Student manages online fashion magazine

Monta Reinfelde

Leah Brown

Amid a slew of fashion columns and blog posts, a WKU student is throwing her hat into the ring with a new magazine and an event looking to stylishly give back to the community.  

Between majoring in journalism and playing on WKU’s tennis team, Monta Reinfelde manages her own magazine.

In order to help promote her publication, MAG, and to help a good cause, Reinfelde will be hosting a consignment sale on campus. The sale will be tomorrow at the Faculty House from 10 am to 2 pm. It will be a fancy version of a flea market, Reinfelde said.

At the event, MAG will be collaborating with Hope Scarves, a nonprofit organization from Louisville that partners with cancer surviving women.  The organization’s goal is to share scarves and encouraging stories of women battling cancer. All money raised at Friday’s event will benefit Hope Scarves.

Girls may sign up in groups and bring by their clothes, jewelry, accessories, books, scarves and other items in good condition that they wish to sell. A majority of the items will be cheap since it’s a consignment sale, Reinfelde said. She hopes for a large turnout in sorority involvement to make the event successful.

After not being selected for a magazine internship, Reinfelde decided to create her own instead. She got the idea for the magazine from Jennifer Nelson’s book “Airbrushed Nation: The Lure and Loathing of Women’s Magazines.” The 23-year-old student from Latvia began working on her online magazine this past August in an independent class with Professor Kerry Northrup. She launched the magazine on Feb. 7.

“We’re trying to fight the stereotype,” Reinfelde said.

MAG’s slogan is “For Real Women, About Real Women.” The magazine expresses to women that they are already the best versions of themselves and do not need improvement. MAG’s stories discuss issues in society such as anorexia and self-esteem. None of the images used on the website are photoshopped. 

“We have a very good team working on [the magazine],” Reinfelde said.

Reinfelde’s friends, professors and peers have devoted time to help make MAG magazine become a success. Bowling Green senior Nicole Coomer helps with MAG as well. She said she manages the audience engagement and runs the social media accounts. Coomer also does a majority of the public relations. 

Reinfelde is also involved with Small Business Accelerator on campus. She is trying to create a business out of the magazine and collaborate with other companies. Many people have told her the project has huge potential, she said.

Readers can view the magazine at Magwoman.com. 

“I think it would be awesome if a lot of people participated in the event not only to support MAG magazine, but to donate to charity as well,” Meade county freshmen Bethany Roberts said.