Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to access exclusive content and expert insights.

subscribe now subscribe cover image
Saloni Dhruv profile image Saloni Dhruv

With social media celebrities dominating the Internet, an ‘it’ girl needs to have more than just impeccable style

Where does fashion’s ‘it’ girl stand in the age of influencers?

With social media celebrities dominating the Internet, an ‘it’ girl needs to have more than just impeccable style

What do Jane Birkin, Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, Sonam Kapoor and Hailey Bieber have in common? If you live on an unhealthy diet of pop culture, you’ve probably guessed that they are what the media terms as the ‘it’ girls. Owing to their on-point sartorial choices, they were widely written and spoken about by news platforms and fashion magazines. The style of each decade can be pinned down by the ‘it’ girls of the time, weather it’s the androgynous Edie Sedgwick with pixie blonde hair in the 1960s, or Rekha embracing her sexuality through cinema in the 1980s, or Olivia Palermo’s queen-bee, upper-East-Side-New-York vibe from the 2010s. We trace how the ‘it’ girl has evolved in the age of self-surveillance and influencer culture.

The ‘It’ factor 

Broadly speaking, the media's notion of an ‘it girl’ is someone who is glamorous, attractive and has a social status. She reflects the culture of her time and, in her own way, helps change it, while looking chic. “My understanding of an ‘it’ girl is someone who is strong and powerful, who brings style and substance together and captures the zeitgeist and public imagination. But it’s not restricted to just someone in fashion; it could be  an actor, musician, politician or even someone from the corporate world,” says stylist and costume designer Divyak D’Souza.

What do Jane Birkin, Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, Sonam Kapoor and Hailey Bieber have in common?

What do Jane Birkin, Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, Sonam Kapoor and Hailey Bieber have in common?

In the pre-Internet era, the obsession with ‘it’ girls was channeled on the big screen ( Marilyn Monroe and Jane Birkin), magazines ( Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss), paparazzi and news outlets ( Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan).

In the pre-Internet era, the obsession with ‘it’ girls was channeled on the big screen ( Marilyn Monroe and Jane Birkin), magazines ( Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss), paparazzi and news outlets ( Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan).

For content creator Rasna Bhasin an ‘it’ girl is more of an inspiration than an aspiration. “Somebody who is able to make an impressionable mark and truly inspire me is an it girl,” she says.

In the pre-Internet era, the obsession with ‘it’ girls was channeled on the big screen ( Marilyn Monroe and Jane Birkin), magazines ( Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss), paparazzi and news outlets ( Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan). From film directors to fashion designers, ‘it girls’ have been the muses of many creative professionals. In 1984, French luxury label Hermès introduced a tote bag named after the actress Jane Birkin. ‘The Birkin’ is now one of the most coveted bags in the world, and has become a symbol of wealth.

Actor and model Kate Moss’ “heroin chic” style led her to work with some of the biggest designer campaigns, including Calvin Klein, Burberry, Rag & Bone, Alexander Wang and Yves Saint Laurent, to name a few. She even designed a collection of clothes for Topshop in 2007 and a line of handbags for Longchamp in 2010, and appeared in music videos like Don’t Go Away by Oasis, Something About The Way You Look Tonight by Elton John and White Light by George Michael. British model and television host Alexa Chung, too, was known for her Glastonbury-inspired style, making her a regular on the best-dressed lists of numerous magazines. In 2010, British fashion label Mulberry even debuted ‘The Alexa’—a bag named after and inspired by her. 

While our Pinterest boards may still be littered with these ‘it’ girls, the concept has evolved over time, as D’Souza points out. “We’ve had this idea of the ‘it’ girl right from the era of old Hollywood to today’s Internet age and I don’t think it has changed much. However, the way we address it has perhaps taken different forms. We may not use the term ‘it’ girl anymore, but we are definitely seeing more women—and men—being celebrated for more than just their looks. It’s evolved from vanity to what they do, what they stand for and how important their voice is for their generation,” he explains.

