The ALIA
Volume I. Issue V. Sept. 1, 2020.
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the fifth issue of The ALIA, a weekly newsletter dedicated to the lives of Asian women in America, and beyond, where we bring you the latest news and insightful conversations with industry professionals. In this volume, we feature women in fashion, media and arts. Subscribe for free here.
Letter from the editor:
Hello! It’s so good to see you again, and a warm welcome to our new subscribers. I have a feeling you’re going to enjoy this week’s conversation with one of my favorite Asian fashion journalists, Elyza Khamil, formerly of Harper’s BAZAAR Malaysia.
Not only is Elyza stunningly fashionable, she’s also so down to earth. Her genuine charm and energy are able to light up any room she’s in. Despite abrupt career changes and adjusting to life in lockdown, she’s stayed true to herself through it all.
Having recently graduated from my master’s degree, I found myself experiencing a similar feeling of transience. We bonded over coping with life transitions in one of the most honest conversations ever.
P.S. This week’s Asian-owned brands feature two of my favorite Malaysian-owned brands.
I hope you enjoy!
Sincerely,
Annie Lin
Founder of The ALIA
If you could like to learn more about this project, please contact us at contact@alia.news
Asian Creatives
Clockwise from top left: @teresa_vu, @spreadfashion, @a.flair, @alllisonho
Community News
For fox sake • Our eyes are not a trend. The latest social media controversy over the “fox eye” trend has sparked a backlash against celebrities and influencers for pulling their eyes upwards in a pose that bears an uncanny resemblance to the racist slanted eye pose used to mock Asian eyes. Read: CNN Style
Street cred • Asian Americans have played a part in shaping street culture – think Anti Social Social Club by Neek Lurk, Staple Pigeon by Jeff Ng, and The Hundreds by Bobby Kim and Ben Shenassafar. But how has it shaped Asian American identity? Read: Highsnobiety
Family talks • Sam Reed, senior editor of InStyle, shares her personal experience growing up as a Japanese American. She unearths meaningful conversations with her mother about the microaggressions she’s faced and acknowledging the racism that her family never discussed. Read: InStyle
Child style • These kids are definitely cooler than you. At ages four and seven, Raina and Keanu Nobles have amassed an impressive 20,500 followers on Instagram, and it’s no surprise why. Their fashion-forward parents have styled them in streetwear outfits fit for an off-duty model. Read: SCMP Lifestyle
In Conversation with Elyza Khamil
This week, we’re joined by Elyza Khamil, 27, former digital editor of fashion magazine Harper’s BAZAAR Malaysia. Since the unexpected closure of the title in April, and 19 others under the publishing house Blu Inc Media, Khamil has been taking the time to reflect and rejuvenate. While sipping a cup of chamomile tea, she chats with us about life transitions, diversity in fashion, body positivity and opens up about the hurdles she’s overcome.
This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Tell us about your journey to journalism.
It was a bit of a twisty road. I graduated from the University of Kent with a social anthropology degree, and in all honesty, I had no intention of going into journalism. When I graduated, it was difficult to find a job in the U.K. with my degree. I moved back to Malaysia and ended up applying to Bloomberg TV Malaysia. I worked there for a year and a half. I was thrown into the deep end because I had no idea what I was doing. I produced segments about fashion, beauty, travel and motorsports. After I left Bloomberg, I freelanced for a year in television production. Then, Lina Esa from CLEO Malaysia asked me if I wanted to join the publishing bandwagon. So, I worked for CLEO as a digital content producer for another year before being promoted to digital editor at Harper’s BAZAAR Malaysia.
I didn’t know that journalism and content creation would be my forte. I feel like Malaysia was late to the digital game. Many things I would pitch in my first year was turned down because it was too forward. Towards the end of my second year, Instagram marketing became a huge thing. Everyone had to adapt and learn quickly. Copywriting became even more vital as you needed to get your point across. I worked at Harper’s BAZAAR for about three years before its publishing company, Blu Inc Media, shuttered its doors this April after around 20 years* in the business, due to economic downturns caused by COVID-19.
How have you been coping after the unexpected shutdown of Harper’s BAZAAR’s publishing company?
The way Blu Inc shutdown was very sudden. I woke up on April 30, had some meetings over Zoom as usual. At 11 a.m., we got an email statement from the CEO, Datin Azliza Tajuddin, about how they’re ceasing operations on the same day at 6 p.m. There was no warning, even our Editor-in-Chief Natasha Kraal had no idea. I can’t even imagine how she must have felt. She birthed Harper’s BAZAAR Malaysia and ran it for 17 years.
I am still struggling with being in a limbo stage. I’m trying to figure out what I can do with my skillset. When this happened, it went from going 100 mph to zero. The universe has forced us to rest. I’m a big believer in taking time to rest. At a time like this, I don’t think you should be hard on yourself because the world is crumbling.
The job market is really tough, especially for the publishing industry in Malaysia. Seeing people tackling their frustrations through fitness and cooking during the lockdown, I’m really not doing any of that. I’m binging Netflix for 12 hours a day and snacking – that’s fine too. I used to beat myself up about it, but I’ve realized it’s OK to take your time to figure it all out.
