Each year, I always look forward to summer vacation so much that I forget about much else—including the fact that Cliché turns a year older each June. I know—bad parent, right? But that’s just the thing: while working on this issue back in April, I was so excited about all the swimsuit coverage (p. 26), beach bag must-haves (p. 18), and music tours (p. 118) that I totally forgot my “baby” is turning a year older. Guiltily, I wonder if this is how real parents sometimes feel when their child turns a year older (since, let’s face it, this is the closest thing I have to a huge responsibility). Once, not too long ago, when I approached my mother with thoughts about my own birthday plans, she said, “Again? Didn’t you just have a birthday last year?” She was joking, of course, but this rings true to me now: has another year gone by already?!
When I think back on the time that has passed, it’s pretty jarring. At exactly this time six years ago, I was getting ready to graduate high school. Prancing around in summer dresses—lengths of which the school dress code just barely allowed—and handing my yearbook to friends both old and new to sign, I was soaking up the last bittersweet days of my golden senior year. Little did I know that at the same time on the opposite coast, Cliché’s original founder Jeremy Fall was getting ready to launch the first issue of Cliché Magazine and I would soon join his team as a writer.
Writing for Cliché certainly wasn’t my first writing gig. At 17, I was getting paid to write music reviews for a radio website, which involved having to listen to some pretty strange newcomers at times (not mentioning any names), but it would soon lead to my most promising: becoming an Editor in Chief. Did I ever imagine I would be running this magazine myself someday when I first started? Absolutely not. In fact, the thought of managing any type of staff and being in charge of who or what went on any magazine cover terrified me. I have always been the shy one, the introverted one, the one who didn’t mind writing assignments per my boss’s request while the big dogs made all the important, stressful decisions. But over the years, I began to care so much about this magazine that when the opportunity was handed thoughtfully to me, like a small creature inside a box poked with air holes, I decided: why not just try? It’s true when people say you’ll never know until you try. And after three years of being the Editor in Chief and six years being a part of this team, I am certainly glad I did.
In this issue, we are celebrating many things, from the 20th anniversary of the cult classic film Clueless (p. 70) to creative women leading the fashion industry (p. 36). As mentioned, we also have you covered with plenty of beauty tips for sweltering days and swimsuits for lounging on the shimmering sand. Our two cover girls, the beautiful Shanola Hampton of Shameless and Cassie Scerbo of Sharknado 3, even share their exciting summer and career plans. And, to celebrate our sixth year and the arrival of summer, we’re giving away two of Zoya Nail Polish’s newest summer collections that I am currently obsessing over! Don’t forget to head on over to clichemag.com today to enter!
I hope you enjoy this special anniversary issue. Here’s to many more years to come.
Megan Portorreal
EDITOR IN CHIEF
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Read more letters from the Editor in Chief on ClicheMag.com
BY MEGAN PORTORREAL
The Ed Letter: June/July 2015 originally appeared in Cliché Magazine’s June/July 2015 issue
