As fashion magazines pile up, it seems like a girl’s self-esteem slips down the slopes. The endless comparisons fuel disappointment, breeding dissatisfaction with their bodies, relationships, friends, parents—you name it.
In this sort of world, Libby Stewart and Erika Filer are not only setting out to break the norm, their achieving it with their faith-based, socially spread magazine, Girl Talk, and blog/Instagram, The Christian Girls.
Both 15, the teens have been curating, writing and online-publishing for about 18 months, picking subjects that reach beyond the exteriors of their audience, going for the gut—or more specifically, the soul.
“We wanna make sure we’re writing from what God wants to say,” Libby says. “It’s not our words; it’s God’s words, using us to reach other girls our age.”
The two pick a theme—joy, gossip, love—and dive into the Scriptures to see how to reflect the Lord in their writing. They take it a step further, though, researching how these elements intertwine with pop culture through celebrity comments or finding music and videos that apply.
Their readers can’t seem to get enough of the wholesome content. “We’ve had really positive feedback,” Erika says. “A lot of girls comment on each magazine and say, ‘I really needed this today,’ or ‘This is my favorite one yet.’ ”
What’s unique about the two is how they use social platforms to promote their positive content. Their Instagram (@TheChristianGirls) has more than 5,000 followers through organic growth. While most teens their age are posting selfies and not thinking about the consequences of a potentially incriminating photo, Libby and Erika are developing inspirational posts, encouraging followers to strive for more—more peace, more contentment and a greater a relationship with the Creator. As the two mature, neither believe the topics they cover will change all that much—only their perspectives will.
“The things you struggle with now, they don’t go away,” Libby says. “As we get older, I think we’re going to get more insight, we can go deeper with this.”
But for now, they’re content with the ministry that the Lord has brought about. Check out their magazine at thechristiangirls.wordpress.com. —Jessilyn Justice
