VERILY: Fresh Conversations on What It Means To Be Real Women

HAT TIP: Elizabeth Scalia at The Anchoress

When twenty-somethings Kara Eschbach and Janet Sahm met for brunch in New York City’s West Village one year ago, they ended up having a conversation that would redirect their future – and, in time, could possibly help change our culture.

After lamenting the fact that the pictures, styles and articles featured in women’s magazines today didn’t reflect their own lives, hopes and values, Janet – a former intern at Elle.com who had worked in the fashion industry – said that she’d like to start her own magazine ten years down the road. Kara – an investment analyst at Credit Suisse – asked, “Why not right now?”

VERILY

Though “Verily” is a secular magazine, it’s grounded in the values that Kara and Janet learned growing up and have come to appreciate more in recent years. Kara, for instance, admits that she’s been a “typical young Catholic” who would go to church on Sunday, but live the rest of the week in ways that didn’t necessarily reflect her beliefs. “For me, it’s been this slow journey of [discovering] how I reconcile the person I want to be with [how] I’m living…It’s been a matter of following those moments of clarity where I knew what I was supposed to do, and trying to come closer to God’s truth in the decisions I make every day.”

Janet grew up “a good kid” in a “strong, beautiful Catholic family” in Indianapolis. She was always drawn to fashion and has been sketching dresses since age five. “Over the years,” she says, “I was slowly making these small decisions because I wanted so badly to please others and be beautiful. The way I dressed, the way I acted around guys, and how I engaged in relationships changed.” The negative influence came from the fashion world’s depiction of “the sophisticated, mature, thriving woman. I tried to imitate that, but it didn’t really make sense with my life and with what my heart ultimately desired.”