Girlz 4 Christ Says Girls are Important!

Becoming a magazine editor takes years of hard work, starting out as the intern getting coffee for all the bigwigs, right? Not so! I became a magazine editor, but my story is a little different.

When I was 17 years old, I became a magazine article writer. Was I told that I was too young? All the time. In fact, most of the time, I had to pretend I was an adult when I submitted my work just so the editors would read it! It finally paid off, though, and my work was published in several magazines by the time I graduated high school. I continued writing as I went to college.

But then I noticed something. As I submitted my articles to magazines I wanted to write for, they were rejected. It wasn’t because they didn’t want my work; it was because they were going out of business! The recession was full-on at this point in time, and it was taking a hit on the magazine industry, especially magazines for girls.

One day, between classes and my part-time job, I was surfing the web at the library. I went to the website of a Christian girls magazine, and they too announced that they were shutting down. At this point, I knew that there were few, if any, wholesome magazines left for girls to read. Furthermore, I knew I had to do something about it. I e-mailed the editor of this ex-magazine and asked if I could use some of her resources to start my own. After hearing about what I wanted to do, she was more than happy to provide me with a few materials! A couple months later, the first issue of Girlz 4 Christ launched.

Of course, I couldn’t do this all on my own. Soon after, I came into contact with Lily Garay a teen musician who wanted an internship. I not only liked her work, but I appreciated her aspiration to become a musician without letting anything stop her. She is now the assistant editor. We are also joined by a variety of different writers of all ages. One thing that is unique about Girlz 4 Christ is that we actually allow our teen readers to submit articles. And this isn’t just for a “readers’ section” of the magazine or for a contest. We think that if your writing is good, it deserves a spotlight in the magazine, regardless of whether you’re 14 or 114!

There are other ways that Girlz 4 Christ differs from other magazines out there. We are not your typical magazine. We aren’t even your typical Christian magazine. To remain wholesome, and to encourage positive body image, we don’t allow the photographs in our magazine to display revealing clothing. (We don’t even allow one-piece swimsuits, because, let’s face it, that still shows a lot!) We like to encourage girls whether they have a funky style or a feminine style, but we don’t want to be who they’re not. In each issue, we feature an interview with a role model, such as musicians, authors, actresses, and activists. We sometimes interview well-known people, but we will never interview a celebrity with a poor reputation. We think it’s more important for girls to get to know a realistic person who has set a positive example! And here’s a HUGE difference from most magazines: we don’t have any ads! Although we don’t get many donations (and we LOVE our donors), we think it’s more important to not be a sellout than it is to make money. If we ever do accept ads, we will carefully screen them. We don’t want to be hypocritical; it’s not fair to have an article encouraging you to be the person God made you to be right next to an ad about how you can be hotter, thinner, smarter, and stronger!

These are just a few of the things that make Girlz 4 Christ stand out and show that girls are important! There are many more unique things about this magazine, but you’ll have to read the magazine itself to find out. Go to http://www.Girlz4ChristMagazine.org/ where you can find out more, and also sign up for a subscription. Oh, and did I mention that subscriptions are FREE!

Find me at: http://www.girlz4christmagazine.org/