The Hairpin was created back in October on the heels of the success of The Awl. It’s a sister site to the anything-and-everything Awl, centering around something to do with women … we think. Its startup was financed by Ann Taylor, the women’s fashion company. The blog is edited by Edith Zimmerman, formerly of New York magazine’s Vulture blog.
Read The Hairpin, and you’ll laugh your ass off. You might not really understand what’s going on, but you’ll enjoy it. Whether it’s a collection of ridiculous stock photography with women eating salad or the latest depressing fashion trend, they’ll be on it with a take you won’t see anywhere else. Yes, they have the best takes on lettuce-related photography and poorly conceived men’s jeans.
Honestly, we don’t really know what the hell’s going on over there either, but we like it … a lot. And so will you.
Edith took some time to answer a few of our questions:
Why blog?
Ahh, because it’s fun and immediately rewarding and everything else is groaning and dying.
How did you come up the idea for The Hairpin?
Well, the concept for The Awl to have a lady-blog website was already in place, so I didn’t come up with that. But I did come up with the name, if that’s what you’re asking. A girlie item but also sort of pointy and jabby.
There are a ton of different blogs for women. What sets The Hairpin apart?
It’s perfect and all the other ones are terrible.
Is there a specific post you’re most proud of? Or maybe one that helps to represent what the Hairpin is all about?
Sure! Here are a few:
- The salad post
- How to Lose 10 Pounds Using Wine and Anxiety
- Outdated Beauty Advice: How to Never Move Your Face
- Fuck/Marry/Kill: Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase
- All Dudes Learned How to Dress and It Sucks
What’s been the biggest challenge of running a blog?
Ah, crippling self-doubt, keeping ridiculous hours because I’m terrible at time management, sometimes just actually sitting at the computer with my fingers over the keyboard, frozen in a weird anxiety-induced panic paralysis? Also sometimes I drink a lotttttt of coffee verrrry quickly, and that’s sometimes when the paralysis thing happens. But also mostly just the dailiness of it. Every Friday I kind of feel like, “awesome, we made it! Now it’s over!” But it’s not! Yet! Thank God!
What do you see for The Hairpin going forward? What goals do you have for the future?
Becoming the biggest and most important source for salad pictures on the internet!
What do you see for the future of blogging in general?
Oh man I have no idea! Something, though! Things are going to happen, for sure!
Honestly, how do you view our blog? What and whom do you feel we represent?
It’s a good one! Maybe sensitive, thoughtful types? Not in a bad way, obviously, or like someone swaying in front of their computer, lacing their fingers and weeping, but like, everyone should be sensitive and thoughtful! So yeah. You represent good men! That was maybe too easy.