If everyone is special, then no one is special.
DAVID THORPE/EXPRESS/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES
What (or, more precisely, who) do you associate with the phrase “style icon”? Surely everyone has their own associations and their own heroes and heroines worthy of this status.
But in recent years the title has been given to so many people that it has become virtually worthless. Why did it happen? And is there any original meaning left in the concept of “style icon”? Let’s try to figure it out.
If all people are special, then no one is special. This can briefly describe why the term “style icon” has ceased to be as resonant and prestigious as it was some 15-20 years ago.
We live in a world of incredible speed. Never before has information consumption been so fast. Any news becomes outdated within a couple of hours – even before the world’s main media publishes it. Social networks have turned the consumption and distribution of content from a marathon into a sprint.
We gain new knowledge in short bursts – and we have to constantly update sources. This also applies to heroes. It takes a few months for any face to become familiar.
This means that no one can hold titles like it-girl or “style icon” for decades, as before. And the factory for their production must operate uninterruptedly.
GRAY SORRENTI
Because of this, the media generously assigns these titles to all at least decently dressed media characters – from pop singers to fashion influencers. And this is where the main catch lies. The fact that there are too many of them is not so bad.
Most of them have no personal style. For the most part, today’s media personalities trust their wardrobe to stylists. This is understandable: it is always better to turn to a professional. In addition, it significantly saves time.
But what comes out most often is not an individual style, but a certain template. And this circumstance completely deprives the term “style icon” of any meaning.
Style icons of the past, be it Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Paloma Picasso or Maya Plisetskaya, dressed themselves. Their outstanding style was a reflection of their personality, their path in life.
Today’s “style icons” cannot boast of this. This is the main difficulty. This status itself presupposes a conscious approach to shaping the appearance – and complete delegation of this process eliminates the whole point.
