girls have put themselves on a diet.” Statistics such are comparable worldwide and subsequently, not only gaining the attention of trailblazers like Bried but influential groups in society. The Australian Government has launched its Girls Make Your Move Campaign this year to encourage young women aged 12-19 to be physically active without feeling judged or self-conscious. Initiatives such as these combined with the enthusiasm of individuals are forces that can only be praised for empowering a young generation of women to be better.
Bried believes that, “The less girls see themselves in positions of power, the less likely they’ll be to believe they can achieve such power. KAZOO is the antidote to this invisibility.” Bried wants young girls to read, laugh, learn and see the world from a new perspective. Bried has recognised a gap in the kids print media market and has come up with an idea to fill this need in a brilliant way.
So far, Bried has raised $5,590 of her pledged $150,000. You can support Bried’s project by heading to her Kickstarter page.
