Happy 1st birthday to Culturess! We’re celebrating with a new look and layout

Culturess officially launched one year ago Wednesday, and to celebrate our birthday, we’re treating ourselves to a fresh new design, layout, and outlook.

You’re technically not supposed to throw yourself a birthday party. But in its year online, Culturess.com has never really been one to pay much attention to what you’re “supposed to” do. Nope, we’re all about shedding limitations and stereotypes here, especially as they pertain to the strong women (and men, and gender non-conforming people) who create and consume our content.

So we *are* throwing ourselves a birthday party and we kicked it off with a major birthday makeover. We traded in our old design for something sleeker that felt more like us and the stories we’re telling on the site. With all the movie, theater, and music buzz we write about each day, capturing that marquee glow felt like the perfect fit.

And now that we’re feeling so fresh and so clean clean looks-wise, we’re ready to reflect a little deeper. For starters, we reworked our About Us section here on the site:

"[To be read in a booming movie trailer voice]In a world where we’re sometimes seen as one-dimensional, this summer Culturess is all about going 3D (but, you know, without the special shades—those things are a rip-off).No, we mean 3D as in celebrating all facets of vivid, technicolor fangirldom. Whether it’s analyzing horror themes in the latest Archie comic, bowing down to Gal Gadot, drafting an LGBTQ writing dream team for the upcoming L Word reboot, geeking out over a new arts festival for self-described black nerds, or crushing hard on Daenerys Targaryen’s fierce winter coat on Game of Thrones (and its deeper meaning), Culturess is a place where you never have to choose between your passions. We leave traditional stereotypes, particularly those affecting women (though anyone’s welcome here), on the cutting room floor.We cover everything from podcasts to politics to the Potterverse; from romance novels to race to rides at Disney World. Through it all, the common plotline is always further fueling your fandoms, whatever they may be."

You can also keep up with our new features and all the fan-focused coverage you love on the also-just-revamped Culturess app. Download it for iPhone here and Android here.

Next: 9 theme park rides planned for 2018 that sound awesome

Check back in the coming weeks to see what else we’re upgrading, and we’ll try to save you a piece of birthday cake. No promises, though.