"Hawk Tuah" Girl Makes The Cut, So What Is in Vogue Today?
On the state of fashion media with Marjon Carlos, Alyssa Vingan and Devine Blacksher
Seeing so many people in attendance of Market Appointment Live this past Tuesday reaffirmed that there is an audience for critical and thoughtful media consumption as well as quality storytelling. It also reignited my purpose, which is to continue to tell interesting stories and cultivating a community of people who love analyzing fashion.
I think an industry reset is on the way, and I’m hopeful mainstream media will get back to doing the things that earned them their authority and audience loyalty in the first place. In the meantime, there is a wave of independent creators and print titles keeping journalism alive. And isn’t this something to be happy about?
Today’s newsletter is a recap of my panel “The New Guard of Fashion Media” for paid subscribers. If you’ve been enjoying the previews, I promise you’ll find this summary insightful :)
Rolling Stone’s 1,500-word feature on the “Hawk Tuah” girl perfectly exemplifies what is wrong with media today:
Clickbait at all costs (“the National Hero We Need”)
The overreliance on viral content (“Since a video of Welch uttering the now immortal sound “hawk tuah” (pronounced hôk too-ä) became part of the national consciousness last month…”)
The making and/or glorification of nobodies (“While she may not sing or write songs, the “Hawk Tuah Girl,” as she’s come to be known, exudes the charm and magnetism of a Gen Z Dolly Parton.”)
The algorithmization of content (why are we primarily sourcing stories from the internet instead of, you know, real life?)
The Race to the Bottom
Magazines have been in this predicament for almost two decades, spurred no doubt by the consolidation of media corporations and the resulting focus on quarterly profits over content differentiation, quality storytelling and sustainable growth. This has led to a risk-averse content approach that entertains yet ultimately leaves readers starved, and it’s strictly reinforced with layoffs and tightening budgets.
All this considered, it’s never been harder to make it as a fashion writer today. The top jobs are already taken and they rarely expand to welcome new talent into the fold. Salaries are in steep decline and many of the benefits (health insurance, 401K etc) plus perks (clothing allowance, limousine service etc.) are disappearing. Executives have figured out that they can cut costs by hiring freelancers instead of full-time staff writers (The Pew Research Center reported in 2023 that more than a third of working journalists are now freelancers), and the jobs themselves no longer require critical thought or rigorous writing (so long as they can attract eyeballs).
Thanks to social media and reader-funded platforms such as Substack and Patreon, the barrier to entry is relatively lower but earning a livable wage often requires multiple sources of income. As I said in my recent NYFW story, one needs to be extremely passionate, work doubly hard and stick it out long enough to achieve a modicum of success.
This is the reality of fashion media today as my speakers Marjon Carlos, Alyssa Vingan and Devine Blacksher pointed out during our conversation. More than 75 people joined us at The Standard, East Village to hear about their experiences working at the top media titles and how they’re navigating the independent life (plus earning a sustainable income). Some highlights:
Working at Vogue (23:10 - 25:26)
Writing a cover story (25:51 - 26:56)
How to get story ideas (27:10 - 31:45)
Navigating the pressure to meet numbers (32:12 - 34:55)
Making the finances work (42:09 - 46:09)
The job an editor-in-chief today (46:22 - 49: 40)
Stories that are missing from mainstream media (50:26 - 55:40)
Kill, Marry, Fuck: Vogue, The Cut or WWD (56:33 - 59: 42)
Ahead, the full panel recording and a detailed summary of our conversation.