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As the female-focused site She Does The City turns 10, Caitlin Agnew sits down with founder Jen McNeely

When the website She Does the City went live in 2007, it was unlike anything you could find online. Writing with a young female audience in mind, founder Jen McNeely was a trailblazer of authentic storytelling and community building. "In Canada, there wasn't really an online space for women or even really a media offering for women that was edgy and had verve and voice and was young and spoke the way women spoke," McNeely says over coffee at Pizzeria Libretto on Ossington Ave. in Toronto. "I wanted to do something different."

Initially, McNeely focused primarily on the party scene of Toronto's west end. "I started by writing these little stories about what I would see around the city, stories about being drunk and hitting up six different parties in a night, that kind of nightlife in Toronto." As her roster of writers grew, so did the breadth of content, which encompassed fashion, sex, beauty, careers, and other goings on. (As a writer for She Does the City beginning in 2010, some of my first posts were TIFF red carpet dos and don'ts).

The year 2009 was a pivotal turning point for McNeely, who gave up alcohol when her drinking evolved into full-blown alcoholism. With her personal life so tightly linked to the website and its fun-times image, McNeely debated calling it quits, but eventually came to the decision that She Does the City would grow with her, and her audience.

"I was trying to keep it young but I felt like I had cut myself out of the content," she says. "We try to stay relevant to the young 20-somethings who are just figuring out life and who they are and coming out of school and trying to get their first job and falling in love for the first time, while we also appeal to 40-somethings and what they're going through and their challenges." Looking to her personal experience, McNeely shifted programming to encompass health and wellness content, as well as recovery-focused initiatives, continuing She Does the City's tradition of female-focused storytelling but through a more holistic lens.

To commemorate 10 years of her community, McNeely is hosting a weekend-long lineup of events beginning Nov. 17 at Knixwear's office in Toronto. Events will include a Fujifilm Photography Panel, Leaders in Canadian Film and She Recovers: Recovering Out Loud. There will also be an exhibition of archival photography by long-time contributor Becca Lemire, who has spent the past decade documenting our own fashion dos and don'ts.

"This weekend is about celebrating what we feel are our strongest offerings, and getting people together," says McNeely. "In that online world you can go for so long without connecting with people in a proper way."

THIS WEEK'S STYLE HAPPENINGS

  • Toronto-based men’s-wear distributor Blackwatch Agency is hosting a sample sale of its British and European brands. From Nov. 16 to 18 at 354 Davenport Rd., find pieces by Orlebar Brown, John Smedley and Matchless at discounts of up to 70 per cent off. For more information, visit www.blackwatchagency.com.
  • Online health and wellness retailer Well.ca is popping up for the holiday shopping season. Known for its selection of green and natural brands, Well.ca’s offerings will be available in person at Sherway Gardens in Toronto. For more information, visit www.well.ca.
  • Canadian outerwear brand Therma Kōta has returned home after hosting events in Ireland, Iceland, New York and Italy. On Nov. 18 from noon to 4 pm, co-founders Linda Lundström and Mosha Lundström-Halbert are hosting a pop-up shop at the Alton Mill Arts Centre in Alton, Ont. For more information, visit www.thermakota.com.

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