Leandra Medine Cohen is an American author, blogger, and humor writer best known for Man Repeller, an independent fashion and lifestyle website. Three days after Medine started the website in 2010, it was featured in Refinery29. Within days, she was also featured in the fashion websites Style.com, Gawker, The Cut, and Fashionista. In 2012, Medine was featured in Forbess "Top 30 Under 30" as one of the year's "most influential trendsetters," while Man Repeller was recognized in TIME's "25 Best Blogs of 2012", and received "Best Overall Blog" at the 2012 Bloglovin' Awards. Medine released her first book, an essay collection and memoir titled Man Repeller: Seeking Love, Finding Overalls, in 2013.
Medine's first foray into online writing began in 2009, while a student at the New School. After studying abroad in Paris, Medine started a blog called Four Months in Paris using the hosting service Blogger. She later renamed it to Boogers and Bagels. The blog primarily covered fashion trends, humor, personal stories, and feminist issues. Its final post was published on April 19, 2010, shortly after the launch of Medine's second, and better known, blog, the Man Repeller.
''Man Repeller''
Medine started the Man Repeller blog in May 2010 as a hobby. The idea for the blog came during a trip to Topshop with friend Rachel Strugatz, now an online editor at Women's Wear Daily. Medine recalled, "We were laughing at how everything was so man-repelling: acid-washed harem pants and enormous shoulder pads, and I just said, 'That's it! That's the blog.'" A few days after it launched, the blog was featured on the fashion website Refinery29. It became popular enough that Medine began collaborating with major magazines like Lucky and Harper's Bazaar. The blog became so commercially successful through a combination of traditional advertising, sponsored blog posts, appearance fees, and designer collaborations that Medine decided to work on the blog full-time after graduation. In its early years, the blog solely consisted of Medine. Now, there are now 14 employees that edit, write, and promote the website. The blog also covers current events, lifestyle, and feminism. In September 2013 Grand Central Publishing published her book Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls. Medine has collaborated with designers on limited collections of clothes and accessories, including Gryphon, shoe companies Del Toro and Superga, jewelry line Dannijo, and clothing line PJK. Additional brand collaborations include Michael Kors, Maje, BaubleBar, Stuart Weitzman, and Saks Fifth Avenue. In 2012 Medine signed with the Creative Artists Agency, an entertainment talent agency headquartered in Los Angeles, California. In 2016 Medine launched MR by Man Repeller, a line of loafers, flats, metallic booties, and heels exclusive to Net-a-Porter which embodied her not too serious and irreverent style. MR by Man Repeller was followed by Medine's eponymous shoe brand Leandra Medine, which is sold at Barneys NY, Harvey Nichols, and The Webster. Medine announced in June 2020 that she would “step back” her involvement in Man Repeller after allegations emerged she had failed former staffers of colour.
Personal life
In December 2011 Medine announced her engagement to Abie J. Cohen, a financial advisor at the Swiss investment bank UBS, whom she had met when she was 17 years old. Following the announcement, many responded negatively, questioning her commitment to the principles of “man repelling” outlined in her blog. The Huffington Post wrote: “What happens when the Man Repeller no longer repels men?” In her book Medine outlines her doubts that followed the backlash to her engagement. She and Cohen were wed in June 2012. They live in the East Village. In a December 6, 2016, ManRepeller article, Medine revealed she had suffered a miscarriage. In the December 16, 2016, episode of her podcast, she gave more details about the experience. In 2013 her brother Haim launched the jewelry line Khai Khai and her mother Laura launched the jewelry line The Laura Medine Collection. On March 1, 2018, Medine gave birth to twin girls, Laura and Madeline. On October 29, 2019, Medine launched her partnership collection with Mango.