“WE MAY NOT USE THE TERM ‘IT’ GIRL ANYMORE, BUT WE ARE DEFINITELY SEEING MORE WOMEN—AND MEN—BEING CELEBRATED FOR MORE THAN JUST THEIR LOOKS. IT’S EVOLVED FROM VANITY TO WHAT THEY DO, WHAT THEY STAND FOR AND HOW IMPORTANT THEIR VOICE IS FOR THEIR GENERATION”

Divyak D’Souza

In 2010, British fashion label Mulberry even debuted ‘The Alexa’—a bag named after and inspired by Alexa Chung 

In 2010, British fashion label Mulberry even debuted ‘The Alexa’—a bag named after and inspired by Alexa Chung 

On the other hand, for Bhasin, this evolution in the age of social media is not just based on the person and their appearance but their popularity rating and the number of followers they have on Instagram. “Having a ‘muse’ is no more just a creative decision, but also a business one,” says Bhasin, adding: “While there are many stylish women out there, there are very few who leave a lasting impression and have a personal style so distinct that they can be spotted from a mile.”

Are influencers equivalent to ‘it’ girls?

In the age of selfies, vlogs and self-surveillance, the idea of having an individual identity is muddled as our digital lives that we present on social media subconsciously become a part of the algorithm that is designed to make others do the same thing, buy the same outfit and ape the same trend. Call it unoriginality or uniformity, but now everyone can look like an ‘it’ girl.  And this is probably where the concept dies, as Bhasin points out. “Most of us are so busy following trends or looking up what a celebrity is doing, that we stop experimenting with our personal style. This makes it hard to have a voice so strong that stands out,” she says. 

In her New Yorker piece called The Age of Instagram Face, author Jia Tolentino says how social media, FaceTune and plastic surgeries have created a uniform, cyborgian look where everyone looks like each other and, might we add, dresses the same, behaves the same and has similar personalities. “Social media has supercharged the propensity to regard one’s personal identity as a potential source of profit—and, especially for young women, to regard one’s body this way, too,” she writes.

 

On social media, the ‘it’ girl is corporatised with PR pitches, campaigns for multiple brands and SEO- and algorithm-driven marketing. “Social media is definitely a medium for people to express themselves, share their voice and their good taste with the world. But I don’t think that somebody whose career is on a social media app encompasses all the attributes of an ‘it’ girl,” says D’Souza. “The term ‘influencer’ implies someone who is marketing products online and soft-selling them on the Internet. If you have a skill and an impeccable sense of style, while being an inspiration for your generation, that, for me, is what summarises as being an ‘it’ girl,” he adds.

Influencer Matilda Djerf built a fashion empire on her minimal style and signature fluffy haircut

Influencer Matilda Djerf built a fashion empire on her minimal style and signature fluffy haircut

Jane Birkin inspired the iconic  Hermès Birkins

Jane Birkin inspired the iconic Hermès Birkins

Influencers like Emma Chamberlain and Matilda Djerf have an edge over the rest, thanks to their very distinct personalities and style (Chamberlain has nonchalantly distanced herself from the Internet, whereas Djerf built a fashion empire on her minimal style and signature fluffy haircut). In India, Bhasin looks back at the time when Amrita Sher-Gil became the poster-child for modern art in India in the 1930s, and models like Mehr Jessia and Feroze Gujral were popular faces on the ramp and in ad campaigns in the 1990s. “But in recent times, I would say Sonam and Rhea Kapoor have definitely carved a niche for themselves in fashion,” she shares. 

More often than not, we assume an ‘it’ girl to be in the public eye or have a job that always requires her to be in front of the camera. D’Souza points out that there are many ‘it’ girls who work behind the scenes, have a great sense of style and have grown in their niche by being themselves. “Take the example of fashion editors like Nonita Kalra, or perhaps Tina Tahiliani—who co-founded one of the first multi-designer boutiques in the country—or Sabina Chopra, who has been instrumental in making fashion week in India what it is today. We need to celebrate women not just for the way they look or how they style their outfits but also for what they stand for, their value systems, their strong voice and opinions that can help shape the future,” he concludes.

Also Read: How a cultural mix of community influences the style of those living in Pondicherry

Also Read: How does the heritage of Jaipur influence personal style?

Also Read: Are millennials finding it hard to keep up with Gen-Z’s Euphoria-like style?


Subscribe for More

Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to access exclusive content and expert insights.

subscribe now