Courageous Womanhood in a Culture of Conflict: A Letter from our Editor

A Message from our Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Hannah Brusven

At The Swish Magazine, our mission is to celebrate the Truth, goodness, and beauty of womanhood. In some ways, that very thesis is revolutionary in modernity. But these aren’t platitudes that make us feel warm and fuzzy with an anthem that fits our own passions. While it’s easy to think that the three objectives we strive for are meant to mean “my truth”, “what feels good”, and “pretty things”, our outlet was founded on the idea that there is objective Truth, goodness, and beauty that transcends all of life, making every day more vibrant and fulfilling. Since the beginning of time, those have been unchanging realities… but that is under attack. 

The fabric of society is predicated on the need to pursue beliefs together, to uncover what is objectively True, good, and beautiful through robust debate, challenged ideas, and agreements to disagree. But our economy of ideas is no longer laissez-faire. The public square has resorted to not only a denial of even considering what might be objectively True in our meta-modern age, but also scorning those who pursue good-hearted, age-old debate with violence. Our hearts break for where this has brought us.

We are not a political outlet, nor an overtly religious one, but for modern women to truly embrace their calling, they must reject the modern mantras that call for them to live a life of subjective virtues.

The Book of Proverbs reminds us that without a vision, the people will perish. Without a common goal, belief, or structure, we can’t flourish. If we abandon the pursuit of Truth in community, we will crumble. There is no good life without it. 

George Orwell wrote that “The further a society drifts from the truth the more it will hate those that speak it.” That is no clearer than the events of yesterday, September 10th, 2025. Charlie Kirk is not someone everyone agreed with– but that was, in fact, the point. He stepped out to see the real humanity in each person, the image of God marking each polemicist, and the experiences that each of us walks through, which inform our beliefs. He did so by Socratically asking questions, rather than hating the human across from him.

This morning, our hearts are crushed for the Kirk family after his murder for advocating for just this. 

What's next for us?

Our minds certainly are directed to where we go from here. We’ve lived through many grievous moments, especially in recent years, with senseless bloodshed in schools, in the streets, and places of worship, and it cannot become commonplace.

While Charlie’s murder will galvanize young men, who will wear the mantle of his legacy for generations, we wonder where our role as women might fit in this chaos. What does our role in redeeming dialogue look like for classical women? Women who want to see the world restored to engaging in Great Ideas, but are fearful of what may lie ahead? 

Charlie’s mission to bring thoughtful dialogue to the common square has only just begun. Charlie was more than a man– his movement will live on, and it includes us like never before. It is time to stop sitting on our hands. It is time to stop shying away from what we know to be true in conversations with our friends, to speak out at fallacies, to raise the flag at platitudes, and bring Great Ideas back to the common square. 

All too often, a woman’s soft side, which is our strength, leads us to denying or watering down what we know to be true at the altar of friendship or "empathy". Now we must rethink that. If a comment is illogical, if you believe something to be true, don’t wait. Speak the Truth. If a plan is unwise, if you believe there is wisdom to be shared, don’t wait. Speak what is wise. If you are convicted by your actions, or those of another, don’t wait. Speak your convictions. A great way to start is by simply asking questions and doing your own research, like Charlie showed us. Don't blindly follow the crowd.

Our intuition is uniquely strong as women in a way that many men often misunderstand. For too long, we have hidden or abandoned that intuitive conviction for fear of judgment or a desire to fit in. May it be no more. Speak the Truth, and do so with grace. Grace does not mean accepting what is false, evil, or ugly; it means showing respect to the person you are addressing.

Our mission at The Swish is what sets us apart from other magazines that don’t have a purpose beyond making women feel good about themselves and their feelings. We aim to make you feel good– but in a way that will last. By inspiring the formation of character that imbues your style, your passions, and every facet of your life, we want you to truly thrive. 

We thrive when we understand that courage is not only the strength to face problems head-on, but also the wisdom to sit with them, question them, and learn from them, just as Charlie showed us. Do not shrink back from asking questions, seeking what is True, defending what is Good, and redeeming what is Beautiful. 

This is the path we invite you into: a womanhood rooted not in passing trends, but in the eternal pursuit of Truth. To embrace such courage is to recover what our age has forgotten, and carry on Charlie’s legacy as only we classically feminine women can.

Editor-in-Chief Hannah Brusven with Charlie Kirk, circa 2021