There’s no secret that being a teenager is hard. Now, if you add in the mix of going through “regular” teen stuff, while experiencing a loss, growing up just got a lot more difficult. Too Damn Young helps you with the losing someone part, but we lean on Shimmer Teen for some of the awesome (and healthy) advice teens need.
Get ready to learn all about ShimmerTeen and its founder, Kimmy Wolf!
Where did you go to school, and what did you major in?
I went to Brown, where I majored in Gender Studies. I wrote my honors thesis on sexual health content in Seventeen. I also have a master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Did you have any internships in magazines or journalism before starting ShimmerTeen?
My work experience has spanned journalism, media production, education, and public health. I’ve worked on creative teams at several cause-driven media companies. We developed awareness videos and campaigns for organizations like the Clinton Global Initiative, Rock the Vote, and Bono’s ONE Campaign. I was also a sex education teacher, and I worked at a tech startup in Silicon Valley. ShimmerTeen is an interdisciplinary concept, and I’ve had the idea for several years. I geared my work experience to prepare me for launch.
What inspired you to start ShimmerTeen?
So many things! But, here are just a few.
Growing up in LA, I was intimately aware of the effects of the media – negative and positive. As high school students, my friends and I felt the pull all girls feel to look and be a certain way. We all wanted to feel pretty. Compounding the pressure was the fact that we weren’t just seeing celebrities in our magazines and on TV, we would see them around town and were friends with them. It caused some confusion, too, because, as we know, the media often leaves out important details.
I remember the day I was in a Mexican restaurant, and Tyra Banks was sitting at the table next to me and my family. She was the first one there, waiting for the rest of her party, empty seats around her, and she was eating the chips. I thought “Omg, she is amazing. She is so cool and beautiful.” Then I thought, “Wait, she’s a supermodel. How is she eating chips? You can’t eat chips if you are a supermodel.”
Obviously, you can eat chips if you are a supermodel. And in that moment, I realized I was missing part of the story. Reading Cosmo and Seventeen at the time, the prevailing nutritional takeaway was “eat (or don’t eat) to be skinny.” Even though I was eating healthfully at home, the incomplete media messages I was getting were more influential and were giving rise to a set of mistaken beliefs.
On the flip side, my magazines were instrumental in teaching me about sexual health, and they have played that role for girls for decades. What better way to learn about such a private topic than to pretend you are reading a magazine full of fashion and beauty articles when you are really flipping to the juicy stuff? Now, we can access this info right on our phones. It’s ideal.
I have a deep belief in the positive power of media, but I think we can do more, and I think we can do better when it comes to making media a useful resource. That’s my inspiration.
Why is your focus on teens?
High school was the first time I remember receiving advice and incorporating it into my life. During late middle school, high school, and college, we have more and more freedom to make choices, build our identities, and solidify our values. We’re all just trying to figure out what works for us in all realms of our life, from our relationships to our eating habits. ShimmerTeen helps with that. We provide a spectrum of information so girls can make the choices that are right for them.
What’s your favorite part of working on ShimmerTeen?
Aside from fulfilling our mission, I love running my own company. It’s exhilarating to develop concepts, get feedback, and incorporate great ideas to create the best experience possible for our users. We have an amazing, amazing team. It’s been an honor to meet and work with our staff, experts, and teen advisors. We care about the same things, but we come with different perspectives. Big ideas are always bubbling.
How can teenagers get involved? Are other teens able to write for ShimmerTeen?
Yes, we have an Editorial Advisory Board that girls can apply for, and we are always looking for writers. Email us! hello@shimmerteen.com
What does ShimmerTeen cover?
We’re a lifestyle site with a focus on health. We cover everything from sexual health and relationships to our favorite apps and beauty insights. We’re not afraid to get real, and we’re not afraid to get awkward. We’re committed to providing the most comprehensive content possible and covering stories you won’t see on other mainstream teen media sites. Did you know that there are over 1100 chemicals outlawed for use in beauty products in the European Union while less than 20 are outlawed in the U.S? Did you know that there are things a teen can do to make her first sexual experience more fun and less awkward? That’s our beat.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
I’ve been given a lot of great advice, but one of my favorites is the first I can remember. When I was 15, I was at a coed event and feeling like the guys were ignoring me. I was looking at my girlfriends who were mingling successfully. I was feeling shy, uncool, and down on myself. My friend’s mom, Lucinda, who was chaperoning, told me that I didn’t need to be insecure because everyone else was too busy worrying about their own insecurities to notice what I thought were my flaws. Instead, I should walk into a room and smile, let people get to know me, and focus on something outside of myself like the music. Worked like charm, and still does.
I wouldn’t wish insecurity on anyone, or expect others to carry that burden, but I think it’s useful to remember that we all have insecurities, and in a way, they can cancel each other out if we let them.
What’s your favorite quote?
Serena, one of my BFFs, said once: “The more social awkwardness you encounter early on, the better prepared you are for life.” She’s right.
Have you ever experienced any kind of loss? If so, what did you learn from it?
In my second month of college, my parents split up unexpectedly, and then my grandmother passed away suddenly before Thanksgiving. My other grandmother got sick during that time and passed a year and a half later. My older siblings each got married and started their own families, changing further the family structure I had always known. During that period, I also broke up with my first love (several times). It was a lot of change and a lot of loss all at once, and it taught me two things. First, these are the experiences that connect you to the rest of humanity, that give you empathy. As lonely and difficult as they are to manage, times of grief and moments of disappointment can deepen your relationships with others. Second, if you don’t deal with your grief, it will catch up with you. The effects of long-term emotional and physical stress are real. You have to take care of yourself physically and mentally. Take the time, and get the support you need.
