‘The Cut’s’ Lindsay Peoples On Defining Beauty As Resilience

When you think of The Cut’s editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples, words like powerhouse likely come to mind. If it’s not because she’s placed inspirational people like Tracee Ellis Ross and Simone Biles on The Cut’s covers, or Normani and Issa Rae on Teen Vogue covers during her tenure as editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021, it’s because she champions Black and brown people in all she does. “Changing things for little Black girls is the best thing I could probably do on this earth,” she says. “I wouldn’t be able to do this if I couldn’t be my true, authentic self,” she says. “I honestly would rather just go back to waitressing,” she adds with a laugh.

But with all of this work and being a self-titled “perfectionist” and “planner,” one might be surprised to learn that the Brooklyn-based, Wisconsin-born editor didn’t always plan to work in the world of editorial. “But I think that’s what makes my work so much more enjoyable,” Peoples points out. “It’s left a lot of room for me to feel like I’m truly walking in my calling.”

Although she knew she wanted to be in fashion, a trial-and-error period from PR to styling helped Peoples figure out her purpose. Eventually, she became an assistant at Teen Vogue and an editor at The Cut, where she penned a game-changing piece, What It’s Really Like to Be Black and Work In Fashion.” The now editor-in-chief of the New York Magazine’s style and culture-focused magazine, The Cut says, “It’s been a full-circle journey. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to actually affect changes that I always dreamed about.”


With all of this passion and drive comes a sturdy self-care regimen. Top of the list? Setting boundaries. “I love products and spas and whatnot, of course,” she says. “But I think the best thing I can do for myself is set clear boundaries with people when it comes to the time that I need for myself,” Peoples says. “I think a lot of people glamorize roles like this, but they don’t realize that it also comes with a lot of hard work. I need a lot of time to myself to come up with creative ideas,” she explains, before adding that she’s notorious for putting her phone on “do not disturb” over the weekends. We’re taking notes. 

Below, Peoples, who wears Rose Inc’s Tinted SerumCream Blush and Satin Lip Color, courtesy of makeup artist and Amyris’ VP of artistry & education Jason Hoffman, shares more of her wisdom, from her favorite beauty products and the wellness practices that keep her mind clear, to her grandmothers as beauty inspirations, and everything in between.

 


By James Bee

“I think I feel the most beautiful when I know that I'm in the driver's seat of my own life.”

By James Bee

“I wouldn’t be able to do this if I couldn’t be my true, authentic, Black self.”

By James Bee

“I think the best thing I can do for myself is set clear boundaries with people when it comes to the time that I need for myself.”

“Changing things for little Black girls is the best thing I could probably do on this earth.”

By James Bee

“I define beauty by a sense of resilience.”

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