The it girl – what’s an it girl? Gossip about it girls has sold newspapers for many years and there was recently even a novel released called The It Girl. There have been it girls on both sides of the Atlantic. British ones and continental European ones. But, what is an it girl and how did it all get started?
An it girl is an attractive young woman on the cutting edge of fashion and the social set. They are the sort of girls that gossip columns love to write about and they provide the newspapers with plenty of material. It’s difficult to imagine how they manage to hold down any sort of job given how often they are out partying. Having enough money to finance their lifestyle is important. Despite a punishing social schedule, they keep up to date with fashion trends. They are always to be found where the ‘in crowd is’. They are at the right parties, eat in the right restaurants and holiday in the right vacation destinations.
The expression it girl was first heard in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century in those glamourous Edwardian days. It gained further attention in 1927 with the popularity of the Paramount Studios film It, starring Clara Bow. The Oxford English Dictionary distinguishes between the chiefly American usage of “a glamorous, vivacious, or sexually attractive actress, model, etc.”, and the chiefly British usage of “a young, rich woman who has achieved celebrity because of her socialite lifestyle”.
Evelyn Nesbit was one of the first of the it girls. She started as an artist’s model and married a millionaire. Along came the swinging sixties with Jane Asher, Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy. The 1990s were peak time for it girls. It girls like Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Tamara Beckwith were rich and beautiful. They were often aristocratic or at least posh and many didn’t have serious job. It would be difficult to fit in all that partying and manage a career as well.
The US has seen its share of it girls too. High society girls like Gloria Vanderbilt and Lee Radziwill (Jackie O’s younger sister) led the way. More recently models, music artistes and actresses like Marisa Berenson, Grace Jones and Iman have all had their moment in the spotlight. And bang up to date we have the Kardashian-Jenners: a whole dynasty of it girls.
Social media has seen the it girl roadshow become self sustaining. It’s now no longer just about newspaper column inches and paparazzi. These days image is all important with Instagram in particular creating many new it girls. In some ways it makes becoming an it girl more accessible, but on the other hand you have to work a lot harder at it. Some Instagram it girls will have a whole team supporting them and their social media rise. What does that mean for the future of the it girl? Will there still be such a thing? Will it girls be shorter lived phenomenons in the social media age or will it be easier to maintain and support a personal brand because it girls will have more control over how they are portrayed?
Leave a Reply