These are Fashion Journal’s most-read stories of 2023

Some of the stories you loved the most.

At Fashion Journal, we always strive to create content that’s authentic, honest, fun and personal, and looking back at our most-read articles of the year, these values ring out loud and clear. Below, we’ve compiled twelve of the stories you read the most this year, covering everything from capsule wardrobes, engagement rings, breakups, people-pleasing, lazy sex and body image issues. The range!

Whether 2023 was the first time you discovered Fashion Journal or you’re a long-time reader (hello, we love you!), we want to say a massive, genuine thank you for engaging with the content we create. Without our readers we wouldn’t exist so thank you for inspiring us, challenging us, sharing your stories with us and having excellent taste in memes.

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As a capsule wardrobe sceptic, I travelled with only a carry-on in Europe for five weeks

This felt like the first year in a while where we’ve been able to travel (almost) freely, without the constant concerns of snap lockdowns and border closures hanging over our heads. When setting out on her European adventure, Australian TikToker and video essayist Mary McGillivray decided to eliminate decision fatigue (and the 20kg of excess luggage) by creating a small capsule travel wardrobe. If you’re looking to trek across the world with only a carry-on, this one is a must-read.

Read it here.

How a wellness spa changed my relationship with my body

Excitingly, this was also the year we launched FJ’s Health vertical – a dedicated space on our site for all things women’s wellness and exercise. In this piece, writer Cat Forsyth speaks on her complicated relationship with her body – particularly when it comes to donning bathers. After visiting a luxury spa in Rome, Cat experienced what could only be described as a self-acceptance revelation. While it sounds niche, this story will resonate with anyone who’s struggled with feeling comfortable in their own skin (I know it’s a very relatable sentiment).

Read it here.

How I’m using my Notes app as a hack to streamline getting dressed

At FJ, 2023 was the year of discovering new outfit shortcuts. We used TikTok more than ever and while not all of the content was productive (who else is on wooden soup ASMR Tok?), one of @isabellapmayer’s videos inspired our Editor, Cait Emma Burke, to streamline her wardrobe. As someone who loves ‘gamifying’ her life, Cait loved using the Notes app to digitally catalogue some of her closet’s greatest hits. Genius, no?

Read it here.

How to handle a breakup with an emotionally avoidant partner

Ah, breakups. Was it just me, or were there more than ever in 2023? After experiencing one of her own, FJ’s Lifestyle & Careers Columnist, Genevieve Phelan, considered how attachment styles might come into play during relationship fallout. She spoke to psychotherapist Amber Rules to delve deeper into the psychology behind emotional avoidance, and how it might affect a person’s journey through heartbreak.

Read it here.

What is lazy sex or warm sex? A sexologist explains

We know Fashion Journal readers love some good sex content, and we don’t blame you. This year, we spent some time chatting with Sydney-based somatic sexologist Alice Child about all kinds of topics – including face-sitting, period sex and taking the perfect nude. One of your favourites was this article about ‘warm sex’, or “calmer experiences of sensuality, affection, pleasure and playful fun”. Crazy-athletic sex is great too, but this article is a great read for the times you want low-intensity pleasure.

Read it here.

7 Australian creatives style going-out shoes that aren’t heels

For a lot of people, this year was all about prioritising comfort. After spending so much time in sweats and pyjamas over the last few years, it feels distinctly more difficult to put ourselves through the pain we used to for an outfit. Here, Cat Forsyth asks some of our favourite Australian creatives (including FJ’s own Ella Taverner) to share their favourite flat going-out shoes.

Read it here.

I got chin filler to help contour my side profile, here’s how it went

Ever wondered what it’s like to get chin filler? If you’re curious, writer Lucy Sylvester documented her experience in this candid piece. In an effort to contour and shape her side profile, Lucy had filler injected into the soft tissue of her chin. What followed was surprising, and this makes for a (somewhat) cautionary tale.

Read it here.

I accidentally ate an edible, and one year on my nervous system still hasn’t recovered

If you’ve ever consumed cannabis (particularly in edible form), you might’ve experienced moments of disorientation or panic. But for FJ contributor Tiara Swan, a couple of cannabis candies led to a trip to the emergency room and subsequently, a year of working through heightened anxiety and panic disorder. “The good news is you can rewire your brain and rebuild damaged neural pathways,” she writes. “It just takes a lot of time.”

Read it here.

12 Fashion Journal readers share how much money’s in their superannuation account

With the cost-of-living crisis impacting us all, money was a hot topic this year at FJ. We like to think through writing about it in candid and easy-to-understand ways, we can start to dispel some of the mystifying elements surrounding finances. Through an anonymous survey, we asked 12 readers to share how much money is in their superannuation accounts.

Read it here.

Is people pleasing a form of manipulation?

Put your hands up if you’re a chronic people pleaser! (Mine is raised, and violently wagging about above my head.) While FJ contributor Deana Stepanian never considered herself one, reflecting on her past relationships allowed her to identify some people-pleasing tendencies. But is it a form of manipulation? She spoke to clinical psychologist Liam Casey to find out.

Read it here.

5 Australian jewellers show us their own engagement rings

Continuing on from the wedding madness of 2022, our readers loved engagement ring content this year. And we did too! So what does the engagement ring process look like when you make jewellery for a living? The ultra-talented former FJ editor (and current freelance creative) Maggie Zhou consulted Australian jewellers to learn about the process. “From proposals to the design and creation processes, prepare to fawn, sigh, tear up and laugh at these uniquely perfect stories and rings.”

Read it here.

A stylist on which pieces to keep when culling your wardrobe

We didn’t just hack our wardrobes this year – we also culled them. But when you’re tapping into your inner Marie Kondo, how do you distinguish between the pieces to keep and the ones to donate or pass on? In this piece, FJ contributor Sonia Blair spoke to Australian stylist Michelle Beltrame about the key items to look for when decluttering your closet.

Read it here.

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