As part of an ongoing quest to target every possible reader, BuzzFeed Life has made two new hires who will have very clearly defined beats. New beauty editor Essence Gant will focus on “multicultural beauty, black hair, and natural hair” and Nora Whelan is joining as a style writer “who will focus on plus size style and body image.”
“Women deserve to see themselves represented in mainstream media,” BuzzFeed style editor Julie Gerstein told the Observer in an email from Japan.
Ms. Gant is currently a writer at Black Enterprise and has her own blog called The Essence Of…, where she covers life, style and beauty. Ms. Whelan was a senior editor at Corner Media, a network of hyperlocal blogs run by Liena Zagare (who happens to be married to BuzzFeed editor in chief Ben Smith).
“Beauty and fashion coverage for women of color and plus size women has traditionally, unfortunately, been limited,” Ms. Gerstein said. “Which is why we’re excited to have Nora and Essence come on to focus full time on helping and serving these communities.”
And we all know how much BuzzFeed likes to serve communities, especially those that like to share stories online.
