Bonnie Langedijk, a Dutch stylist, will launch a media platform April 5, with the aim of challenging how women are represented in media.
Hurs will cover fashion, art, travel, food and more. It will also include curated product edits. Members will have the opportunity to meet women featured on the platform and exchange ideas.
According to the site’s creators, it was created by women for women. It hopes to communicate with its readers authentically through multiple channels including newsletters, think pieces, and newsletters.
Langedijk spoke to press and stated that she has been playing with various iterations of Hurs for approximately 2,5 years. I was frustrated by the way women were depicted in women’s media. It felt like society was moving forward, but women’s media kept going back to the past. The space felt like it was a sea of the same. Instead of offering something unique, all trying to appeal to everyone.
She said that the few publications that offered a unique perspective had very little or no online presence. This meant that you didn’t know where to find great content between issues. I saw a need for a media company that could offer a unique take on style and speak through women.
“We have lived with the inconsistent, one-dimensional way that women are spoken to …”
The company stated in its manifesto that, despite women demanding a more gender-friendly space, media had “lost” the ability to serve them. Instead, it celebrated the same few to make advertising money.
It said, “We’ve lived with inconsistencies and one-dimensional ways women are spoken to. Accepted the way they’ve portrayed us on their pages. This cannot be continued.”
Langedijk stated that she wants to challenge the traditional way women are spoken to. She added: “The Hurs reader, image-driven, informed, and intelligent. We tell stories and curate products using the eyes of our communities, because they are best able to decide what they want. We don’t want to tell our readers what they should wear or buy. We share our favorite products and stories so that readers can make their own choices.”
