18 Things You Learn As An Intern At A Fashion Magazine
1) Fashion magazine bosses can get away with a level of eccentricity that cannot be fathomed. In one of the magazines where I interned, my boss was a flamboyant gay dude (surprise!) who talked at the top of his lungs about cocks…A LOT. In front of everybody. It was amazing, but I always wondered how he didn’t get fired.
2) Technically it’s illegal to be an unpaid intern, which is why you have to get college credit. Yeah, they say you get a “daily stipend.” Don’t hold your breath.
3) You realize that all those designer clothes are not so fabulous anymore once they’re all jammed tightly into a small conference room called a “closet” and your job is to keep that shit organized.
4) Everybody looks fabulous and has fresh, exfoliated skin, but you know they’re making like 30k, tops. HOW DO THEY DO IT?!
5) Somebody in your intern group will try to act like they’re the one in charge, like they are already the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine. Tell that bitch to bring it down a notch.
6) Somebody in your intern group will have a coke problem.
7) On photo shoots, you’re the one who dresses the models. That’s something I definitely didn’t know. I mean, I knew that the models got dressed but I didn’t know that interns did it for them. You try standing in front of a hot Brazilian model with a ripped chest, helping him put his pants on all while keeping a straight face.
8) You will make mistakes. You will get yelled at for said mistakes. Don’t quit or you’ll look weak.
9) On photo shoots you have to be 10 steps ahead of your boss, otherwise you SUCK as an intern.
10) It’s not OK to be starstruck when fabulous people/celebrities come into the office. Gwyneth who? Never heard of her.
11) If your boss is a total Miranda Priestly, don’t be upset/take it personally. They have a magazine to run. Just do your job and bitch to all of your friends back home about it. They’ll think you’re soooo New York.
12) You need to have all the PR contacts on speed dial or committed to memory.
13) Please know who all of the important people are on the masthead. They’re the one’s you should be schmoozing!
14) Everything needs to be done IMMEDIATELY or the whole world will fold into itself. Sometimes even IMMEDIATELY is too late.
15) Everybody will hate you if you bring fried food into the office. Don’t do it.
16) It’s really cool to see your name on the masthead/in the credits next to a photo shoot you worked on.
17) Realize that feigning indifference is key to succeeding in fashion. Karl Lagerfeld is in the office? No big deal. You’re doing a photo shoot with Angelia Jolie? So what.
18) Don’t be afraid of your boss. They don’t like timid people, because fashion is dog eat dog, baby. One time I interned at a magazine and one of the guys in my intern group was super timid about every single thing. So one day he goes up to our boss and timidly asks a question, and the boss goes, “Yes, Steven, just do it! Just get it done. Be a top, Steven. Just be a top.” I swear to god that’s what he said, and it was HILARIOUS.