Black Beauty Magazine Archive
A Peek Into My Collection
Here are a few ways to support Californians whose homes were devastated by the fires. On a personal note, my line sister’s family, from the historic Altadena community, lost their home and belongings. Please consider donating to their GoFundMe and sharing it with your networks to help them rebuild their lives. ❤️
Donate Funds: Red Cross & The California Fire Foundation
Donate Supplies: Pasadena Humane Society & LA Dream Center
These are just a few resources, but I encourage you to stay on top of the situation(s) and seek out ways to support everyone impacted.
In today’s post:
QTNA Beauty & Pop Culture Questions
The Full Beat Black Beauty Magazine Archive: A Peek Into My Collection
Would you put your partner’s face on your big toe? You read that right. CeeMyNails went viral for advertising a custom nail decal for a client’s big toe. You can customize the images, length, and shape, but would you? I love doing things for the plot, so this is something I might try.
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Should you see One of Them Days? We saw it on opening night and really enjoyed it! But we weren’t the only ones, because it’s made $10 million more than its estimated budget and knocked Mufasa out of the number one spot at the box office. It’s a silly and fun buddy comedy that reminds me of Friday and Girl’s Trip.
Are you interested in looking like a porcelain doll? Around this time last year, Pat McGrath’s makeup look for Maison Margiela went absolutely viral. In this review, Laura Pitcher describes having the mask applied and how her skin feels afterward. She also answered the question I was dying to know, can you talk while wearing it?? You should read Pitcher’s review for that answer.
Black Beauty Magazine Archive: A Peek Into My Collection
This week I'm sharing my recent magazine acquisitions. I primarily collect Black women’s lifestyle magazines from the early 2000s, especially Honey and Vibe Vixen. The magazines and pages included here were purchased between November 2024 and January 2025.
I am also building a Trina Print Archive, featuring her covers on various hip-hop magazines from the late 90s to the mid-2000s.
Background: My collection includes dozens of full-issue magazines from various companies focused on Black women’s lifestyle and beauty interests. I began collecting in 2019 when my therapist recommended I develop hobbies unrelated to my graduate coursework. To my great surprise, researching, preserving, and bidding on these historical documents was a great stress reliever. Since then, I've been able to expand my collection into one I'm truly proud of.
When I got started, I reached out to RapZines for advice on storing and protecting magazines. He generously replied with tips and product recommendations. I highly recommend anyone interested in hip-hop, archives, and magazines check out his incredible collection.
Acquisitions: Every issue was purchased by me, from different secondhand websites and shops. Each issue will be preserved in a digital archive and made available for access to anyone interested in learning more about Black women’s endeavors and interests. I regularly search for magazines and make purchases according to quality and price. As a result, I don’t have a set acquisition schedule and may purchase three one month and one the next.
Focus: While my primary focus is on lifestyle magazines from the late 1990s-2010s, I occasionally purchase items outside this chronological range.1 Black women’s lifestyle magazines from this period, according to my research, were not well preserved before our culture’s large-scale migration online. This means that the stories, beauty, fashion, and pop culture that were published can be lost to time. I care a lot about the minutiae of Black women’s experiences because what we love, wear, and read speaks to our unique POV in the world. Recall my frustration in The Synthetic Wig Revolution,
This lack of serious and detailed investigation into Black women’s hairstyling practices is a frustrating and common occurrence in my search to learn about Black women’s beauty culture and practices.
Goals: In 2025 I want to spend time digitizing my magazines and ensuring that they are backed up digitally. Having to evacuate during last year's hurricane made me realize how little I can truly protect my prized possessions. I would also love to loan a few issues out to be featured in an in-person exhibit with an independent curator or organization. Ultimately, I want to do what I can to protect and preserve Black women’s influence and experience in the world, one magazine at a time.
For example, I have the 1969 Life Magazine with Naomi Sims as the cover star and the 1948 Life Magazine that features Gordon Parks’ first photographic essay. The price and excellent conditions were just too good to pass up. I also purchased this classic 1981 Newsweek starring Toni Morrison. Hunting this magazine down was a fun opportunity to merge my interest in collecting with my literary background.
Hi sis! Former Honey EIC here… I love that you’re collecting magazines from that era! If you ever want to chat about Honey, let me know. In the meantime, I’m starting a series on IG and TikTok called Magazine Mondays. Hope you watch.💜
i love the preservation/conservation of these magazines and the archive you plan to create -- these are my absolute favorite elements of art history and love that you are applying it to the magazine medium!