It girl explained
An "it girl" is an attractive young woman who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging.[1]
The expression it girl originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century.[2] It gained further attention in 1927 with the popularity of the Paramount Studios film It, starring Clara Bow. In the earlier usage, a woman was especially perceived as an "it girl" if she had achieved a high level of popularity without flaunting her sexuality. Today, the term is used more to apply simply to fame and beauty. 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".
The terms "it boy" or "it man" are sometimes used to describe a male exhibiting similar traits.
History
Early use
An early literary usage of it in this sense is found in a 1904 short story by Rudyard Kipling, which contains the line "'Tisn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just It. Some women'll stay in a man's memory if they once walk down a street."[3] [4]
Elinor Glyn, the notorious British novelist who wrote the book titled It and its subsequent screenplay, lectured:
Glyn first rose to fame as the author of the scandalous 1907 bestseller Three Weeks. She is widely credited with the invention of the "it girl" concept: although the slang predates her book and film, she was responsible for the term's impact on the culture of the 1920s.[5]
In 1927, the Paramount Studios film was planned as a special showcase for its popular star Clara Bow, and her performance[6] introduced the term "it" to the cultural lexicon. The film plays with the notion that "it" is a quality which eschews definitions and categories; consequently, the girl portrayed by Bow is an amalgam of an ingenue and a femme fatale, with some qualities later portrayed by Madonna's latter day "Material Girl" incarnation. By contrast, Bow's rival in the script is equally young and comely, as well as rich and well-bred, yet is portrayed as not possessing "it". Clara Bow later said she wasn't sure what "it" meant,[7] although she identified Lana Turner[7] and later Marilyn Monroe[8] as "it girls".[7]
The fashion component of the "it girl" originated with Glyn's elder sister, couturier Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, known professionally as "Lucile". Lucile managed exclusive salons in London, Paris and New York, was the first designer to present her collections on a stage complete with the theatrical accoutrements of lights and music (inspiring the modern runway or catwalk show), and was famous for making sexuality an aspect of fashion through her provocative lingerie and lingerie-inspired clothes.[9] [10] She also specialised in dressing trendsetting stage and film performers, ranging from the stars of the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway to silent screen icons such as Mary Pickford and Irene Castle.
As early as 1917, Lucile herself used the term "it" in relation to style in her fashion column for Harper's Bazaar: "... I saw a very ladylike and well-bred friend of mine in her newest Parisian frock ... she felt she was 'it' and perfectly happy."[11] [12]
Modern "it girls"
In the late 1970s the term started to distance itself from Bow, as magazines used it to describe Diana Ross.[13] Since the 1980s, the term "it girl" has been used slightly differently, referring to a wealthy, normally unemployed, young woman who is pictured in tabloids going to many parties often in the company of other celebrities, receiving media coverage in spite of no real personal achievements or TV hosting / presenting. The writer William Donaldson observed that, having initially been coined in the 1920s, the term was applied in the 1990s to describe "a young woman of noticeable 'sex appeal' who occupied herself by shoe shopping and party-going".[14]
In 2023, Matthew Schneier for The Cut, defined the New York "it girl" as being: "Famous for being out, famous for being young, famous for being fun, famous for being famous." Schneier added that an "it girl" does not define itself that way, but that "magazine writers, newspaper columnists, photographers" do.[13] The prominence of an "it girl" is often temporary; some of the rising "it girls" will either become fully-fledged celebrities, commonly initially via appearances on reality TV shows or series; lacking such an accelerant, their popularity will normally fade. Schneier claimed that achieving obscurity is required to be considered one: "An undeniable celebrity is not an 'It' girl."[13]
