Sometimes a quiet pause is all that is needed. And just like that, we’re back.

Welcome to THE FILE 2.0 – an evolved version of what you have come to know and depend on from us. A beauty, wellness and discovery platform which is all about beauty behind closed doors. In other words, real beauty. The kind that comes from a place of honesty and a willingness to go there with ourselves and with each other.

When I originally launched THE FILE, there was a very simple intention; to create a beauty site that felt different. I had spent years in the beauty and fashion industry working in brand and communications roles, constantly reading magazines, newspapers and online platforms and always felt a disconnect between what I felt, and what I was truly searching for.

In a sense that was the genesis, the starting point for THE FILE, building a place where women could visit and leave feeling something different. Not imposed upon, feeling less than or in the energy of comparison. It takes a great deal of responsibility to bring that, continuously.

I never wanted to reach a point with this site where I fell into the age-old trap of driving up our “UVs” (unique visitors) to sell those UVs (i.e. you) to advertisers. It’s a traditional model of publishing that relies on click bait, SEO high ranking words, followers, likes, all designed to create a commodity out of women. A lot of what we read today counts on this model. I thought long and hard about this trajectory – that in order to be a so-called success in the world of beauty publishing, I would have to essentially degrade the very integrity I began with.

And so I took a pause, to feel into what was needed and come back to you all with a platform with a greater sense of clarity, integrity and purpose, more so than before.

And today, I’ve never felt more fuelled to bring forth a conversation that embraces and enriches. I look around at what’s going on in the world, and feel an overriding sense of responsibility and a great sense of joy  because we’ve never had more awareness. Recent events have opened our eyes to what’s truly going on around us, and forced many of us to take an honest look at how we live, whilst questioning what is next.

And it is exactly the ‘what is next’ that we will be exploring here on THE FILE, along with interviews with women around the world that inspire us each week, product reviews, how-tos, and a soon to launch podcast.  There’s so much to talk about and so much to explore, and I truly look forward to bringing this to you all every week.

With always love,
Carlie

 

Photography, James Tolich