The Desire to be Imitated: Today’s Warped Concept of ‘Chic’

Once upon a time, being that girl meant aura, not algorithm savvy. VAGUE Resident Sara explains this generational shift in cultural fascination from inspiration to imitation — and what the industrialisation of influence has done to individuality.

“Who is Gen Z’s Alexa Chung?”

The answer, of course, is Alexa Chung. Despite the fact that she is still very much around and effortlessly chic as ever, Gen Z’s need to create a version 2.0 of everything and everyone that we admire has meant that genuine reasons for fashion, music and film icons to be regarded the way they are have been rendered almost completely obsolete.

The social media and celebrity culture landscape continues to descend further into an overwhelming industrialisation of identity that prioritises the mass production of influence over any kind of authenticity. The creation of public personas for the sake of being liked creates an effect that is completely counterproductive, when the ‘it factor’ today’s celebrities seek to bring forth stems from indisputable authenticity.

We live in a world where trends are easily made out of the human body itself, making cosmetic surgeries and extreme diets the new normal for the sake of achieving whatever is in style. It is a world that is en route to a complete deletion of individuality and identity — trends that are temporary are affecting people’s lives in the long term, leaving people without money or a personality to speak of while everybody strives to be, do, wear, and even eat, the same thing.

“The creation of public personas for the sake of being liked creates an effect that is completely counterproductive...”

The concept of being chic or being an ‘it girl’ lies in authenticity and a consistent desire to be inspired, learn, grow and expand in any and every way possible — a notion that goes against today’s social climate in every way. It is far from buying a Birkin or wearing brand logos like a badge of honour; arguably, today’s public personalities’ dependence on such things is exactly what makes them so painfully unchic.

Among them, very few do what they truly want to do, dress the way they want to dress or stay true to a personality for long. There is a constant, insistent need to appeal to people more than ever before; one born from today’s equally perpetual need for presence on social media and uninterrupted access to the personal lives of public figures.

This desire is what makes them stray far from what they want to achieve in the long run — putting extensive amounts of effort into being admired and perceived in a certain way achieves the exact opposite effect. The concept of being ‘effortlessly chic’ is effortless for a reason.

Those who remain among the most influential figures of the 21st century, are also among those trying (and failing) the hardest in their quest to be admired and respected. Instead, despite the overwhelming amounts of attention they continue to receive, they consistently put themselves in positions to make the classic look tacky. While it would be dishonest to deny their influence due to their following and genuine ability to turn something as simple as a white tank top into a trend (despite it being adopted by Slavic men for decades), they will forever lack the essence of those who genuinely want to learn, watch, listen, grow as people and truly earn their spot as fashion icons for far more reasons than access to expensive brands.

The essence of icons like Alexa Chung, Jane Birkin, Grace Jones or Sophia Loren lies in their effortless individuality and the desire to incorporate the souls, art and stories of others into their every day. By admiring instead of vying to be admired, they remained humble, unique and the exact thing so many of today’s celebrities and influencers fail to achieve — chic.

Chic goes far beyond staying on trend: it is a state of being marked by its effortlessness and the flows of inspiration coming to those who exude it. It doesn’t come from longing to be observed, noticed or admired — it comes from the desire to be inspired. It lays in things that don’t often seem to cross the minds of those in today’s spotlight.

Chic is listening to the stories a local grandma has to tell while conjuring up images of a simpler life. It’s seeing a pattern on a butterfly and feeling the urge to paint fabric, finding an unexpectedly good quote in a terrible book, or a moment of stillness when you pray to whoever or whatever you may believe in.

Ultimately, inspiration, chicness, the ‘it’ in ‘it girl’, all come from the genuineness that is slowly disappearing from the global spotlight. As time goes on, the chicest of the chic will be those we barely see, if at all, because the desire to be a source of inspiration leads to never really becoming one.

credits

words — sara fabek zovko

design — gloria ukoh, karina so.