Editors at The Cut also included a list of over 150 '"It" girls. Called It' Girl Inflation, the article praised the Internet for increasing supply and demand, or democratizing, the 'It' Girl. Notable New York "it" girls included Tinsley Mortimer, Olivia Palermo, Fabiola Beracasa Beckman, Amanda Hearst, Leigh Lezark, Vashtie Kola, Cat Marnell, Audrey Gelman, Tavi Gevinson, Petra Collins, Jemima Kirke, Barbie Ferreira, Chloe Wise, Emily Ratajkowski, Salem Mitchell, Julia Fox, and Eve Jobs.[15]
Examples
1900s
- Evelyn Nesbit (1884 or 1885–1967), American artists' model, photographic model, chorus girl, and silent film actress, whose rise to fame around 1900 has been called "the birth of the 'It Girl'".[16]
- Brenda Dean Paul (1907–1959), British silent film actress and socialite.[17]
1940s
1960s
- Edie Sedgwick (1943–1971), American actress, model, and Andy Warhol's muse, was dubbed "the it girl".[19] [20]
- Jane Holzer (b. 1940), American art collector, former model, actress and Warhol superstar.[21]
- Peggy Lipton (1946–2019), actress and model known from the hit TV show The Mod Squad.[22]
- Ali MacGraw (b. 1939), American actress and activist, her first job was as Diana Vreeland's assistant in the early 60s.[20] [23] [24]
- Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon (b. 1947), British socialite and heiress[25]
1970s
1980s
1990s
- Kate Moss (b.1974), English model. Considered one of the UK's most famous "it girls", Moss has been a muse to various fashion designers and contemporary artists; namely Marc Jacobs.[37] [38]
- Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (1966-1999), American publicist for Calvin Klein and wife to John F. Kennedy Jr.. Cited as the pinnacle of the 90's American "It Girl".[39]
- Tamara Beckwith (b. 1970), English socialite and television personality, was widely described as an "it girl" in the 1990s.[40]
- Aerin Lauder (b.1970) American socialite, businesswoman and billionaire heiress. Considered an "it girl" by Vanity Fair.[41] [42] [43]
- Tara Palmer-Tomkinson (1971–2017), English socialite and television personality, was considered to be the foremost of the 1990s "it girls" in the United Kingdom.[44]
- Parker Posey (b. 1968), American actress, was considered by many to be the "it girl" of the burgeoning independent film scene of the 1990s after she played a hip, young socialite in the 1995 film Party Girl.[45] [46] [47] [48]
- Chloë Sevigny (b. 1974), American actress and model, was described as an "it girl" by Jay McInerney in The New Yorker in 1994, because of her status as a fashion impresario.[49] [50] [43]
2000s
2010s
2020s
Gallery
Film and theater
- Glyn's 1927 film script was adapted into a musical called The It Girl, which opened off-Broadway in 2001 at the York Theatre Company, starring Jean Louisa Kelly.[78]
- It Girls is a 2002 feature documentary film directed by Robin Melanie Leacock, which chronicles the activities of a group of socialites in Manhattan, New York, U.S., during New York Fashion Week.
"It boy"
The term "it boy" (sometimes "it man") has been used to describe a male exhibiting similar qualities to an "it girl". In 1950, Bow identified Robert Mitchum as an it boy. In 1995, Entertainment Weekly referred to Leonardo DiCaprio as "Hollywood's 'It' Boy" because of his "blazing talent and dashing baby-faced looks – a combination of the mystic and the mischievous – that have the praise faucets gushing buckets".[79] [80]
2010s
South Korean boy-band BTS was called an "It boy" band by Billboard in 2017.[81] In 2018, Vanity Fair referred to Timothée Chalamet as an 'It' Boy".[82] In 2019, Jimin was first called "it boy" for his role in the world of fashion by the Spanish website Flooxer Now and described as such by other media.[83]
2020s
Later, in 2020, Jimin was named "Global 'It' boy", dubbed so by Naver.[84] In 2021, Teen Vogue referred to Yeonjun, as "K-pop's fourth-generation 'It' boy" due to his participation in New York Fashion Week.[85]
Gallery
See also
References
Notes
Further reading
- Bigham, Randy Bryan. (2012). Lucile: Her Life by Design
- Brown, Leah Marie. (2015, 2016, 2017). The It Girls series. Book one: Faking It ; Book two: Finding It ; Book three: Working It ; Book four: Owning It
- Book: Etherington-Smith . Meredith . Pilcher . Jeremy . The "It" Girls: Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, the couturière 'Lucile' and Elinor Glyn, romantic novelist . London . Hamish Hamilton . 1986 .
