My mum was 18 when she had me. She liked the Bratz, and apparently knew I would too. So when it came time to name her first daughter, she had a plan. The only flaw in this master plan was that she was having a brown-eyed Māori girl in Whangārei, named after the whitest Bratz girl of the lot: Cloe.
For most of my childhood, she made sure I understood the reference. I had Bratz dolls stacked to the ceiling, a Bratz-themed bedroom, lunchbox, games and movies. Twenty-something years later, Mum still calls me “Brat”, still buys me dolls, and this year surprised me with a Bratz birthday cake and matching paper plates.
And perhaps I was always a little Bratz myself. They weren’t exactly celebrated for being conventional: loud, glamorous and opinionated, with famously disproportionate features and a magazine of their own. I grew up much the same: a sassy, dramatic young girl with big curly hair and an opinion on pretty much everything. I learned early that having something to say doesn’t mean people will appreciate hearing it.
So when we made Bratz the heart of this issue, it felt less like a theme and more like coming home. Inspired by the 2000s girl magazines that made every issue feel like a world of its own, this one takes you on a world tour. Jessie-Jade heads to the West Coast of Te Waipounamu, Brady invites us to her 21st in Tōkyō, and Te Āwhina meets us in Rapa Nui. Jess then takes us 200 years back in time and across the Pacific to Ra‘iātea. Back home, Te Awhirēinga walks us through burnout season, while Maea introduces us to local artist Moewai Rauputi Marsh.
This issue is a full upheaval of Critic Te Ārohi. Stella has uprooted and redesigned the magazine’s DNA, transforming a couple of design hui and plenty of back-and-forth into something with a completely different heartbeat. Vivid recolouring, bedazzling and new layouts have breathed Bratz into the lungs of Critic Te Ārohi.
But a magazine is never just its design. To Hanna and the wider editorial team, thank you for your trust, unwavering support, and everything you do that I don’t see. To our guest contributors, illustrators and everyone who brought their flavour to these pages, thank you. Te Āwhina wrapped up her Master’s while caring for a sick toddler and still took on four pieces. Jessie-Jade balances a 9-5, several boards, two of which she chairs, motherhood and preparing for Matatini. Brady, in her final semester, is juggling study, her role at Te Rito and this issue. Te Awhirēinga and Maea, within their packed schedules, made deadlines look suspiciously manageable. You are busy, brilliant wāhine, and I’m grateful you made room for us.
And to Stella, our absolute weapon, thank you for your creative leadership, full-throttle embrace of this concept and an execution beyond anything I could have imagined.
As I write this at almost 4:30am on print night, sitting beside Stella, I’m reminded that dreams are rarely realised alone. Mum dreamed of a Bratz girl and got one. I dreamed up this magazine, and found a whole team willing to make it real. When ya dream, ya dream big, don’t cha? Te reo Māori needs no embellishment, but a little sparkle goes a long way.
Lata bo,
Da North Island Princess
Drama Mama
