Maria Del Russo is a writer and feminist journalist living in New York, contributing to various publications on topics like beauty and relationships. She emphasizes the importance of saying 'no' to value one's time and aims to normalize the dating experience for women through her work. Del Russo advocates for ongoing efforts towards intersectional feminism, particularly focusing on issues affecting women of color.

1. get personal with
Maria Del Russo
Journalist. Feminist. Straight-Talker.
B I G F I S H P R E S E N T A T I O N S . C O M
Interview Series

3. Maria Del Russo lives on the Upper East Side by way of
New Jersey. She is a writer, yogi, and self-proclaimed
Francophile. She is currently working on a collection of
essays, as well as contributing to various publications
about beauty, sex, dating, and relationships. Maria has
been profiled by Domino and written for Refinery29, The
Lily, and PopSugar.
Inhersparetime,Mariaenjoys
tendingtoherindoorplants,
takingbathsinclawfoottubs,
andsmashingthepatriarchy.

4. The world’s greatest presenters and where they stand,
on and off the stage.
(noun) /stans/
the attitude of a person or organization toward something; a
standpoint.

5. Question:
You’re limited to five
items. What do you
need and why?

6. Answer:
I'd need a notebook, because I'm
constantly scribbling ideas and making
lists of things I have to do. My phone,
because so much of my job is about being
connected. A water bottle, because
hydration is important. Red lipstick,
because it instantly dresses up any and
every look. And a pack of gum — I'm
trying to quit biting my nails, and gum
has so far been the only way to avoid it.

7. If your life was a
song lyric, what
Would it be and why?
Question:

8. I don't know about a specific lyric, but I've
always imagined that if there was a biopic
made of my life, the trailer would be cut to
"Ceremony" by New Order. I'm not sure why.
It just seems right.
Answer:

9. Question:
What’s a belief
others may
challenge you on?

10. Saying "yes" may make you look good in the
short-term, but saying "no" when you need to
shows people that your time is valuable, and that
you're responsible and mindful enough to know
your limits.
Ibelievethatsaying"no"
isactuallymorepowerful
thansaying"yes."
Answer:

11. Question:
When all is said and
done, what do you
want to be
remembered for?

12. I hope that I'm remembered as someone who
helped normalize the sometimes harrowing
experience of dating for women.
I want to be someone who people remember
as a person who made them laugh, who
didn't pull punches, and who talked about
sex and dating in a really frank way. I hope
that people remember me as someone who
made them feel less alone.
Answer:

13. What’s one habit you
think everyone
should make?
Question:

14. Answer:
I'vestarteddating
myselfonceamonth.
I take myself to the movies, I take myself to
dinner. I do things alone that I usually
wouldn't do without a partner. I think this is
an amazing thing everyone should try to do.
It helps you become comfortable spending
time with just yourself. Plus some things,
like a museum exhibit, are so much more
satisfying when done alone.

15. What would you say is
the outline for
presenting
“The Best You”?
Question:

16. Answer:
I hate the idea of assigning generalities
to something so personal. But I will say
that it's impossible to present your best
self if you don't dig inside yourself and
figure out who that is first.
Everyone's journey
to themselves is
different, but it's an
important one to
take.

17. Everyone stands for
something, what do you
stand for?
Question:

18. Too many people believe that the fight for equality is over,
and that we don't need intersectional feminism anymore.
But there is so much that has to be done, and so much
that has to be addressed — and that's doubly true when
we're speaking about women of color. And many of
these issues begin with how we socialize men and
women. The #MeToo movement is a start, but we
have so much more work to do. This is hopefully
just the beginning.
At the moment, I'd say my main motivation is
addressing issues in our culture and society that
continue to make it impossible for women to be
seen as equal.
Answer:

19. Digging the insights?
Want to see more interviews?
Subscribe to
the big fish blog
follow us on
slideshare
+

20. B I G F I S H P R E S E N T A T I O N S . C O M