Aiyana Ishmael

It’s 2026, which means I have a football romance novel coming out in exactly 14 months — March 2027 🤓♥️🏈

Teen Vogue’s loss is an irreplaceable void in teen media Between fandoms and youth activists, people don’t take teenage girls seriously — but Teen Vogue did.

“From sustainability, social justice, politics, fashion, and everything else, Teen Vogue was a place for young women to feel seen and heard,” @aiyanaish.bsky.social said. “It also gave them the chance to speak for themselves.”

Thank you so much for amplifying, Aiyana!

Hi everyone. I was the R&B Reporter at VIBE for 4 years prior to the merger. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, but on behalf of my former team, we thank you for your support.

those of us laid off from Teen Vogue were really fortunate to complete our fundraising goal — the laid-off staffers at VIBE deserve the same support, as Black media outlets and journalists continue to be targeted and discriminated against in “austerity” measures

Donate to Support VIBE Staff After Sudden Layoffs, organized by Mya Abraham It was announced on October 16, 2025 that VIBE was "joining forces" with Rolling S… Mya Abraham needs your support for Support VIBE Staff After Sudden Layoffs

It was announced on October 16, 2025 that VIBE was "joining forces" with Rolling Stone. As a result, the majority of VIBE employees were laid off. If you have the means to give, this team could use the support! www.gofundme.com/f/support-vi...

Welcome to Woke 2.0 Democrats won by running on kitchen-table issues and accepting or embracing trans people and immigrants.

got to post-Zohran blog @thecut.com — multiple election outcomes on Tuesday showed that refusing to fold on trans people, migrants, Muslims, and marginalized communities while pushing kitchen table issues is a winning strategy. the pundit class’s “Decision to Win”-style arguments can be put to bed

I'm one of the four fired employees. I was a writer & producer at Bon Appétit for nearly five years, during which I helped organize our union and sat on our bargaining committee.

I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them

I got a pitch today about how to talk about getting laid off, so it feels like a good time to say that I was laid off from Teen Vogue after almost nine years as they fold the magazine into Vogue. I did the work of a lifetime there and I’m so proud.

As President Bartlet would say, “what’s next?”

I was laid off from Teen Vogue yesterday, along with 70% of my incredible team. @teenvogue.com

Thank you to everyone who has reached out. I am so grateful. For nearly 4yrs as Culture Editor, I was dedicated to humanizing and empowering young people. We move.❤️‍🩹🚀

Cash App: $kmcnab Venmo: @/kaitmcnab

Donate to Help Laid-Off Teen Vogue Staffers Recover, organized by Lexi McMenamin More than half the team at Teen Vogue was laid off this week by our parent co… Lexi McMenamin needs your support for Help Laid-Off Teen Vogue Staffers Recover

thank you for the outpouring of support!

those of us laid off from Teen Vogue yesterday are now sharing our GoFundMe to help us cover our emergency expenses now that we've lost our incomes, as we get back on our feet.

JV Captains' Club | Aiyana Ishmael | Substack a newsletter where coming-of-age is treated like a contact sport. Click to read JV Captains' Club, by Aiyana Ishmael, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.

If you’re interested in keeping up with my future work, i have a substack i started a few months back! xx open.substack.com/pub/jvcaptai...

I love you! YOU are so much of Teen Vogue, too! x

Teen Vogue was and will always be a special place and I’m so disheartened to see so many talented creatives and editors lose their jobs. But I trust God’s plan. More to come. Here’s to the next adventure! xx

I was laid off from Teen Vogue this week, alongside multiple other phenomenal team members.

At our Summit, I was asked how it felt to be 1 of 2 Black women left and what that meant for representation. Now, there are no Black women at Teen Vogue and that is incredibly painful to think about.

thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.

now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.

I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.

certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.

Black Fashion Leaders Are Still Carrying the Diversity Push From 2020. What Happened? “It’s 10 steps forward, but maybe two steps back and then five steps forward again.”

Three years ago, I asked Black fashion experts if much had changed since 2020. One said, “Ask again in 2025. That’s when you’ll really be able to tell.”

5 years later, they are still fighting for consistent support and visibility. Read the feature here: www.teenvogue.com/story/black-...

For Those Calling Remi Bader Less Relatable: Fat People Aren't Here For Your Comfort "Following a fat woman because she’s ‘relatable’ traps her into being your proverbial pillow, or at worst your punching bag."

In this op-ed, associate editor @aiyanaish.bsky.social examines the discussion around Remi Bader's weight loss, and how the “relatable” fat friend trope is harmful ⤵️

At HBCUs, Some Queer Students Feel They Have a Choice: Come Out or Go Greek "Some people are against the idea of coming out in college or they wait until they get their letters. There's ignorance in a lot of spaces — especially with the Divine Nine.”

Last year, the oldest historically Black Greek letter orgs moved to ban trans men from its ranks. Even without bans, @aiyanaish.bsky.social found that LGBTQ students don't feel welcome in some Divine 9 orgs. Some say they face a choice: Come out, or go Greek.

www.teenvogue.com/story/hbcu-g...

At HBCUs, Some Queer Students Feel They Have a Choice: Come Out or Go Greek "Some people are against the idea of coming out in college or they wait until they get their letters. There's ignorance in a lot of spaces — especially with the Divine Nine.”

For queer or trans students trying to join Greek life, Black Greek-letter organizations at their HBCU can foster a culture of heteronormative masculinity that makes it, if not unsafe, not in the student’s best interest to be openly queer.

Read more from @aiyanaish.bsky.social ⤵️

'Stop Sending These Stained Clothes': Fast Fashion Is Destroying These Cities— and Lives See fashion's last stop, the places where your used clothing is harming ecosystems, polluting the environment, and driving often-dangerous markets.

As we head into fashion month, we’re taking a step forward to also highlight the impact of our clothing with #TheLastStop, a package emphasizing the long journey of our discarded clothing.

First up: What really happens to your used clothing ⤵️ www.teenvogue.com/story/what-r...