Magazine For Young Girls — Fashion & Market

Highlighting narratives from Asian diasporic communities
By Sharrona Valezka

Magazine For Young Girls ISSUE 02. Photo by Valerie Yuwen Hsieh. Image courtesy of Wei Ting Wong.

Magazine For Young Girls is an independent publication that highlights narratives of global East Asian and Southeast Asian diasporic communities through the lens of fashion, beauty, and pop culture. It was founded in 2020 by Singapore-based stylist Wei Ting Wong. The magazine serves as a starting point for an exploration of the female gaze in fashion and at the same time, seeks to provide a platform for emerging creative practitioners. In this conversation, Wei Ting talks more about Magazine For Young Girls and the inspiration behind its second issue, which was launched earlier this year.

Magazine For Young Girls ISSUE 02. ‘Flower of Life’. Photo by Arui Lin and styling by Wei Ting Wong. Image courtesy of Wei Ting Wong.

Hi, Wei Ting! To start, we would like to know more about Magazine For Young Girls. How would you describe the publication and how did it initially come about?

I love when people write in to tell me what they think of the magazine, so I would rather not describe it and let readers come to their own conclusion.

The magazine itself came about when I could not find a fashion magazine that I felt my styling work could sit well in. At the time, there were not many independent magazines that focused on fashion, feminism, and different cultures outside of the West including the larger Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and China. As a result, I decided to create my own publication instead.

Magazine For Young Girls’ Issue 02 interprets the theme of adulting as performing acts of care in our daily lives. Could you tell us more about this? What was the inspiration behind it?

I was inspired by a lot of the online communities that emerged during the pandemic. I saw how these individuals online helped friends and strangers through mutual aid, both locally and overseas. The idea of the act of caring was something I wanted to explore in the issue.

In the end, I decided to go with ‘Adulting’ as the title of the issue. I think that is what you will eventually end up doing if you truly care for yourself and the wider community around you. Also, I felt that it would sound more accessible as a concept.

Magazine For Young Girls ISSUE 02. ‘The Artist is a Framework’. Photo and styling by Jermine Chua. Image courtesy of Wei Ting Wong.

Magazine For Young Girls ISSUE 02. ‘Black Dog’. Photo by Ang Xia Yi. Image courtesy of Wei Ting Wong.

Are there any specific elements in this issue and/or in the publication generally that you would want people to pay attention to, and why?

It is hard to choose a specific one. I love every article and element that went into this issue. Everything in the magazine was done collaboratively. We also had a new creative direction that was led by graphic designer Boah Kim, who was generous with her efforts in making the editorial stand out. There is a lot of content in each page, so I hope people will take their time to go through the magazine.

Magazine For Young Girls ISSUE 02. ‘Kit Kat Club’. Photo by Anais Horn and styling by Boah Kim. Image courtesy of Wei Ting Wong.

Magazine For Young Girls explores feminine narratives that feature East Asian and Southeast Asian diaspora through fashion, beauty, and pop cultures. What is the significance to you as a Southeast Asian/Singaporean practitioner in exploring them?

I am not sure I can explain it in a nice way. I go with my intuition a lot and it makes me feel close to the subject, but then it is hard for me to look at the end result. I try not to rationalise it too much. I think it is human nature to like things that reflect your experience.

Magazine For Young Girls ISSUE 02. ‘Hymne’. Photo by Jean-Marie Binet. Image courtesy of Wei Ting Wong.

What impact do you hope to achieve with Magazine For Young Girls? And what plans do you have in store for Magazine For Young Girls moving forward? Are there any concepts or themes you wish to explore in future issues?

I hope that people will have a positive take away from the magazine. We are trying to stock it in more places and hopefully, we will be able to throw a birthday party for it soon!

Magazine For Young Girls ISSUE 02 is available to purchase at FAM Marketplace here, with international shipping options.
We will also be bringing it to the upcoming Jakarta Art Book Fair!
Find out more information about the publication on Instagram at @magazine_for_young_girls.