Ennis woman behind Beautiful magazine

AN Ennis woman is behind a new women’s magazine focused on representing women of all shapes and sizes and rejecting what has been described as harmful media messages.
Sarah Kenny recently published Beautiful and the magazine is causing such a stir, it has even been reported in Italian Vogue.
“Beautiful,” says Sarah, “is the first and only glossy lifestyle magazine to be launched in print form that is totally dedicated to building self-esteem and reversing the damage done by traditional women’s media and advertising.”
The magazine is already gaining plenty of fans, with its summer issue featuring top singer/songwriter Adele on its front cover.
Beautiful is published independently by Sarah and her friend, Sue Thomason because they were tired of the pressure to ‘fix’ themselves. The two women are part of a growing movement of women turning the barrel back on mainstream magazines.
“Healthy alternatives to the mainstream media are everywhere on the internet but this option wasn’t quite there on the newsstand so we created it ourselves,” said Sarah, a former pupil of Scoil Chríost Rí and Ennis Community College. While Sue adds, “Beautiful is a magazine for all women”.
According to Sarah, hundreds of studies show that exposure to idealised media images have eroded women’s self-worth over the last two decades. She believes realistic body sizes and shapes that are more representative of the general public are less harmful to women and equally effective for marketing purposes.
Sarah says today’s clued-up women are aware of this, yet women’s glossy magazines continue to use airbrushed and underweight models in editorial and advertising, often alongside health, diet and weight loss advice that can result in harm to psychological and physical wellbeing.
Beautiful is described as the first glossy lifestyle magazine set to reverse this trend and set a standard that will bring change to women’s lifestyle titles across the board.
Beautiful only publishes images of models size 12 and over. The magazine does not publish diet and weight-loss advice. The magazine celebrates beauty and diversity and does not use image manipulation to make models look thinner.
Adverts that are deemed harmful to self-esteem are banned. It also features reports on the latest research into the effects of the media on women, including their relationship with themselves and their bodies.
The magazine includes new ideas, cutting edge psychology and news with substance for smart and sassy women. It also showcases fashion that is both sexy and accessible for all shapes and sizes.
According to Sarah and Sue, Beautiful represents a woman as she is and showcases fashion that she can wear today, not after she has lost weight.
With MPs such as Jo Swinson and Lynne Featherstone, alongside celebrities like Beth Ditto and Beyoncé, all campaigning for body image awareness, sources of entertainment promoting healthier self-image are rapidly expanding online. Beautiful has taken advantage of this trend and used it to fill a giant gap in the print magazine market.
The summer launch issue is selling well and proving popular with readers across the UK and Ireland. Copies can be purchased in Ennis at Ennis Hair and Beauty, from the website, www.beautifulmagazine.co.uk and in Evans stores in Limerick, Cork, Galway and Dublin.