“Women have woken up”: new Marie Claire Serbia tackles important social issues

Marie Claire Serbia launched in March 2023, a blend of beautiful design, appealing fashion, and challenging topical issues. Here, Editor-in-Chief Jasmina Ubiparip talks about the “adventure” of launching a women’s magazine in a shifting and politicised landscape.

Why did you choose to launch Mary Claire Serbia?

We felt that there was a lack of media dedicated to women, not only around beauty and fashion, but also around social issues. And by that, I mean the issues that support women in their quest for a better life: equal rights, better job opportunities, more safety, better healthcare.

You have said elsewhere that you were launching Marie Claire Serbia at a time of social turmoil…

After the pandemic there was a sense that women in Serbia ‘woke up’ socially. They became more vocal about injustices they experience and about their needs.  A Serbian actress called Milena Radulovic spoke out about the sexual violence she had experienced, and that led to other women speaking publicly about their experiences. We have been seeing more protests on the streets, against femicide, for increased safety. Marie Claire Serbia’s goal is to be there for women and to give them a place where they can make their voices heard, especially on topics they are usually expected to keep quiet about, such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, sexual orientation.

What made you choose Julia Roberts as your first cover star?

Marie Claire is a global brand, published in 27 countries. So we chose a global star, to emphasise the fact that Marie Claire Serbia is part of a large ‘family’ that unites women all across the globe. Julia Roberts is also loved by women of different generations – and she talks positively about issues important to our readers, such as ageing. Eventually I would like to feature more strong and successful Serbian women.

Which other editions of Marie Claire have you been influenced by?

We have mostly been influenced by Marie Claire France, the edition that started it all! We love the way it continues to bring important conversations to readers. We also love the design – it appears so effortless while looking well put-together. And the approach to photography is very modern. But in terms of content, I find it magical that despite the fact there are 27 different editions, all over the world, it is obvious that women everywhere are facing similar problems. I think we can learn a great lesson from that.

What can you tell us about your audience?

The mindset of women in Serbia is shifting. More and more women want to be involved in topics that are deeply meaningful to them. They are also buying more high quality and expensive brands. People are not getting richer here – they are just beginning to think in a different way. From an ecological and economic standpoint, they want to buy quality pieces that they will have for longer.

What, for you, is the most exciting part of launching this magazine?

People still look upon magazines dedicated to women as something frivolous, something with less value. Disproving that myth is for me the most exciting part of publishing Marie Claire Serbia: bringing a strong magazine to an under-served market, a magazine that combines high quality journalism with exciting fashion and beauty topic. They’re not mutually exclusive; just because someone enjoys intellectually challenging topics, doesn’t mean that he or she doesn’t care about their personal style. I’m also looking forward to seeing the community of like-minded women around Marie Claire grow.

How do you feel the media landscape has changed throughout your career?

At one time, if you had a really good magazine, you would print it, you would put it on the newsstand, and people who loved reading magazines would browse and buy it. The magazine would sell. Today, engaging with your readers is a much more overwhelming prospect – there are so many digital channels and social media platforms. It is more difficult, but I also find the challenge of grabbing reader attention exciting. I see it as a huge door having been opened – and we need to be ready to set off on an adventure.