Steven Ferdman / Getty Images
Elaine Welteroth was only the second black person in Condé Nast's 107-year-history to hold an Editor-in-Chief title.
- Elaine Welteroth is a journalist, social media personality, author, and a judge on Bravo's "Project Runway."
- Before she joined "Project Runway," Welteroth was the editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue - the fashion and beauty magazine owned by Condé Nast.
- Welteroth's promotion to the publication's highest executive ranks in 2017 made her, at the time, only the second black editor-in-chief in Condé Nast's 107-year history.
- In addition, the promotion made 29-year-old Welteroth the youngest EIC in company history.
- In 2018, she left Condé Nast and a year later, published her memoir, "More Than Enough," which recounts her journey to the top of the editorial industry.
- According to the book, here are five ways she was able to quickly rise through the ranks.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
At 29, Elaine Welteroth became not just the youngest Editor-in-Chief in Condé Nast's 107-year-old history, but also only the second black person to ever hold an EIC title at the company.
Her promotion was praised throughout media circles as being a step forward in the publishing industry, and marked a new era in media representation. She is credited with transforming Teen Vogue into a political and social outlet, noted for its inclusivity with editorials that highlighted a diverse array of voices.
However, Welteroth makes it known in her 2019 memoir, "More than Enough," that her road to the top was not a glamorous one, and that at nearly every turn, there was a struggle. In fact, she writes, even after she had reached the top, there was still much fighting to be done.
"Women aren't taught to get comfortable with making people uncomfortable," she wrote in her book.
Thus the title of her memoir, "More than Enough", is supposed to speak to those who have always felt like the underdogs - reminding each and every person that they are "more than enough" for the world in which they live, and "more than enough" to qualify for any dream they want to chase.
At the same time, "more than enough" is what Welteroth gave as she climbed through the editorial ranks, starting from her small city of Newark, California all the way to the big leagues in New York. It's the type of career trajectory that serves to inspire, producing a memoir unlike the rest.
Keep reading to find out five ways Welteroth was able to quickly rise through the ranks of the editorial industry.
Welteroth didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.