PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The Peoria area has a new publication.
Construction Beauty Magazine is by women, for women, according to founder Elizabeth Hinnen.
“The first thought behind this was to just create beautiful photos,” she said. “Just getting women all dolled up and feeling beautiful in their own skin in the journey they were at in their own life.”
Hinnen said she wanted to create beautiful content, when one day, she had a lightbulb moment.
“I’d worked so hard in trying to make these photos look like the cover of a magazine, and I was like, ‘what if?’” she said.
As of March 1, the magazine is on its sixth issue. It is a monthly, subscription-based magazine, on both print and digital platforms.
“It’s a lifestyle magazine created with the woman in mind, rooted in Peoria,” Hinnen said.
The first person Hinnen approached with her idea to start this project was her sister, Mary Delgado.
“I love that it’s for women, for this area. Written by women in this area,” Delgado, now the editor for Construction Beauty, said.
Delgado said she immediately jumped on board.
“We want to grow awareness and interest in each other and in who we are and what we have here,” Delgado said.
The premier edition of Construction Beauty came out Sept. 1, 2021, and the first subscription publication followed in November.
Local realtor Heather Oyler was featured in the fifth issue of the magazine.
“I remember when I was getting ready to meet with her, I was like ‘well what do you want to talk to me about? What is the goal of this conversation?’” Oyler said. “And she’s like, ‘I just want to get to know you. And I want the world to get to know you.’”
Oyler agreed to do an interview for the new magazine as a way to support their initiative.
“It’s women supporting women, which I feel like is so important,” Oyler said.
What makes the magazine stand out, Oyler said, is how the articles focus on the person.
“It was probably one of the first times I’ve done an interview for something that wasn’t necessarily based around a job, or based around an election or anything else,” she said. “It was simply about what was important to me.”
Oyler said this magazine gives women a chance to share their stories, where they may not have been heard before.
Hinnen said she hopes her new publication can help draw people to the Peoria area. She also said it is an opportunity to showcase how women are contributing to the community.
“The best thing about this so far has been getting to know the women in our area,” Hinnen said. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and I still feel like a tourist in my own town.”
Hinnen said the story behind the name of the magazine comes from the idea that everyone in the community is a work in progress.
“We’re all in different journeys in our life, we’re all under construction ourselves,” she said.
