Clever Girl of the Moment: Sarah Dubbeldam of Darling

“We try to do exactly the opposite,” she explains. “We look at what culture is saying negatively to women, we try to combat that… We don’t want to villain-ize media with our magazine, but I feel like women are really, really responding to it.”

In the New Year, Dubbeldam hopes to expand the magazine into a social movement. She envisions short films, conferences, and dinners with a themed topic to guide conversations.

Eight kinds of women guide the content of her magazine: The Dreamer, The Achiever, The Hostess, The Intellectual, The Stylist, The Confidant, The Beautician, and The Explorer.

Dubbeldam identifies mostly with The Dreamer – as a native of the small town of Sisters, Oregon, she grew up in nature, had a horse and loved to trek through the woods dreaming about her life.

“I think all women are a part of each persona,” she said. “We all wear those hats everyday. So secondly, I’m probably The Intellectual, because I love thought processes and culture. But first, a dreamer.”

Just like all women, Dubbeldam has her difficult moments, especially when running a magazine that’s sold in 250 stores across the country.

But she’s learned how to keep her cool. “When I get down, or really overwhelmed, I try to re-frame my perspective. I’ll sit down with a journal and think or pray about, ‘what’s my perspective,’ and ‘what can I be thankful for?’” Dubbeldam says. “That really helps me.”

It’s this attitude– that’s both attainable and relatable– that makes Darling work.

Photo credit:
Illustration: Karolina Maszkiewicz; Photographer: Ben Sasso; Sarah Dubbeldam photo courtesy of Darling Magazine.

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