Dear Reader ,
May 2022 | 3
It ’ s time to celebrate yourself . This is my love letter to you . For everyone who has ever doubted themself , anyone who was told they weren ’ t good enough and for everyone who thought they were alone .
The first moment of a journey should be celebrated , whether that ’ s a new relationship , a new job , a new flat , a new career or a new life milestone . Through the ups and downs of this journey , XYX has shown to be perfect with all its imperfections . It has been hard to get down our feelings and thoughts on paper , mainly because this magazine means so much to us .
Growing up , I was always told to be perfect ; I was not enough , I was an inconvenience to everyone . It has taken me years and many hours with a therapist to understand and finally accept that I am enough , you are enough , and our imperfections make us perfect .
Talking about mental health has long been taboo , but why should we feel ashamed of something that is not our fault ? Although we have come a long way in normalising mental health , we still have a lot of work to do . To normalise conversations about depressive feelings , our cellulite and hair in places society have told us not to have , we need to talk openly about them . We need to stop talking negatively about ourselves and of others . XYX is our way of starting the hard conversations we need to create change . After all , if we won ’ t do it , who will ?
Love , Karoline Stinessen
EDITOR ’ S NOTE
Unlike many other individuals that live in London , this city was never part of my plans . I moved here knowing very little about the city . Yet , coming from a really small society where people value conservatism , and things rarely change , London certainly amazed me . Even though , I never considered myself conservative and close-minded , moving to this big city has opened my mind about topics that were considered unaccepted growing up .
I began by visiting the big city ’ s famous landmarks and museums to learn about its history and culture . Then started my very first job at Abercrombie & Fitch and interviewed important people at instagrammable cafes for my university assignments . Along the way I met amazing people of different nationalities from all over the world , and in my free time , I never got bored . I shopped at stores I never heard of before , had picnics at some of its many beautiful parks , and even watched the skyline change . Besides , there was always a new bar , concert , or event any day of the week .
Being exposed to all this diversity made me more empathic and in turn more understanding of issues about mental health , abortion , masturbation , sexuality , particularly LGBTQ +, and others . It has been an enlightening few years , and there are still many things I want to achieve and people I want to meet . Many more things I wanna see and do , and for this I was inspired to create XYX magazine .
Yours Truly , Samantha Paz