Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Camila Dejesus. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Camila, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
This past summer I launched my own publication, Ribbon Magazine, which is pop culture with a feminist twist! I was really inspired by the summer of <i>Barbie</i>, and women like Taylor Swift who seemed to acknowledge the awful aspects of being a woman, while still celebrating all the fun parts. I also was grappling with the grief of losing an old friend. In the months after their passing, I learned so much about them in the years I’d missed, I discovered that they were experimenting with their gender identity, and I wanted to create a safe environment where anyone who had ever experienced girlhood could feel welcome. A space where the girliest of girls could talk about the issues that mattered most to them. Or the most gender-nonconforming people could talk about something as silly as their favorite TV shows.
I wanted a space as accepting as I am. I am a Latina with heart disease from Texas and all of my life experience has led me to the understanding that there are not a lot of fun spaces where writers and readers can talk about girlhood–and I wanted to change that.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I got into the world of publication by accident truthfully. Looking back, I may owe a lot of it to the pandemic. I attended college in New York City and got a job working on the layout side of publication at my college newspaper. At the time, this was nothing more than a job to me. I was actually, almost comically, AGAINST writing for the school paper. I love writing, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted it to be something that excited me. Investigating the missing trashcans in Whitehead Hall just didn’t. Instead, I majored in television and radio and graduated in the middle of the pandemic. Afterward, I struggled to find a remote job.
I have a serve heart condition and had three heart surgeries by the time I was three. Despite how intense that all sounds, it really never impacted me…until a major virus that targeted immunocompromised people began to spread. Finding a remote job was a non-negotiable, and thankfully one day I got an email from the publication Screen Rant and was hired on as a Reality TV Writer for them! It was amazing how much I enjoyed writing for the publication once I got to write about something I was passionate about. From there I was hired on as a writer for Latinitas, a nonprofit based in Austin that empowers girls and their communities through culturally relevant education. Latinitas actually started out as a publication that they still have today. Now, a whole three years later, I am their Magazine and Media Editor! I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by such incredible women who champion and inspire me daily. Now that I truly love and understand the power of publication, I decided to launch my own magazine set on showcasing the diversity of the female experience while celebrating girlhood through our vibrant pop culture content!
On Ribbon Magazine we house pieces on politics, reviews, interviews, opinions, passions, and Taylor Swift (yes, you read that correctly!) all with a feminist twist! Pop Culture entertainment is really lacking the modern female feminist perspective, and I really wanted to give both our readers, and writers, an opportunity to share that side of themselves and grow their portfolio without being forced to write about the boring trashcans going missing!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I’m a writer at heart, so launching a business in general was a pretty gutsy move. I didn’t go to school for business. No one in my family owns a business. And I had no real reassurance that Ribbon would work. I went through the first few steps, I got a logo and website made, I created a general concept, applied to have an official LLC. Each milestone made me more and more nervous. That voice in my head saying what if this doesn’t work out got louder and louder, but I kept going. Perhaps the thing I’m most proud of is our Ribbon’s Writers. I wasn’t sure where to start. I knew I wanted to amplify female* writers, so I took to the streets. I designed and printed flyers, contacted university publications, and posted intern applications. I went to universities and taped up my fliers. I had no reassurance that anyone would see these ads, or that anyone would understand my vision, but I reminded myself of the people I drew inspiration from. The artists I’d loved who started creating music in their parent’s basements and had no idea if their little dream would take off. The successful business people who always tell you to just go for it. From posting up those fliers to launching the publication it was probably a month of difference, and I didn’t just find okay writers. I found writers who understood the heart of the mission. Who were excited to participate in something that was so feminist and accepting. Incredible people who all offer something unique with their perspective. Whether they are trans or a women of color or even the Vice President of the Taylor Swift Society at their college (shoutout Abby), it was the reassurance I needed, and it wouldn’t have happened if I’d just given up.
*This includes all female-identifying individuals or anyone who has experienced girlhood.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn a lot of internalized misogyny. I think the pandemic was a very formative time for me. I saw the breakdown of major relationships, faced the reality of the risk I was under due to my heart, my dog passed away, and I was isolated with my mom in this tiny apartment in New York City, and couldn’t see my father for a year and a half due to the pandemic. It was an incredibly difficult time, but it also in a weird way is where I think my truest self emerged. After high school, I, like many people in their early twenties, leaned heavily into fandoms for friendships and connection. This was a beautiful thing, something I love to this day. But I think who I am got lost in it a bit. Whatever the band’s new era was, I would change up my entire wardrobe to match that color palette, my room, everything. Don’t get me wrong, I love an emo black and red moment, but it was a LOT of black and red.
During the pandemic, when nothing mattered, I allowed myself to lean into the tiny things that truly gave me joy. Reality TV, queer culture, and the color pink. I went a little insane, I’m not gonna lie. I mean I bought literal princess dresses at one point. But I leaned heavily into girl bands and artists, like Taylor Swift, that I’d never fully allowed myself to get invested in. I don’t think I was ever outwardly against feminine things. After all, I am such a bubbly person regardless of what I wear. But I had placed all these imaginary limits on myself that only I could see. During the pandemic, it all went away. Since then I’ve been heavily leaning into all things girlie because society likes to tell us girlie things are inherently stupid, and that is just inherently bullshit. There is value in female interests. The feminine perspective is essential. It’s why I founded Ribbon. Months into coming up with the mission statement, working with an artist on the logo, I rewatched Taylor Swift’s documentary <i>Miss Americana</i> and found this quote: “I want to love glitter and also stand up for the double standards that exist in our society. I want to wear pink and tell you how I feel about politics, and I don’t think those things have to cancel each other out.” And was exactly everything I was feeling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ribbonmagazine.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camila._.dejesus/ | https://www.instagram.com/ribbon__magazine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558317834488
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camila-dejesus-61675817a/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ribbon.magazine
Image Credits
Alondra Adame