Working for an American magazine title in Asia, did you ever feel like you had to fit into Western standards?
The magazine was heavily influenced by Western styles, and a lot of brands preferred having white models. For the most part, I think Harper’s BAZAAR had a good balance between Western ideals and featuring Asian women in its pages. There was always a BAZAAR way of writing. There’s also the idea of the “BAZAAR woman” and “BAZAAR man.” But then again, who is the BAZAAR person anyway? It has connotations that represent certain criteria and expectations. When it comes to luxury and high fashion magazines, the hard truth is that you’re selling an experience people want. It’s an unattainable lifestyle for the average person.
You don’t need to own a designer handbag to work at Harper’s BAZAAR, but it seemed like a bonus because you represented a brand and a particular socio-economic background. I seemed to fit the bill without realizing it. It was only brought to my attention when people commented, “She was hired only because she went to a good school and comes from a good family.” There was always a presumption that people from international schools were favored. I definitely did not see that in the beginning, but it opened my eyes.
You’re very outspoken about body positivity. How did that impact you while you were at Harper’s BAZAAR?
I hated being the person who was like, “We need a size four model” because all the clothes loaned from brands were sample sizes, either size two or four for standard shoots. I have done shoots with incredibly diverse women, and it made me realize, these are the stories I want to tell. I think Asia is a bit behind in championing diversity and inclusivity. I do see it changing, and I hope it does in the long-run.
I’m glad I voiced my personal experience recently after Blu Inc was no longer around. The experience of hearing people gossip that you’ve gained weight, you’d be more attractive if you lost weight, or your thighs were too big. Even from fellow editors of different magazines in the office. They’d encourage body positivity and diversity through pages of their magazine, but they did not practice it within their own environment. It was very performative.
Even though magazines hold so much power, I don’t think it can be a hub for change when you still have people who don’t believe in it. How can you create change if your values or perception still have not?
How has the conversation around race and diversity been different in Malaysia?
Inclusivity and diversity have always been one of the pillars of Harper’s BAZAAR. However, we’ve never had a hijab-wearing model on the cover. We have featured them inside the pages of the magazine, but not on the cover. That is one of the things I regret not asking much sooner. The conversation around race, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, made me reflect and I wish I had fought harder for the girls I believed in who I thought would be good candidates for a job or photoshoot.
What advice do you have for people who want to pursue fashion journalism, but their parents may not be supportive of it?
You have to prove that you can do it and that you’re passionate about it. I think those are the fundamental steps. Not just proving it to other people, but for yourself. If you believe in yourself, it will reflect. Sure, you might have an awkward conversation with your parents where you tell them you don’t want to be a doctor. That might turn the house upside down until you can prove them wrong.
When I first got offered the publishing job, my dad was like, “Who reads magazines?” His print media is newspapers. My parents never pressured me to go down a certain path, but there was some apprehension. Had my parents not been as cool as they were, they would have still seen how hard I worked during late nights and long shoot days.
What does a typical day look like for you now?
Now I wake up between 9:30-10:30 a.m., which is considered quite late compared to when I was working. I’m not even mad about it because some days I just want to catch up on all the sleep I’ve missed.
Right now, I’m working on a freelance project together with my friend Niki Dowlani who’s swimsuit line Owl By Dowlani is the swimsuit sponsor for Miss Universe Malaysia. A former colleague from Harper’s BAZAAR is helping to style the photoshoot.
In the interim, I’ve been updating my resume and applying to jobs. If I get them, that’d be amazing. If I don’t, that’s fine too. When I’m not working, I’m binging Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix. It’s a vicious cycle because I’ll be super on the go, and then I’ll burn out for three days – I call it balance.
*A previous version of this interview stated that Blu Inc Media was in business for 46 years. Blu Inc started in 1974 as Jack Chia-MPH Group in Singapore and evolved into Blu Inc through ownership changes, according to their LinkedIn.
Asian-owned Brands
Weekly Thoughts
Last week: What is something that reminds you of your childhood?
Your responses:
Eating banh mi always brings me back to my childhood days. I would visit my grandma’s house every week, and there was a little banh mi stall right across from her home. No other banh mi I’ve had in my life compares to it. I could also be biased because staying at my grandma’s is one of my fondest childhood memories. – Jen Chua, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
“Certain foods and smells trigger a memory from my childhood. Recently, I saw a shop selling White Rabbit candy boba. I remember having debates with friends when I was younger about whether you could eat the clear wrapper around the candy – I still don’t know the real answer! As a newlywed, who married a white guy, I find random household chores remind me of my childhood. For instance, I’ve never run a dishwasher, we used it as a drying rack. Also, when I’m sweeping, I am reminded of my mom’s New Year’s superstitions.” – Michelle Lu Dewese, Dallas, Texas
This week: What is something you would tell your younger self?
#ALIAtalks to join the conversation and we will feature the best submissions in next week’s newsletter. For email submissions, please email contact@alia.news
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