In the nineteenth episode of The Idealists (formerly Grit & Grace), Melissa interviews Julee Wilson, Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan. Julee currently leads the brand's robust beauty coverage across all print, digital, and social platforms. Previously, Julee was Global Beauty Director at Essence and Senior Fashion Editor at Huffington Post. She shares her stories about trying to make it in the fashion industry— including charging a $5000 dress for an interview— and how transparency is necessary to move social media culture forward.

Correction in audio: Helen Gurley Brown was Cosmo's Editor in Chief for 32 years, but she was not the founder.

“You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to come from millions of dollars. You don’t have to live in Soho. You don’t have to have a closet full of designer clothes. I’m a size 16 Black woman with an Afro who lives in Harlem and I’m the Beauty Director of Cosmo. I don’t know how else to express that to people… that what you think is the gold standard, doesn’t necessarily have to be that.”

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