- Book: Evans, Caroline . 2013 . The Mechanical Smile: modernism and the first fashion shows in France and America, 1900–1929 . New Haven . Yale University Press . 9780300189537 . registration .
- Book: Marwick, Arthur . Arthur Marwick . registration . It: a history of human beauty . London . Hambledon and London . 2004 . 1852854480.
- Book: Morella . Joseph . Epstein . Edward Z. . The "It" Girl: The Incredible Story of Clara Bow . Delacorte Press . 1976. New York . 0-440-14068-4.
- Book: Stenn, David . 1988 . Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild . Doubleday . 0-385-24125-9 . David Stenn . registration .
Notes and References
- Encyclopedia: It girl . Dictionary.com unabridged . June 19, 2018.
- [Meredith Etherington-Smith|Etherington-Smith, Meredith]
- Book: Kipling, Rudyard . Rudyard Kipling . Mrs Bathurst . Traffics and Discoveries . 1904 . London . Macmillan . 352 .
- Web site: ... she had that indefinable quality which Kipling was the first to call 'It' - sex-appeal without flaunting her sexuality.. Wilson. Alastair. Mrs Bathurst . KiplingSociety.co.uk. 5 March 2014. Wilson. Commander Alastair. 19 October 2010.
- Web site: Barber . Nicholas . 28 December 2014 . Clara Bow: The original 'It Girl' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220709223035/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20141222-who-was-the-original-it-girl . 2022-07-09 . 2022-07-09 . BBC . en.
- private showing. (1927-01-01) Variety
- Waterloo Daily Courier, 21 September 1950
- Book: Stenn, David . Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild . Doubleday . 1988 . 0-385-24125-9 . 272 . David Stenn . registration.
- Evans, Caroline. (2013). The Mechanical Smile, pp 34–36, 39–41
- Bigham, Randy Bryan. (2012). Lucile: Her Life by Design pp 23–31.
- Duff-Gordon, Lady (Lucile). (1917). "The Last Word in Fashions". Harper's Bazaar, 63, October 1917
- Bigham, Randy Bryan. (2012). Lucile - Her Life by Design, 31, 275.
- Web site: Schneier. Matthew. What Was (and Is) the 'It' Girl? An investigation.. April 24, 2023. The Cut. April 24, 2023. en-US.
- [William Donaldson|Donaldson, W.]
- Web site: 2023-04-24 . You're an 'It' girl! You're an 'It' girl! Everyone's an 'It' girl! . 2023-05-13 . . en-us.
- Book: Uruburu, Paula . American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, the Birth of the 'It' Girl, and the Crime of the Century . May 1, 2008 . . 978-1594489938 . First; hardcover . registration.
- News: Taylor. DJ . Man-eating, drug-taking, scandal-making: The It Girl through the ages . 4 July 2023 . The Daily Telegraph . 24 August 2019.
- Web site: Spitz . Marc . 2015-04-06 . Edie Sedgwick, eternal It Girl: 50 years after "Poor Little Rich Girl," she remains an icon . 2022-07-17 . Salon . en.
- Web site: A Century of the New York 'It' Girl 151 women who captured the city's attention.. April 24, 2023. The Cut. April 24, 2023. en-US.
- Web site: Jane Holzer Doesn't Think Much About Her Year in the Spotlight . April 24, 2023. The Cut. April 24, 2023. en-US.
- News: Obituaries: Peggy Lipton, star of TV's 'The Mod Squad', dies at 72 . . 13 May 2019 . 30 May 2024 .
- Web site: Ali MacGraw Does Not Care for the Term 'It' Girl . April 25, 2023. The Cut. June 5, 2017. en-US.
