Welcome to the very first issue of Radish, a magazine born from a love for lifestyle content and a longing to reimagine it in a way that speaks to our values.
We’re two best friends, from Kenya/Ethiopia and the U.S., who share an admiration for beautiful magazines and a frustration with the limitations of the genre. Growing up in the height of the teen magazine era—think Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Girl’s Life—we know the joys that this form of media can bring. We also know that they are too often mired in a status quo that promotes capitalist consumerism, toxic beauty standards, harmful diet and fitness cultures, unhealthy relationship patterns, and more. While appearing neutral, they endorse a politic that is not our own.
This project took shape during a late summer backpacking trip through Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece. Somewhere between lazy beach days, hikes through the Albanian Alps, and wine-filled dinners in Greece, the idea for Radish coalesced. We wanted to create a space in the tradition of the lifestyle magazines we knew and loved, but that felt like an honest conversation with people who share our commitments to freedom and liberation.
Radish isn’t your typical lifestyle magazine. We’re here to cover all those topics you expect—Fashion, Beauty, Health & Wellness, Relationships, Food, Travel, you name it—but through a radical lens. That means bringing an eco-feminist, anti-racist, decolonial, and anti-capitalist perspective to the ways we live our lives and the choices we make. For us, it’s about weaving our values into the practical, daily decisions of living. We want to bridge that gap between what we believe and what we do.
In a world where our problems are BIG and may feel overwhelming or even insurmountable, Radish is our answer to making radical politics accessible, practical and enjoyable. So whether you’re a seasoned political organizer or entirely new to radical politics, whether you are here for pop culture critiques or ethical travel and fashion recs, we hope you find something meaningful in these pages. We want Radish to be a companion on your journey toward living a life that remains rooted in joy while being in sync with your values.
As Audre Lorde said, “The true focus of revolutionary change is never merely the oppressive situations that we seek to escape, but that piece of the oppressor which is planted deep within each of us.” We see Radish as a chance to explore a process of self-liberation, to ask what it really means to “kill the cop in your head,” and to build a life that feels more aligned with our core principles. We acknowledge that this is an iterative process that will involve trying, and failing, and trying again. There is no perfect way to lead a “radical” life, especially as we are forced to survive daily under a system that was not made for us. That doesn’t mean we can’t try.
Thanks for being here with us at the beginning. We can’t wait to see where this goes.
With love,
Reyanna & Tiggy
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