MANILA, Philippines - Meg is not the Teen Vogue of the Philippines!” says the magazine’s associate publisher and deputy editor Dazzle Ng. YStyle sat down with Ng to talk about the magazine’s new grown-up persona. It all started with shaking up Boracay with the first-ever Meg Boracay Summer Party, to celebrate its coming-of-age. Held at Epic Bar at Station 2, the formerly teeny, cutesy zine is now a modern and sophisticated read, and gave guests a taste of the colorful year ahead, what with a reality show and events designed especially for its target audience: the bold, young Filipina.
With Tim Yap as host, DJ Euric on the turntable and a hip, sexy Boracay crowd on the dance floor, the event spiced things up on the island on Labor Day weekend. Prizes and freebies from Panasonic, Mastercard and Fila were given out and Beer Below Zero kept the guests going. Celebrities Chris Tiu, Hale vocalist Champ Lui Pio, Marc Nelson, Cris Albert, Divine Lee and Victor Basa joined in on the fun, and the party lasted well into the night despite a splash of rain.
YSTYLE: People have been calling you “Teen Vogue of the Philippines.”
DAZZLE NG: A lot of people say that, but what we always answer is, Meg is not Teen Vogue, it’s Meg! We started years before Teen Vogue did, and there’s more to Meg than fashion and beauty — it’s also about travel, fitness, health, relationships and career. It’s about everything that bold, young women are into.
So is that your new audience? Bold, young women?
We used to write for teenage girls, but they grew up, and we thought, so should we. At the same time, Meg’s about women who want to stay young; those who love opportunities like this, to travel and have fun in the Philippine summer hotspot. Hence the Boracay summer party.
How did Julia Montes, who’s on your May cover, reflect that?
We love Julia’s transition from being a young star to a sophisticated woman with more mature roles. She is going up the ladder, all with talent and hard work, and is doing so gracefully. Filipina women can definitely look up to her. She is modest, and so professional, too — she came to the cover shoot earlier than the call time!
How did you come up with the new direction?
It was a collective decision. We do not want to cater to a new audience, just a wider one. Teens are becoming more and more mature, yet women want to stay hip. Meg wants to cater to that in-between.
What are your future plans?
This is our first big party, and we’re glad it turned out to be a success. Right now, we’re currently doing a reality show called I Am Meg: Own the World In Style, a TV search for the magazine’s first brand ambassador. With our upcoming projects, I can say that Meg will be a lot more visible this year. We want to be where the young Filipina woman is now, and she is going places, and so is Meg!
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Interested participants can register for the I Am Meg: Own the World In Style contest at iammeg.ph. Auditions will be on May 26-27, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the SM Megamall A Events Center.