- Web site: For Meredith Garretson, Channeling Ali MacGraw's Incomparable Style in 'The Offer' Was Second Nature . April 25, 2023. InStyle. May 19, 2022. en-US.
- News: Rainey . Sarah . Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon: Beautiful debutante whom Cressida Bonas calls Mum . 17 May 2023 . The Daily Telegraph . 11 October 2013.
- Web site: de Bertadano. Helena. Marisa Berenson: the It-girl who grew up. April 25, 2023. The Daily Telegraph. October 3, 2011.
- Web site: McCormack. Rachel. Glass interviews former '70s It girl and actor Marisa Berenson. April 25, 2023. Glass. October 5, 2021.
- Web site: Diane von Furstenberg, fashion's 'It girl,' honored for lifetime achievement. April 25, 2023. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. June 17, 2005.
- Web site: Chabbott. Sophia. The "It Girls" of Every Decade . April 24, 2023. Vanity Fair. October 13, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180110230826/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2016/10/it-girls-of-every-decade. January 10, 2018. en-US.
- Web site: Rodriguez. Leah. See Bianca Jagger's Style, an Original 'It' Girl . April 24, 2023. The Cut. September 15, 2014. en-US.
- Web site: 12 January 2018. Lessons from a 1980s New York party girl and Warhol muse. live. Dazed. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20180112132555/http://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/38609/1/dianne-brill-lessons-from-a-1980s-new-york-party-girl-and-warhol-muse . 2018-01-12 .
- Web site: Mechling. Lauren. September 30, 2022. Cornelia Guest Looks Back at Her Life in Parties. April 25, 2023. W. en.
- Web site: Ferri. Jessica. April 21, 2022. Tales of a late, great It Girl: Cookie Mueller's stories live on in a new reissue. April 25, 2023. Los Angeles Times. en.
- News: Dowd . Maureen . 1986-11-09 . LISA IN WONDERLAND . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-02-24 . 0362-4331.
- Web site: She Played 'Lisa E.' for Two and a Half Years. April 24, 2023. The Cut. April 24, 2023. en-US.
- News: Mutti . Giulia . October 28, 2015 . The Influential Legacy of Tina Chow . en-US . Another Magazine . April 25, 2023.
- Web site: Bazaar UK . Harper . 2013-08-14 . Fashion Designers and their Celebrity Muses, from Kate Moss to Alexa Chung . 2024-05-06. Harper's Bazaar UK . en-us.
- Web site: Montgomery . Joy . 2022-10-14 . From Gwyneth Paltrow To Kate Moss, The '90s It-Girls Inspiring My Winter Wardrobe. 2024-05-06. British Vogue . en-us.
- Web site: Childs . Emma . 2023-11-08 . Unpacking the Immortal "It" Quality of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy . 2024-05-06. marie claire . en-us.
- News: Kat Keogh: Tamara Beckwith – now an over-the-ill IT girl . Kat . Keogh . 26 June 2011 . Birmingham Mail . 8 April 2021 .
- Web site: Thompson. Michael. The 'It' Girls . April 24, 2023. Vanity Fair. September 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20221103202812/https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2000/9/the-it-girls. November 3, 2022. en-US.
- Web site: Moore . Booth . January 23, 2001. A New York 'It Girl' Goes Hollywood . limited. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230425140329/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-23-cl-15610-story.html . April 25, 2023. April 25, 2023. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
- Web site: March 27, 2003. 'It' Girls. New York Magazine. April 24, 2023. en-US.
- News: Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and co: Whatever happened to the 'It girl'?. Jackson. Marie . Harris . Dominic . BBC News . 9 February 2017 . 8 April 2021 . en-GB.
- News: Chris . Willman . Add Parker Posey to the Short List . . Los Angeles, California . June 4, 1995 . 29 January 2024.
- News: Alison . Macor . Party Girl . . Austin Chronicle Corp. . Austin, Texas . August 11, 1995 . 29 January 2024.
