The co-founders of Magnificent Me are design PR Caroline Collett and journalist Veronica Simpson.

We launched Magnficent Me to fill a vacuum – a yawning chasm in the mainstream media - and in order to reflect a vision of womanhood we and our friends recognised as one we aspired to. Hey, maybe it’s an age thing – we’ve been around the block, bought the first editions of Elle and Marie Claire when they were something fabulous and new and different; we’ve done punk, worn leggings and clumped around in DMs or impossible platforms first time around, so fashion (and the endless recycling of trends) is no longer enough to sustain us. And the media has changed. Somehow, from the diversity of the 1980s it now seems as if they’re all banging the same drum: the current obsessions with bodyweight, celebrity, botox and retox, have become the dominant preoccupation of nearly every title we picked up, whether gossip rag or Sunday supplement. Now we know we’re not alone in believing that life’s too short to count the calories in every lettuce leaf, or give two hoots whether Amy Winehouse is the perfect role model (what the heck, she’s one hell of a singer) or when Victoria Beckham last enjoyed a pie and a pint. We know there is poetry in women’s souls. And that this relentless diet of superficial silliness doesn’t feed ours. Our gut feeling was that there were plenty of women out there who were just as disaffected, and wanted to find out about women living lives by their own rules  – a life that was worth those suffragettes chaining themselves to railings for - and doing what women do best: being creative, resourceful, courageous, bold, and waving the flag for integrity and emotional honesty.

And from the first edition, we have been thrilled – nay, ecstatic - at the support and feedback we’ve received that shows you also felt the need for a different, richer and more wholesome diet of information and inspiration. And we’ve been delighted at the ideas and inspirations you’ve contributed: you’re an even more talented bunch than we realised. This edition has five features contributed by you lovely readers, people who have absolutely got the ethos and the raison d’etre for Magnificent Me and approached us out of the blue with their offerings.

So keep those ideas and that feedback coming. And most of all – please tell your mates!

Veronica Simpson and Caroline Collett                                                 March 2008

What you said about us:

Here’s a selection of the support and feedback you’ve volunteered over the last few months:

'I don't buy women's magazines because they make me feel fat and poor.  This one didn't'

'I think Magnificent Me is filling a huge gap in the market.  Online too means it's v accessible, great for lunchtime looks between facebook checking!'

'A site that is community-driven with an intelligent flavour, but a level of style and glamour too and a feeling that - thank God - there are some other women out there who feel the same way I do!'

'What a great concept and really interesting articles'

'I really like the logo.  The butterfly motif is good and not the slightest bit too girly or froufrou.  Ten out of ten.  It's up there with the likes of Wallpaper in terms of styling.'

'Very interesting.  I stopped buying Cosmo and Marie Claire and the rest of them because I found the articles very repetitive.'

'We love the focus on individual craftspeople and writers.'

'The site is brilliant.  I love the way it looks and really like the intelligent features.  I used to like Marie Clare cos it had articles about more than just how to wax your bikini line, Paris Hilton or how to spend £1000 on a coat, but they seem to have tailed off.'

'I sent it to my friends and have already heard good things back.  The confessions are a big favourite'

'What a beautiful and entertaining baby you have given birth to.  I love the design and the tone.  The variety of articles is intelligently thought-out, whilst the fun element is hard to resist'

'The articles are wide-ranging and I am particularly struck by the lovely layout and photographs'

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