NEW YORK — With the recent successful conclusion of “Miss Seventeen,” her MTV reality series, Seventeen editor in chief Atoosa Rubenstein can finally stake her claim to being a multimedia personality. The show reached more than 43 million viewers, according to an MTV spokeswoman. Though her screen time was limited, Rubenstein played a critical role on the show, dispensing both encouragement and comeuppance to her would-be acolytes. As ever, she cut a striking figure, with her imposing height, wide cheekbones and dark mane.
But it is perhaps on the page where Rubenstein lives most vividly, in the things she writes and the things she says to people writing about her. Whether she’s talking about her career or dispensing advice to troubled teens, Rubenstein always seems to have a self-deprecating anecdote or offbeat metaphor to suit the occasion. Body hair, hot dogs, Shiite dictators — nothing is too personal or random when she has a point to make. In the first installment of an occasional feature, WWD presents Atoosa Rubenstein — who turns 34 today — in her own words:
On Her Teenage Self:
“I’ve never been cool, never.” — New York Times, September 1998
“At camp, boys beat me up. I didn’t go to my prom. I took a job at Carvel’s just because I needed something to do the night of the prom. My friends butted me out of conversations.” — Boston Globe, July 1999
“I didn’t even have a boy who would pick on me.” — WWD, July 1999
“When I was younger, I was a liar….Like, I would tell people things like my older brother had a van with Led Zeppelin art painted on the side of it.” — “Dear Seventeen” advice column, March 2005
“People called me Ayatollah Atoosa during the hostage crisis, or Medusa, because I had, like, this wild Afro.” — Newsday, March 2000
On Her Appearance:
“The old hair said, ‘Hi, I’m a quirky, wacky girl, and I don’t care what anybody thinks.’ The new hair said, ‘I have work to do.'” — On why she straightened her hair after moving from Cosmogirl to Seventeen, New York Times, November 2003
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“Let’s just say I’m a hairy, hairy girl.” — August 2004 editor’s letter
On Mean Gossip:
“Just the other day, I found a posting about how someone had seen me on television, and I looked really fat and weird. I don’t mean to sound all pathetic, like ‘Why me? Why me?’ But really, I just don’t get it.” — April 2004 editor’s letter
“That’s someone’s mother, that’s someone’s daughter. That’s someone who worked really hard to get to where they are. Why would you say something about what they’re wearing in such a mean way?” — On snarky bloggers, New York Observer, October 2005
“They’re just for fun and they’re usually about older people.” — On why Seventeen published blind gossip items about celebrities, WWD, October 2004
On Nutrition:
“I tell my staff to do whatever takes them back to high school, whether it’s reading old notes or listening to a certain group. We have to remember what it’s like when every day is an adventure.” — On why she eats hot dogs, Chicago Tribune, August 2000
“Part of my brain is New York City woman, but the other part craves hot dogs and goes to Wendy’s and wants to play laser tag.” — Newsday, March 2000
“I’m all about the shrimp.” — New York Times, April 2004
On Her Job:
“With Seventeen…I inherited this magnificent estate, in the best location possible; however, it was in complete disarray. It was trashed. I mean, before we could even redecorate or renovate, we had to clean, you know?” — New York Observer, October 2005
“They’re like two flowers growing alongside each other.” — On Seventeen and Cosmogirl, WWD, July 2003
“If you don’t even know how to read, you essentially know what’s happening in this magazine.” — WWD, February 2005
Random Thoughts:
“I’ll always remember the time I went to the bathroom at work, and in the stall next to me (ahem, I could tell by her shoes!) was one of the most glamorous top staffers of the magazine. Well, you know when you’re peeing and a little poof sometimes escapes?” — May 2004 editor’s letter
“I remember once I was at my locker….Coming down the hallway was the absolutely cutest boy in school. We were alone in the hallway. I looked over my shoulder at him and said ‘Hi’ and a giant spit bubble popped in my face.” — Newsday, March 2000
“There are no Republican witches, or at least not Republican parents of witches.” — “Topic A with Tina Brown,” March 2005
“I don’t need to be drunk to hoot and holler for a friend at a party. Anybody who knows me knows I’m sort of wacky that way.” — WWD, May 2005