What I'd Tell My 20-Something Self: Kerry Diamond
Diamond interviewing Cindy Crawford for WWD at a Revlon event.
Veritable quintuple threat Kerry Diamond boasts a career that’s as storied as it is varied: She’s worked in editorial, holding beauty director positions at glossies like Harper’s Bazaar; she then led public relations and social media at Lancome before heading to Coach, all while simultaneously becoming a restaurateur; she co-owns three Brooklyn spots: Smith Canteen, Wilma Jean and Nightingale 9. She’s the co-founder and editorial director of biannual food magazine Cherry Bombe and was recently named Yahoo Food Editor-in-Chief. With experience that spans several industries and almost as many functions, we asked her to share what she wishes she would’ve known at the start of her career and/or adult life and what she’s learned along the way.
I’m really fortunate in that I had more mentors than I can name. The most colorful was probably punk rock journalist Legs McNeil, whom I worked for when I interned at SPIN. I like to call Legs my anti-mentor. I worked out of his apartment and every now and then he would say, ‘What do you want to learn?’ And I’d say, ‘How to write a great first paragraph,’ like it was a journalism class. He’d say, ‘Okay’ and turn on Apocalypse Now or play Patti Smith’s Horses. Or take me out to play pool and eat hot dogs. He was awesome and said I was the best intern he ever had. I bumped into him a few years ago and re-introduced myself. He said, ‘I have no idea who you are.’
In my early 20s, my only career goal was that I wanted to work in print media and I thought if I was really, really lucky I could break into fashion writing. But I never really thought that many steps ahead or had a five-year plan or a 10-year plan. Everything that’s happened to me has resulted from hard work, curiosity, luck, and more hard work. I also never took a job for the money. I took jobs that seemed interesting, where I would learn a great deal and that would offer me cool experiences.
Diamond in the newsroom of the Staten Island Advance.
I was an English major at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. I had a minor in journalism. I broke into beauty writing by accident. As I said, I wanted to be a fashion writer. But Women’s Wear Daily offered me a job in the beauty department. I figured I could easily switch departments. My new boss said, ‘You’d better not be one of those people thinking you can jump over to fashion.’ And I was like, ‘Me? Never.’ But I fell in love with the beauty world. It changed my life.
Related: How I Became the Famous Writer I Always Wanted to Be
At WWD, the most challenging thing was trying to break news. I was there at a time when LVMH, Estee Lauder and L’Oreal were buying up lots of indie brands. I lived to scoop the other big news outlets. But that’s hard. Companies like to control big news like acquisitions and executive appointments, understandably. Most rewarding about the job are the people I met, from Leonard Lauder to Bobbi Brown. Plus, my two bosses, Ed Nardoza and Pete Born, are two of the greatest guys on the planet. It was an honor to work for them.
Ruth Reichl on the cover of Cherry Bombe, Diamond’s food magazine.
At the start of my career, I lived in Staten Island and had the worst commute. It was soul-sucking and I was miserable. Figure out early on what makes you happy and unhappy and what your non-negotiables are. And then don’t waver on that. The tiniest apartment in the world would have made me happier than a 3-hour commute.
Related: Kerry Washington’s Guide to Life
I don’t think in terms of successful or unsuccessful. It was more ‘Am I happy and engaged and do I like my colleagues?’ If I could answer yes to all three, that was good enough for me. You shouldn’t care what other people think about you. Except for your boss—his or her opinion matters.
In my early 20s, I regret plucking my eyebrows! If you are reading this and under the age of 25: stop plucking your eyebrows. I love neck cream now and I used to think it was a silly product. WWD ruined me because I covered the luxury beauty beat. I used to be fine with moderate priced and drugstore beauty products, but then I became a giant snob. But I love Dove soap and cherry Chapstick. I’ve used those forever.
Diamond in front of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
I’d happily relive anything work-related throughout my 20s! I’ve always had great jobs that helped me meet amazing people, some of whom turned out to be great friends. Sometimes it takes time to find and make meaningful friends. I didn’t meet most of my best friends til I was in my 30s. I’d also say not to worry about things out of your control. The only thing you can control is yourself and your own behavior. So focus on that, and enjoy life because time flies. (My dad gave me a hard time the other day for not being better prepared for retirement. I was like, retirement! I’ve always loved what I do, so the idea of retiring has never crossed my mind.)
My current relationship has taught me that relationships don’t have to be so hard. If it’s hard work, if you are always fighting and unhappy, break up and walk away. I wish someone had told me that. I just thought all relationships take work. They don’t. You can be best friends with your boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, spouse—I used to think that was a lame concept, but now I know better.