- Alissa . Quart . Alissa Quart . Who's Afraid of Parker Posey? . . New York Media . New York City . Nov–Dec 2002 . 29 January 2024.
- News: Elisabeth . Vincentelli . Elisabeth Vincentelli . Hari Nef and Parker Posey: Two 'It' Girls Whose 'Humanity Peeks Through' . . New York City . February 15, 2023 . 29 January 2024.
- Jay . McInerney . Jay McInerney . Chloe's Scene. . . New York City . 7 November 1994 . 13 May 2018.
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- Web site: McCarthy . Lauren . June 12, 2019 . Tinsley Mortimer Flirts With Her It Girl Past and Bats Her Lashes at Her Future . April 25, 2023 . W . en.
- Web site: Mavrody. Nika . November 13, 2013 . We Ask Charlotte Ronson: How Does It Feel to Be Called an 'It Girl'? . April 25, 2023. The Fashion Spot . en-US.
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- Web site: Schoeneman. Deborah. October 9, 2000. How to Be the 'It' Girl. April 25, 2023. Observer. en.
- Web site: Tabach-Bank. Lauren. April 13, 2021. Nicky Hilton on Instagram, Motherhood, and the Perfect Pair of Shoes. April 25, 2023. Interview. en.
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- Web site: Salemme . Nadia . 24 June 2019 . Mischa Barton talks returning to TV, joining The Hills and reclaiming her It girl status .
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- Web site: Wilmer . Isaiah . May 4, 2007. The Number-One Girl. New York Magazine. April 24, 2023. en-US.
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- News: Sara Schätzl: Warnung vor dem Roten Teppich. Martin. Schneider. 2 July 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714223557/http://www.max.de/pop-kultur/people/sara-schaetzl-glamourgirl/. 14 July 2014.
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- Web site: Blasberg. Dere. How "It Girl" Petra Collins Went from Ballet to Behind the Camera . July 4, 2023. Vanity Fair. January 5, 2017. en-US.
- Web site: Park Shin-hye is Elle's new it girl . 2023-07-05 . kpopherald.koreaherald.com.
- Web site: Schill . Madison . 2015-05-21 . Meet Lily-Rose Depp: Fashion's newest Instagram It girl . 2024-05-06. Elle Canada . en-us.
- Web site: Williams . K.-Ci . 2021-10-12 . Jung Ho-yeon Says Squid Game 'Changed Me for the Better' . 2022-04-08 . Vulture . en-us.
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- Web site: Who is Jennie Kim, The K-Pop It Girl Who Fans Call the 'Human Chanel'? – Jennie Kim Blackp . 2023-06-02 . L'Officiel USA . en-US.
- Web site: Payos . Alyanna Raissa J. . 2 Dec 2022 . Style File: Blackpink's Rosé . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221130093033/https://www.voguehk.com/en/article/fashion/style-file-blackpink-rose/ . 2022-11-30 . 2022-11-30 . Vogue Hong Kong . en-US.
- Web site: February 12, 2020 . K-pop It-girl Lisa @lalalalisa_m of @Blackpinkofficial is rumoured to be launching her own fashion line. In December of last year, Lisa's management company YG Entertainment registered a new trademark filing for "Manobal Lalisa" and "Manobal" as merchandising labels. If approved, the trademark would reserve the right to produce clothing and underwear. Stay tuned for more details! . Vogue Hong Kong . en-US.
- Robert . Sullivan . Gigi Hadid is the ultimate It Girl on the cover of Vogue's special issue . . 13 October 2016 .
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- Herman . Tamar . 2017-09-21 . BTS' 'Pied Piper' Is Filled With Tough Love Towards Fan Culture . 2022-12-06 . Billboard . en-US.
- Harwood . Erika . Amchin . Jordan . 2018-10-15 . Timothée Chalamet's Blazing Beautiful Boy Press Tour . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220707045802/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2018/10/timothee-chalamet-is-really-leaning-into-his-it-boy-style . July 7, 2022 . 2022-10-02 . Vanity Fair . en-US.
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