Jessica Cruel (born August 14, 1989) is an American magazine editor. She is the editor-in-chief of Allure, where she leads the development of editorial content for digital and video platforms. Cruel was appointed to her current role in August 2021.[1]
Professional life
In her early career, Cruel embarked on a number of internships and editorial positions across magazines including Skirt! Magazine and Self, a Condé Nast publication. She went on to work at PopSugar as associate director and returned to Self as Senior Editor before joining Refinery29 as deputy beauty editor.[2]
Cruel joined Allure as a features director in 2019[3] where she worked across print and digital on projects like the Allure Readers’ Choice Awards before taking over as content director in 2021. Cruel was appointed editor-in-chief of Allure in August 2021.[4][5]
Cruel is an advocate for evolution in the beauty industry[6] and is noted for her inclusive leadership style, which is credited for positively changing the working environment of newsrooms.[7][8] In 2021, Cruel spearheaded The Melanin Edit, a new Allure platform exploring all things relating to Black beauty, skincare and wellness.[9] She also created the first ever Allure Best of Beauty live event in New York in October 2023.[10][11]