By Christy Anyanwu and Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Julee Wilson is a leading voice in modern media. She moved from Essence to Cosmopolitan, two top United States Fashion and beauty magazines, without missing a beat, maintaining her same uplifting presence on Instagram, where nearly 72,000 fans follow her for beauty reviews, make-up and hair inspiration as well as adorable family photos. She’s already published scores of engaging stories, including ones about Black-owned beauty brands, Beyoncé’s 40+ wigs for “Black is King” and a celebrity hairstylist who became a COVID-19 nurse. Wilson has even made time to appear on as well as moderate panels, like SCAD’s recent “Black Beauty Matters” discussion.
The veteran journalist whose experience spans fashion, lifestyle and beauty across print and digital publications is a champion of Black women in beauty. At the just concluded GTCO Fashion Weekend, she wowed the audience during her Master Class session. In this interview, she talks about her journey to the top of fashion and beauty journalism. Enjoy.
Did you know that you wanted to work in the fashion and beauty space from a young age? How did your journey as a Beauty Editor begin?
I always knew I wanted to be a writer and my first love was fashion. I was obsessed with magazines growing up like most little girls, but for me, it was like, ‘How do I get there?’ Being a teacher, a doctor or a lawyer, all have specific paths and I didn’t know how to become a fashion or beauty editor someday. I was trying to figure that out as soon as I could.
My professional journey started in college when I decided to write about fashion. That was when I was laser-focused on getting the type of experience I needed to break into this industry. I knew being a young Black woman that I didn’t see much of myself in the industry, so I knew I had to start early. Most people do internships between their junior and senior years, but I started interning after my freshman year. I knew I had to start interning right away because I knew if I wanted to be the best and great in this industry I had to get my foot in the door, which meant I had to start early. My first internship was at Bergdorf Goodman, which I did the summer after my freshman year. After my sophomore year, I interned at Vibe magazine. After my junior year, I interned at Condé Nast Traveler magazine.
After I graduated, I tried to find a full-time job, but it was hard. So I ended up getting another internship at Parenting magazine and moved to New York City. After two months of doing that, I got my first full-time job at Real Simple magazine as the assistant to the editor-in-chief. I spent six and a half years there, moving up the ranks. The last title I held there was Staff Fashion Editor. After a great run there I went to The Huffington Post because I recognized it was really important to learn digital. I spent four and a half years at HuffPost and left to head to Essence magazine to be the Fashion and Beauty Director. Four years later I became the Beauty Director at Cosmo.
I understand that beauty is so specific to different cultures and different backgrounds and that element of the storytelling is so exciting to me.
What interests you about fashion and beauty? Why did you ultimately choose to focus on beauty as your main area of focus?
I started on fashion because I just love clothes and how they inform our storytelling. I used to watch runway shows on Fashion File TV and write my reviews at home. I always knew this was what I wanted to do someday. Thankfully, I was able to start my career in fashion.
I feel that fashion and beauty go hand in hand and are so complementary to each other. When I transitioned from Real Simple magazine to the Huffington Post, that is where I first took on beauty. At the time, they needed someone who could be both a fashion and beauty editor, and I was excited to take on that challenge. I quickly fell in love with beauty.
You write about blacks in a predominantly white space, how do you manage the situation?
Black Girl Magic is a term I used to illustrate the universal awesomeness of black women. It’s about celebrating anything we deem particularly dope, inspiring, or mind-blowing about ourselves.
And that’s just the start. Like Black women in general, our essence, style and spirit are hard to define. Some might call us mysterious, but we are most certainly magical.
I think that as a Black woman, I acutely understand that beauty is so specific to different cultures and different backgrounds — and that element of storytelling is so exciting to me. I latched onto the beauty and became hooked. As I have gotten older in my career, it’s rare to be able to focus on beauty and be an authority in that space.
Tell us about your time at Essence. What are you most proud of that you accomplished during your time with the brand?
People respect me because I am always real. They say thanks and I appreciate it. Writing is like cutting a diamond, it takes a lot of work. One of my greatest works is “Tracy, an amazing actress.” I was rejected at Essence three times and I cried over this. When people see my resume they are like you worked at Essence. I applied at Essence three times and I was turned down before I got a call. People will see your magic when they see your magic. I am hardworking. Essence called and that to me was a sort of motivation. I never gave up, I said to myself you have to keep doing what you are passionate about. There were times I thought I was not going to make it. I thought about how I would come to the limelight in this industry. Stay on course, and do the work, rejection is not an experience anyone should hide but rather use as a potent weapon for a comeback. I tell stories at Essence.
How did you become a leading voice in Modern Media?
I was able to build up my social media space and get paid for it by brands and companies. Don’t allow opportunities to slip, you need to make use of each as they come. It’s so important, to open your mouth and make sure you conquer. It’s not just about beauty and make-up, I equally talk about politics.
How do you talk about black?
I celebrate the doneness of black women. That is what I do to tell black stories at Essence. Essence is a magazine for Black women. So when at Cosmo I was offered a job opportunity I made them realize that I tell black stories.
At the beginning, I had a magnetism that drew you in when I told a story. People hung on every word. I need to tell you that I am the same way I was 15 years ago, except that I have two beautiful sons, Orion and Nadir; a monster rockstar of a husband, and almost 72,000 followers on Instagram.
I still keep it real, sharing the highs and lows of my life with openness and vulnerability that Instagram could frankly use more of everything from pep talks to when I diastasis recti a bad day, to being open about my diastasis recti (a medical condition) and how I have not “snapped back” after having kids. Since those days of hustling as a young editor, I left fashion behind and have become a force in the beauty industry, making a major impact from the inside out by publishing a story in Cosmo about how Black women interact with beauty as one of my proudest moments.
You can also rely on me to introduce you to all the other smart, successful women in my life because I believe in lifting women and helping them shine their light.
Why did you decide to write black stories?
HuffPost reached out to me about Black Voices and I was like, why not? I got the job and it was a turning point. I’ve had very challenging jobs before, but I always say I went from a monthly to a minutely. I used to work on three to four stories a month. At HuffPost, I was writing three to four stories a day. Writing three to four fashion stories a day was a lot, so when they added beauty it really helped diversify my content and my voice and I just started to fall in love with beauty. It feels more universal. It feels like an industry that I can make a difference in. But the real turning point in my career was when Essence reached out to me to write a cover story.
You have been able to gain acceptance while telling the black stories. What future does it hold for the African woman trying to navigate this space?
Confidence. We ought to have confidence in the way we tell our story. The future of African Black girl beauty stories is predominantly in the white space but Africans need to monetize their culture and get paid for it. Whatever they need to capture they should get a pay cheque as cultural ambassadors to companies and brands. What you do naturally measures you. Are you getting the pay cheque? I wrote for Blacks and people read my story. They allowed me to be me in every white space. I am telling a black story with my full chest. Beauty is from the head to the toes and I can be very creative in my writing because I am passionate about it. I am unapologetically writing about the black girl’s beauty.