Courtesy: Bright Lite
Neon triangles, pastel pages, peeks into a personal heartfelt journal, and Dolly Parton fluttering her lashes from the stills of an exclusive interview–and that’s just on the home page.
Christa Renee, the “Her” of production company Rodeo Show’s directing duo Him & Her, launched the independent pre-teen girl’s magazine Bright Lite to address a growing need for content to empower young girls. She joins writer/illustrator Ami Komai as Editor in Chief, balancing the periodical alongside her directing and photography careers. The quarterly mag doesn’t shy from giving young girls the tools to connect with their passions and the world at large. Stories range from lighthearted fare–photo series of bedrooms, fan-made art and poems–to the progressive examples of women business leaders and disruptors we expect from 21st-century publications. Renee recognizes the importance of sharing the stories of many different types of women: from the first black astronaut to board the International Space Station, Jeanette Epps, to 15-year-old Amaiya Zafar who fights to box while wearing a hijab, to insights of “Radical Brownies,” young girls entering into practices of activism and tolerance for others.
While Bright Lite endeavors to preserve the joys of youth before the qualms of teenage years, the magazine believes it is never too early to engage young women in conversations about culture and the greater world.
A splash of colored pencil here and there doesn’t hurt, either.
Courtesy: Bright Lite
The submission-based magazine mostly relies on entries from girls 18 and under–free from the stereotypical constraints most larger publications face when writing for the same market. Here, stories focus on empowerment, living in the present and enjoying youth, while making choices to establish a happy, well-informed future. Their message is simple: on Bright Lite, girls–all girls–rock.
Learn more about Bright Lite and read some of their articles HERE.