SPOTLIGHT: Thea L. Sebastian '08

The stereotypical image of the Harvard student calls to mind qualities like “intellectual,” “opinionated,” “studious,” and “unaccustomed to sunlight.” Thanks to “Freeze,” Harvard’s take on women’s glossies like “Marie Claire” and “Seventeen,” and its president and founder, Thea L. Sebastian ’08, that list of attributes now includes “fabulous.” The magazine first broke ground in 2005, and The Crimson recently sat down with Sebastian, a government concentrator in Leverett House, to discuss the humble beginning and the ambitious future of Harvard’s most unabashedly girly publication.

"I remember sitting in my dorm with my three roommates, and we were all reading different magazines—“Cosmo,” “Seventeen,” “Marie Claire.” They were all fun to talk about, fun to read, but none of them really addressed the issues of the college student, and I thought, “What if I started a magazine that filled that niche?”"

Upon its debut, “Freeze” was received warmly by women across campus, but financial issues put the fate of the magazine in question. This was only one of the several reasons Sebastian listed while explaining the magazine’s upcoming move to an exclusively online format.

"There were three main reasons we moved totally online. First, we can have expanded content, with things like user-generated reviews, online fashion shows using slide-show format, etc.—all sorts of fun things. The second reason is the frequency that we can put out an issue. We used to put out one issue every semester, which, for a writer, can be very frustrating—you write an article and then you have to wait six months before you can write another. With this new format, a writer can put out one article a month. As a corollary, we can reach more people over the Internet and increase our readership. The third reason is that, once web design is covered, the magazine is much cheaper."

“Freeze” will make its official online debut during the first week of November. Sebastian noted that readers and students in general should be ready for “a lot of publicity” leading up to its premiere.

"One of the coolest new features, that I’m just so excited about I have to plug, is a fashion blog sort of like the Sartorialist Blog. Basically, it will consist of four different photographers for “Freeze” going around campus taking pictures of students wearing fabulous outfits, and then we’ll post the pictures and comment on them. It’s something that’s fun, that’s just for kicks."

While this sense of fun is prevalent in much of the content of “Freeze,” Sebastian says that the magazine has matured over the past three years, and, as a result, it has expanded its range of issues.

"It used to be a way to write fluffy things, to have fun with colors designing it. In addition to fun and relaxation, though, we’re dealing with things like sexual health, eating disorders, résumé writing. We wanted to provide a forum for students at Harvard, especially women, a resource center for information that they were interested in and that could help them."

Despite “Freeze’s” initial escapist philosophy, the possibilities of online content have broadened the magazine’s topical horizons to address political issues that are important to its readers.

"We have an upcoming feature section on women in politics, including articles by a PhD graduate student who’s studying the topic. There is also an Institute of Politics study group which was looking at the same issue that’s writing an article for us. We’re also running a feature on the 2008 election, with information about the candidates."

Despite the difficulties of managing a business from the ground up as a Harvard student, Sebastian relishes the perks of being “Freeze’s” president.

"My favorite moment would definitely have to be the release of the first issue, holding in my hands something that people said would never happen. I worked a lot, we all worked a lot, and seeing all of that hard work coalesce into reality was something incredible. It was really an amazing experience."

Sebastian says she loves “Freeze” not only because of its lighthearted side, but also because it represents her conviction that Harvard students should be allowed to transcend what she calls the “A-Track.”

"Obviously, because this is Harvard, there is an expectation that you become a doctor or a lawyer or a consultant or an investment banker. One of the motivations of starting “Freeze” was that I wanted students to understand that they’re not the only professions out there, and that it’s okay to do what you want to do. There are people that want to do something else with their lives and there are students that are happy that this magazine exists."