Super interesting…I actually took note when Vogue’s latest interview with Suki Waterstone labelled her an ‘it’ girl and thought the language was quite dated? (also barely remember her being an IT girl because she was so young!) ‘It girls’ in the U.K. tended to mean women with means that didn’t work and just partied and were on ‘the scene’. It was quite the negative connotation 15 years ago!
I do remember Shulman-era Vogue tried very hard to crown her as the next Sienna Miller (actual It Girl, beyond dispute) but it never really took.
I mean, that decade you could see the influence of Kate, Sienna, Alexa or even, if we go niche, Alice Dellal - on what girls actually wore because they had somewhat distinctive styles (Alexa loves to claim she was just copying Jane Birkin but she did have her own original take on the look to bring it definitively into the 21st century), meanwhile I can't say the same for any aspect of Suki's public persona or look.
It's so funny that "It Girl" has been rooted in our language for over 100 years now, and how it's evolved as a concept. From Clara Bow just having that little Extra Something that set her apart in silent films to it being a full on marketing concept. I remember someone positing that a core component to being an It Girl is that there's not really supposed to be self-promotion; in the sense that It Girls are always sought out and cannot bestow the term on themselves. Maybe similar to the term "muse?" And it does add another layer, that being an It Girl is ultimately still considered a passive role with less agency.
You are right, I feel like there was so much misogyny attached to the term over the decades and we still lean towards that thinking. That was probably at the core of me wondering if Gabbriette was getting too commercial too quickly. If I didn't come across stories, like Cory Kennedy's, who was taken advantage of by everyone from photographers to the media, I'd probably still think that way. I realized - being cool is great but money comes with power, and I am glad they are the ones finally getting some of it! (The brands they work with are still the ones getting most of it but oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day haha)
tbf even back in 2006 people were questioning the wisdom of putting a girl as young as Cory on the internet like that, she was only 15 when it all started and did get quite a few fashion/media jobs as she got older but I do think the way she was portrayed was exploitative and really got in the way of her trying to steer it to her advantage or even live normally.
I am obsessed with how well researched and informative this was. Despite being chronically online I find myself shocked at how many of these women I didn’t know. Loved this post from you
What a great piece! That anyone with a little following can be an “it girl” today is a symptom of social media, overconsumption, and an abundance of brands. Back in the day there were a few it girls around, and only a few brands would be able to profit off of that. That system falls apart in today’s capitalistic world living off of overconsumption.
Great piece! I only recently figured out that Gabbriette and Amelia Gray were not the same person. On another note, I wonder how Gabbriette’s engagement will affect her brand deals. Her fans don’t seem too crazy about that choice.
I’ve been excited to read this since seeing your sneak peek on linkedin earlier this weekend!
loved this, and the devon/gabbriette/emma comparison is so interesting — i hate to link a woman’s success to a man, but i wonder if their quick invitation into the mainstream is something to do with being around someone else that was famous? (i wonder if the same could be said for addison rae’s second wave with her friendship with charli xcx)
I thought about this a lot!! It's definitely part of the appeal and mystery but it also only really happens when there girls reach some sort of following/status on their own. Plus, it definitely validates them but doesn't result in much on its own.
Like Devon's first GQ feature was about her and Jesse. But two things - I think Jesse's fandom was the biggest during the Tumblr era post Sweater Weather (?) which doesn't seem to correlate with Devon's trajectory. Plus where is Jesse today? And where is Devon? Probably Paris Fashion Week lol
In Gabbriette's case that Charli XCX Netflix show didn't help much at all - her engagement and status stayed pretty steady before and after. She's also done a lot of cool shoots with downtown artists but it still wasn't a major lift. I think her pivotal moment was actually her cooking videos which really upped her engagement and got more eyes on her :)
so hard to square the 'stealth wealth' thing with all the tiktok home tours of gazillionaires in the west village. idk. we are torn between two extremes i think
Wow! I appreciate you putting the effort to do all of this research - love the seeing the data!! IMO the business appeal of the it girl is that they’re not pigeonholed into selling just one thing — literally anything they touch can be commoditized. Obv this rocks for the said it girl ($$$), but also appeals to brands because they’re able to market an aspirational lifestyle/way of being rather than an individual product, which is more persuasive and has greater longevity amongst consumers.
I like how girls like Emma only work with a handful of brands - Lancome, Canon, Levis, Vogue. The brand-person association is so strong. Her LV contract was also great but now fashion wise, it's all over the place. Who knows though - maybe she is shopping around for her next contract!
Love this! Read it during my lunch break (which I value very much, so that shows how much you pulled me into the “it girl” rabbit hole lol). I don’t know much about the situation but I’m wondering how everyone is feeling about Gabbriette and Matt Healy…
I absolutely adore this deep dive. It feels very Taylor Lorenz coded. Now it’s time for the it boy article!! Not sure where you’d even go with it, maybe you tackle it from the psychological angle of alpha males and frat bros/ dude perfect guys, idek. But cheers i loved this article.
Super interesting…I actually took note when Vogue’s latest interview with Suki Waterstone labelled her an ‘it’ girl and thought the language was quite dated? (also barely remember her being an IT girl because she was so young!) ‘It girls’ in the U.K. tended to mean women with means that didn’t work and just partied and were on ‘the scene’. It was quite the negative connotation 15 years ago!
it’s very very hard to even pinpoint what “it girl” means anymore but it’s definitely a very good SEO word :)
I do remember Shulman-era Vogue tried very hard to crown her as the next Sienna Miller (actual It Girl, beyond dispute) but it never really took.
