How Netflix's "The Bold Type" Inspired Me To Write More

If you haven't watched Netflix's latest binge-worthy series The Bold Type yet, then this is an official order to down tools immediately, grab the remote, and level up your snack game - because you'll be in it for the long haul.

Truthfully I wasn't expecting to be quite as obsessed with the series as I was - I'm talking shameless couch potato style back-to-back binging - in fact, I only ever switched it on as background noise (you know, those easy to watch TV shows you can scroll through Instagram during without losing track of the storyline). Which is why I was pleasantly surprised by just how much it struck a chord with me. And also why I didn't reach for my phone, once.

Sure, at a glance it's a fluffy series about the daily challenges that come with running the global, glossy women's magazine Scarlet, a typically American series similar to plenty others you've probably watched before. But if you look up from your phone enough to commit to the storyline, you'll quickly learn that it's so much more than fashion, cover girls, and columns. To my surprise, the series touched on many prevalent subject matters, with episodes highlighting racial discrimination, championing feminism, notifying us of the BCRA gene, calling out abusive conduct, supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and other important topics of discussion that deserve more airtime - showcasing how we can all make positive change. To effortlessly combine such subject matter with the lighthearted, relatable, funny, and very realistic portrait of how three young women in the magazine industry juggle their budding careers, relationships, and romances, is a pretty special thing. In my humble opinion, anyway.

Maybe I'm biased. After all, watching this series lit a fire in my belly that I haven't felt for a while, reigniting my passion to one day work for a magazine - just like Scarlet. Watching the hustle and bustle of a fast-paced office, exciting pitch ideas floating around the boardroom, and typing vigorously to meet looming publish date deadlines - it took me right back to my university years (I studied Magazine Journalism and Feature Writing BA Hons) and the work experience and early freelance days that followed, where I had the opportunity to learn the ropes at a couple of magazines in London. I even walked past the Hearst Tower in New York once and told myself that one day I would be strutting in there with a Starbucks in hand (flat white, obviously) on the first day of my shiny new job.

As I sit here channeling my inner Jane Sloan, I'm grateful that while perhaps I'm currently not the Editor of a big-time magazine as I vowed I would be by the time I'm 30 (I've got another 6 months in me, yet), I still get to do what I love - write. It's something the series inspired me to make more time for, to write more for fun and as a hobby, as well as for work - after all your words can encourage a much bigger change. Sure, what I write might not be published on glossy paper and printed for people to enjoy worldwide, but I get to work with some fantastic and interesting clients across a variety of industries, helping them to grow their brands with my words - which is equally as powerful.