In Loving Memory: InStyle Magazine (1994-2022)

Graphic by: Agnes Lee

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a ride-or-die. We all deserve someone who sticks with us through every up and down, who remains our biggest cheerleader, who offers a shoulder to cry on in times of need. I was blessed with the greatest ride-or-die a girl could have. And I met her at age 8 in the checkout aisle of a Hy-Vee grocery store.

My ride-or-die is, in fact, not a person. My ride-or-die is InStyle Magazine.

InStyle was a friend who existed in multiple generations — it was my mother who introduced us. Most grocery runs as a child ended with the magazine mysteriously appearing in our cart after she unsuccessfully attempted to resist impulse buying it as the cashier rang up the last few items. She would lazily flip through the magazine upon our return home, then pass it on to me. I read every issue she gave me cover-to-cover, including the advertisements for meal replacement shakes and birth control implants. I’d then go back through for a second pass, tearing out pages that contained especially-applicable fashion advice and storing them in a manila file folder. I frequently consulted the folder, which I kept in my dresser, when putting together my outfits for elementary school. On my third read-through, I’d cut out the most beautiful photos and inspiring words and place them in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Every so often, I’d use the contents of that bag to make a collage to display in my clear iPod Touch case.

InStyle was a friend who would follow me anywhere. When I went to New York for a month-long summer dance program — my first time away from home by myself — I picked up a copy from the nearby Whole Foods and kept it on the desk in my dorm room. Now, the latest issues line the shelf above the desk in my Northwestern dorm room, with collage-worthy clippings pinned onto the bulletin board.

Image courtesy of Ella Kuffour.

The April issue will be the last print edition of my beloved InStyle magazine. InStyle is one of six magazines ending their print runs next month as part of parent company Dotdash Meredith’s decision to restructure its media holdings. All six publications will continue as digital-only brands.

Though I’m relieved that InStyle will live on in a web format, I’m heartbroken to see the future of formative memories suddenly disappear. Nothing compares to holding a copy in my hands, flipping the glossy pages one by one, peeling open every perfume sample, dog-earing my favorite stories and fantasizing about the day my name would appear in a byline.

It’s hard to sum up in words the unmeasurable impact of a decade-long friendship –– especially one with an inanimate object. But I feel reassured knowing InStyle will walk out of my life the same way she walked in — unexpectedly, gracefully and wearing the best outfit in the room.