Rachel Charlene Lewis

From Leslie Jones to nipple insecurity, Rachel Charlene Lewis’ repertoire is varied and vast. The North Carolina-based freelance writer and Social Media Editor regularly tackles sexuality, queer identity, race, pop culture, beauty, and sex. Her passion is bringing feminist perspectives to mainstream women’s media, such as Teen Vogue, Glamour, and Refinery29. She often writes about her personal experiences, something for which her identity as a queer person of color has proven to be a double-edged sword, especially when she gets asked to write about being a Black gay person but not to write about skincare or celebrities. “Some days, I feel nothing but powerful as a queer person. I get DMs from young queer women and non-binary folks thanking me for writing a certain piece, or recommending a certain book, or simply posting openly about who I am on the internet,” she says. “But that’s the internet. Often, in real life, I feel tokenized as a QPOC, as if the only value I bring to the table is trauma, or ‘diversity.’ I feel like I have to be queer in a certain way, or else it doesn’t count; or I feel like I can’t be out at all, because the fear of being punched in the face or called a slur is often in the back of my mind. When am I going to become ‘too much?’” While she struggles with not feeling “really known, or seen, in any real way,” Lewis—who currently serves as Social Media Editor for Her Campus — continues to deliver her feminist POV to the masses and “find ways to make it accessible without diluting its message.” —SEJ