Just under a year ago, New York Magazine dedicated an entire issue to the It Girl. Bianca Jagger! Grace Jones! Tina Chow! Carolyn Bessette Kennedy! Chloë Sevigny! The most stylish women of the last century had their cultural capital cemented in print. In a spin-off feature, The Cut claimed we were in an age of “‘It’ Girl Inflation”, which basically means everyone is an It Girl now. But if, thanks to social media, anyone can be an It Girl—which, given Main Character Energy’s stronghold, we arguably are—how can It Girls survive?
Throughout history, It Girls have relied on a certain amount of aloofness; that “you can’t sit with us” energy has kept It Girls at a remove. They were inaccessible, and for the longest time, we, their humble serfs, were fine with that. Until now.
Fast-forward a year, and another fashion magazine—W Magazine, this time—has declared the It Girl dead. RIP.
“The ‘It Girl’ isn’t It-Girling anymore,” says Polyester founding Editor-in-Chief Ione Gamble. The indie zine’s latest podcast explores the demise of the It Girl and argues that she’s been replaced by a new “brand du jour” - the people’s princess. “What we’re seeing people love most is the relatability factor,” says Sofia ‘Sloots’ Franklyn, who has amassed millions of listeners on her podcast. Other notable PPs include Reneé Rapp, Olivia Rodrigo, Amelia Dimoldenberg, and the reigning Queen of relatability, Ayo Edebiri. It’s this quality that is at the heart of PP’s popularity.
“People are craving relatability and authenticity because the era of true ‘celebrity’ is over”, argues Franklyn, who thinks that as a society, we’ve found that “glorifying people is overrated and exhausting”. Where It Girls were celebrated for their exclusiveness and aloofness (in addition to beauty, wealth, style, youth, and luck), People’s Princesses present as down to earth. Today, authenticity holds more social currency than being cool. Social media is oversaturated with what’s cool already, and besides, to be truly directional, you need an air of rarity, something to set you apart from the masses. For better or worse, thanks to the internet, there’s no shortage of hot, interesting people.
Part of an It Girl’s appeal has been in her je ne sais quoi (sidenote: French girls are a sub-category in the It Girl canon, and arguably being French has historically aided an It Girl’s ascent, a bit like going out with Mick Jagger in the sixties or seventies or hanging out with Andy Warholl). In an interview this week titled “Laura Harrier Wants It Girls to Go Back to Gatekeeping”, The Cut (them again) ignited the comment section with a few carefully chosen pull quotes that readers remarked “reminds me of when my older sister told me I wasn’t allowed to copy her”. Though Harrier undeniably holds social sway, she seems to have missed the vibe shift when it comes to what resonates with audiences. Or maybe, contrary to the Instagram comments, she knows that the secret to lasting star power has always been not to give too much away. It’s what Kate Moss (copying Johnny Depp, who pinched the saying from the Queen) meant when she said “never complain, never explain”. Or, you know, to quote Harrier, “We need to go back to gatekeeping.”
Who knows what the future holds for It Girls, but at least we’ll always have this lot. RIP The It Girl; we barely knew thee.
IT GIRLS THROUGH THE AGES
I don’t think New York has much of a nightlife now. the discotheques, the charity balls, they’re very different. They’re very scaled back. New York used to be the city that never sleeps. Now it sleeps.
New York It Girl Cornelia Guest, daughter of original It Girl (and one of Truman Capote’s Swans) CZ Guest, who was recently portrayed by It Girl Chloë Sevigny in the FX Series Feud. Are you keeping up?
I think “it girls” still exist but the cycle of which they change is a lot faster than the eras of say Paris Hilton and the early 2000s.
Sofia Franklyn
It’s wild to see that whether you post a lot or a little, people will always find something to talk about. I think everyone likes to know more, but keeping that level of mystery too draws people back in.
Bhad Bhabie
I don’t think the era of the It Girl is over - I love how empowering it is! I think everyone is an It girl in their own way
Campbell ‘Pookie’ Puckett
It-girl status is forever
Bhad Bhabie
Great energy, manners, a love of life, a certain sparkle, and a big heart make an It Girl
Cornelia Guest
An It Girl is confident in everything she does - from fashion, to business, to how she lives her life.
Campbell 'Pookie' Puckett