I mean, that decade you could see the influence of Kate, Sienna, Alexa or even, if we go niche, Alice Dellal - on what girls actually wore because they had somewhat distinctive styles (Alexa loves to claim she was just copying Jane Birkin but she did have her own original take on the look to bring it definitively into the 21st century), meanwhile I can't say the same for any aspect of Suki's public persona or look.
that one clip of suki singing good looking absolutely does it for me though
It's so funny that "It Girl" has been rooted in our language for over 100 years now, and how it's evolved as a concept. From Clara Bow just having that little Extra Something that set her apart in silent films to it being a full on marketing concept. I remember someone positing that a core component to being an It Girl is that there's not really supposed to be self-promotion; in the sense that It Girls are always sought out and cannot bestow the term on themselves. Maybe similar to the term "muse?" And it does add another layer, that being an It Girl is ultimately still considered a passive role with less agency.
You are right, I feel like there was so much misogyny attached to the term over the decades and we still lean towards that thinking. That was probably at the core of me wondering if Gabbriette was getting too commercial too quickly. If I didn't come across stories, like Cory Kennedy's, who was taken advantage of by everyone from photographers to the media, I'd probably still think that way. I realized - being cool is great but money comes with power, and I am glad they are the ones finally getting some of it! (The brands they work with are still the ones getting most of it but oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day haha)
tbf even back in 2006 people were questioning the wisdom of putting a girl as young as Cory on the internet like that, she was only 15 when it all started and did get quite a few fashion/media jobs as she got older but I do think the way she was portrayed was exploitative and really got in the way of her trying to steer it to her advantage or even live normally.
I am obsessed with how well researched and informative this was. Despite being chronically online I find myself shocked at how many of these women I didn’t know. Loved this post from you
thank you so much! this is just the top of the iceberg haha
Just procrastinated on finishing my newsletter to read this and I love it!
haha huge honor, thank you!!
Just discovered your posts and I am deeply so obsessed!! you take every thought in my brain and type it out onto my screen!!!!!!!!!
thank you so much!! I am glad it resonated :)
What a great piece! That anyone with a little following can be an “it girl” today is a symptom of social media, overconsumption, and an abundance of brands. Back in the day there were a few it girls around, and only a few brands would be able to profit off of that. That system falls apart in today’s capitalistic world living off of overconsumption.
tbh I feel like lots of it girls is a net positive haha
Literally, yes. Yes to all this.
Great piece! I only recently figured out that Gabbriette and Amelia Gray were not the same person. On another note, I wonder how Gabbriette’s engagement will affect her brand deals. Her fans don’t seem too crazy about that choice.
oh yea long-lost twins haha and it honestly seems like his fans are more upset than hers but we shall see
I’ve been excited to read this since seeing your sneak peek on linkedin earlier this weekend!
loved this, and the devon/gabbriette/emma comparison is so interesting — i hate to link a woman’s success to a man, but i wonder if their quick invitation into the mainstream is something to do with being around someone else that was famous? (i wonder if the same could be said for addison rae’s second wave with her friendship with charli xcx)
I thought about this a lot!! It's definitely part of the appeal and mystery but it also only really happens when there girls reach some sort of following/status on their own. Plus, it definitely validates them but doesn't result in much on its own.
Like Devon's first GQ feature was about her and Jesse. But two things - I think Jesse's fandom was the biggest during the Tumblr era post Sweater Weather (?) which doesn't seem to correlate with Devon's trajectory. Plus where is Jesse today? And where is Devon? Probably Paris Fashion Week lol
In Gabbriette's case that Charli XCX Netflix show didn't help much at all - her engagement and status stayed pretty steady before and after. She's also done a lot of cool shoots with downtown artists but it still wasn't a major lift. I think her pivotal moment was actually her cooking videos which really upped her engagement and got more eyes on her :)
Yeah that’s definitely so true, they’re deserving of that audience for their own personality and not just because of their relationship! <3
this is so nicely written 🩷
thank you!!
So she's alexa chung and cami cherriere?
I feel like Alexa Chung and Cami Cherriere are in the same it girl category haha
so hard to square the 'stealth wealth' thing with all the tiktok home tours of gazillionaires in the west village. idk. we are torn between two extremes i think
ok but hear me out - Victoria Paris did get robbed!! so hopefully people will take it as a sign but who knows
Wow! I appreciate you putting the effort to do all of this research - love the seeing the data!! IMO the business appeal of the it girl is that they’re not pigeonholed into selling just one thing — literally anything they touch can be commoditized. Obv this rocks for the said it girl ($$$), but also appeals to brands because they’re able to market an aspirational lifestyle/way of being rather than an individual product, which is more persuasive and has greater longevity amongst consumers.
I like how girls like Emma only work with a handful of brands - Lancome, Canon, Levis, Vogue. The brand-person association is so strong. Her LV contract was also great but now fashion wise, it's all over the place. Who knows though - maybe she is shopping around for her next contract!
Love this! Read it during my lunch break (which I value very much, so that shows how much you pulled me into the “it girl” rabbit hole lol). I don’t know much about the situation but I’m wondering how everyone is feeling about Gabbriette and Matt Healy…
truly the highest honor!! the reactions are all the place, my favorite ones are from taylor swift fans haha
This is the best written thing on Substack this week. Thanks for all the research you obviously put into this! I’m riveted.
thank you so much for the kind words!!
I absolutely adore this deep dive. It feels very Taylor Lorenz coded. Now it’s time for the it boy article!! Not sure where you’d even go with it, maybe you tackle it from the psychological angle of alpha males and frat bros/ dude perfect guys, idek. But cheers i loved this article.
wait actually......you are onto something!!
actually I’ll take care of it, I’ll write it!!
Brilliant as always
thank you!! <3