YOUNG LADY. WHAT IS IT: Young Lady is a new platform of international lobbying and private diplomacy initiated by The Alternative School Creative MBA / Love&Lobby, launched at The Future of Beauty, Empowered by Peroni. It marks the expansion of Ladies First decade initiative.
Beyond Ursus, a long-standing partner of The Alternative School, the door is open to new allies who resonate with this mission.
YOUNG LADY: THE PURPOSE It changes how young Romanian women (under 35) are viewed globally. It replaces superficial or negative stereotypes with stories of high-achieving, brilliant, and witty professionals.
YOUNG LADY: THE STRATEGY Exceptional talent is showcased via social media campaigns and a physical YoungLady print magazine distributed at major global business and creativity summits.
YOUNG LADY: WHAT'S NEXT The very best will feature in the print magazine after undergoing a personal branding experience that translates the finest aspects of their personality into a powerful public visual presence.
YOUNG LADY: OPEN CALLS FOR TALENT Do you know an exceptional individual who is highly awarded internationally, or are you one yourself? Submit your nomination, including a LinkedIn profile and contact details, to Teodora Migdalovici, the magazine's publisher.
LADIES FIRST : THE STORY BEHIND
Nasty Clichés
My early years at Cannes were overshadowed by the stigma of being a woman from the East. I was tired of seeing people’s relaxed smiles shift the moment, somewhere in the middle of a conversation, they’d find out the answer to the question, “Where are you from?”
The most disagreeable cliché I kept hearing — one that echoed edition after edition — was: “Ah, Romania… the country that gives Europe its most talented courtesans.”
“See it, Be it” — If Possible
Then came See It, Be It, the career accelerator dedicated to rising female professionals. I had proposed strong, relevant names from Romania year after year — yet none ever made the shortlist.
And still, I knew just how much brilliance, intellect, and creative spectacle lived within the talented Romanian women I had the privilege to know back home.
Women in international Juries, really ?
Meanwhile, Cannes’ festival leadership — rightfully — wanted to see less macho dominance and more diversity in their panels, offering outstanding women a seat at the jury table.
When I launched the “Women in Juries” program in Romania, reactions from the industry’s men were split: some supported it wholeheartedly, others mocked it with loud irony.
The solution
I kept thinking about how to respond — how to wrap all these tensions into a solution-statement that was elegant, vibrant, and bigger than its brief. One that could promote Romanian talent in every shape and form, across every local and international stage I had access to.
Said and done: the answer was Ladies First. From its very first edition, it was a hit. It opened doors into See It, Be It, served as inspiration for mapping other underrepresented creative industries still stuck under cliché.
Below you’ll find the latest edition.
And what follows is a revolution — it’s called Young Lady. Stay tuned for that.
In the meantime, discover Romanian Brains x Beauty as cristalised in the latest LadiesFirst edition.
#RoWomanLy yours
Teodora Migdalovici, Creativity Ambassador