Is Being An ‘It Girl’ All It’s Cracked Up To Be?

@haileybieber / @matildadjerf

The ‘it girl’ – we all know who she is and so many of us want to be her.

Elinor Glyn first used the term in her 1927 novel, It, which was later turned into a film and ultimately made the film’s star, Clara Bow, the it girl of her decade.

The characteristics of what makes one an it girl have changed substantially over the years. Where once the title carried a lot of sex appeal and was viewed as an object of the male gaze, the it girls of the 21st century seem to exhibit a more self-reliant and reserved stance in pop culture.

If we were to paint a picture of a 2024 it girl, it would probably look something like this: a thin 20-something, lived-in-blonde city girl who has a 10 step beauty routine that leaves her skin radiant and hydrated.

 

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She must layer her vanilla scented perfumes and perfectly apply her no-makeup makeup look to give the impression that she is just naturally beautiful. She will never be the drunkest girl at the party but instead, that girl who knows her limits and won’t stay past a certain time to avoid any potentially messy situations that could tarnish her reputation.

Of course, she attends a pilates class three times a week clad in a Lululemon ensemble with a pair of AirPods Max nestled in her ears. She doesn’t give the impression that she is actively seeking attention, but instead your eyes just automatically draw to her when she enters a room.

You may describe her as magnetic, but she doesn’t need attention as – according to the multitudes of TikTok videos – she doesn’t thrive off attention but instead, enjoys her own company and the small circle of friends she keeps.

Although we have seen a significant shift in the ideals of an it- irl, the it girls of the 2020s still uphold the same standards as those that came before them – unattainable beauty and lifestyle standards.

Just like our modern day it girls like Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Sofia Richie, the Audrey Hepburns and Clara Bows of the past had the money and platform to spend on curating the perfect image for themselves.

@ashley.paiige step by step guide to becoming an it girl 🫶🏼 #grwmaesthetic #grwmmakeup #howtobeputtogether #cleangirlaesthetic #cleangirl #itgirl #cleangirllook #itgirrrrl #haileybieber #serenavanderwoodsen #coolgirl #hairhealth #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound – ashley paige

It is ironic that the modern day it girl thrives on the slowly becoming ‘organic’ and ‘authentic’ when that authenticity will soon infiltrate TikTok and become something that it girl wannabes copy.

These TikToks talk about ‘rebranding’ yourself to a more confident version of yourself, consistently getting your nails, makeup and eyebrows done, and claiming that these tasks will have you on your way to becoming that girl.

So, my question is: is the it girl title just a burden that we have placed on women to create a uniform beauty and lifestyle standard to sell to our easily influenced Gen Z and Gen Alpha minds?

It would be wildly un-feminist of me to say that the it girl of 60 years ago (which pandered to the male gaze) is less damaging than the it girl of today. There is, alas, some truth to this.

@scarlett____ glamorous it girl energy >>> #gossipgirl #serenavanderwoodsen #classystyle #stargirl #nightluxeaesthetic ♬ Succession (Theme) [Piano Version] – Miraculous Studio Orchestra

Encouraging everyone to mirror an ever changing image is toxic, because the it girl image changes with micro trends.

With the amount of trends popping off in social media each week, one day you may be trying to recreate Hailey’s minimalist cool girl style and the next Charlie xcx’s more grungy brat aesthetic, because according to Wikipedia both of these girls are it girls.

Are they gorgeous and talented individuals? Absolutely yes. But can we all be like them? No, we cannot. No matter how many tutorials we follow that claim they will turn us into them, we can’t all be it girls. And that is okay.

Although, one it girl tip we can get on board with is making your bed each morning (it really does change your life).