Summer is the perfect time to slow down, find a hammock, a dock by a lake, or a field and a blanket to read and reflect. This new issue is a necessary companion for all your summer adventures and we can’t wait to get it into your mailbox!
If you’re wondering what’s inside, the theme is complexity, so the content is centered around tackling complicated issues in our culture, our personal lives and relationships. Yet, this issue is also about the lightheartedness that can come when we accept life as beautiful and perplexing in the same breath.
In these pages you’ll find interesting interviews and essays accompanied by creative, eye-catching imagery that you might even want to tear out and put on a mood board for your summer vibe.
Keep reading for sneak-peeks and quotes from some of our favorite features!Â
Inside the Dreamer | A piece on what fear really means and how to conquer it while learning from it.
Freedom from fear is not something we can buy ourselves out of. We can’t build a wall high enough to protect us. But we can dig a well deep within our souls to strengthen us. We must accept the daily hard work of fortifying our inner selves and believe there is a better way to live. – Angela Parker
Inside the Stylist | A feature on fashion blogger and designer Gabi Fresh about body image and how the size on our clothing tag has nothing to do with our worth as women.
You have to realize that a number doesn’t define you. I think something that really changed me was hearing other people talk about what size they were openly without shame attached to it … – Gabi Fresh
Inside the Explorer | A woman’s story of infertility that lead to adopting three children, two of whom have Down syndrome, and the lessons learned about dreams, disappointments and giving your all for others.Â
Parenting a child with Down syndrome, or any kind of different ability, could just be the gift of your life. I know it has been for mine. – Heather Avis
Inside the Achiever | A compelling interview with actress, activist, writer and producer, Rashida Jones.
There’s so much going on that I feel like we haven’t given enough space for childhood or innocence anymore. There’s so much pressure to grow up and be sexy really fast, to dress like an adult, to act like an adult, to have things like an adult, but why? – Rashida Jones
Inside the Confidant | An exploration of what it means to be a working mother and the complexities that come along with pursuing equality and re-evaluating gender and social constructs.
Work was a grounding force that kept me, well … me. But it was hard and confusing to marry these two important worlds: motherhood and lady boss. And figuring out the new rhythm for everyone in our home was trying at best. – Iva Pawling
Inside the Beautician | A personal story of Darling’s own Beauty Editor’s struggle with adult acne. She talks about the issue from a deep and also practical level, with lessons on self-esteem.
There was a deep sense of shame in having acne, like I was somehow dirty and not in control of my body. That, compounded with the fact that I only punished myself further with my incessant picking, caused me grief and hopelessness… – Francesca Giaimo
Lastly, here to tell you about one of the most important parts of Darling Issue No. 16 is our Photo Editor, Rebekah Shannon:
