Welcome to the B List

Better than the A List, depending who you ask.

I have about a million ideas for this newsletter, but I can’t bring them to life until I write the inaugural post. You know how some people struggle with endings? For me, it’s beginnings that are tricky. Daunting, in fact. If I don’t start now, I’ll over-think it until it’s far too late. I can’t help but want the perfect introduction — a post so good, you feel compelled to share it on your socials, send it to your friends, tattoo it on your bicep, etch it onto your tombstone. Is that too much to ask? Am I setting the bar too high?

I know I am, but I’d argue that’s the reason I excel at being my own boss. The only way to succeed when working for yourself is by setting goals and expectations that ensure you aren’t dropping the ball. I have no manager to touch base with to ensure I’m meeting my KPIs, no co-workers to compare workloads and complain with (save for my other freelancing friends, for whom I’m immensely grateful).

In truth, I really thrive as a team of one. Since going freelance in 2022 and juggling content and editorial work, I’ve more than tripled my income. I work with incredible brands in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle spaces, and as a result, I’ve met some of the most talented, inspiring, good-AF-at-what-they-do people in New York City. It’s an honor and a treat, and I’ll take the hustle (eye roll) over a desk job any day.

Still, I occasionally miss the benefits of writing on-staff for a publication. Namely (in fact, the only thing I can think of) getting to write and publish whatever I want, whenever I want. I love posting on socials, but I’ve never been one for diaristic captions or essay-length word vomiting on my Instagram Story. As a result, a lot of the smaller stories I’d like to share — quick fashion roundups, beauty favorites, industry hot takes, general musings — never get shared at all. After a while, it’s started to feel like my job consists primarily of going to events, and I miss the days when writing was top priority.

In the past, I’d write these pieces for whatever publication I was tethered to at the time, but these days, I only pitch the big stuff or take on assignments. I don’t have the bandwidth to pitch stories with short shelf lives in a timely manner, and given the state of the industry, doing so would hardly be worth my time in terms of compensation. You may have noticed that, lately, a lot of your favorite writers, editors and general fashion folk are seeking out ways to practice their craft without succumbing to the restrictions of larger media houses. I predict that this year, even more will follow suit. It’s the Year of the Substack, as I’ve been telling anyone who will listen.

Without further ado, welcome to the B List, a Substack that aims to be as unpretentious as its name implies. B for Bella, of course, but the name is intentionally tongue-in-cheek: I’m an expert in my field, but at the end of the day, I’m no Anna Wintour or Pat McGrath. I’m not saying my recs and musings are incontestable A-List picks, but they’re certainly worth sharing with an audience that tends to like my POV. I still plan to write and pitch my favorite editors (and if you’d like me to write for you, please, reach out!) but I’m hoping that this newsletter can be a supplementary outlet for me to share the stuff that doesn’t make it to a more formal byline.

It’s tempting to join a new platform and feel obligated to “prove” myself worthy of having it, but I’m challenging myself to delight in frothy, trivial musings and insights here, instead of overly critical fashion journalism. This won’t be a space where I force myself to wax poetic on sartorial phenomena if I’m not feeling it — a lot of the posts will be inconsequential and fun. For a while there, I told myself that it wasn’t worth having a newsletter if it wasn’t revolutionary. But really, is that so bad?

I’m fairly new to the world of Substack, and it’ll take some time to figure out exactly what B List will look like in terms of formatting. As for frequency, I’m aiming for once-a-week free posts to kick things off. There’s also the option to keep some of my Substack content behind a paywall — and at some point, I definitely plan to do so, but what and when is still TBD. Many of you might have started following me on Instagram for my Editor/Publicist Q&As, and I hope to expand on this kind of content (among other things) behind a paywall soon. But allow me a few months (or more! or less! who knows!) to get used to the whole “I have a Substack” thing before I graduate to “I have a Substack, and I want you to pay for it!”. Like I said, beginnings can be daunting.

More to come, and thanks for being here.

x BG