The It Girl Fantasy Draft
MANILA, Philippines - It’s easy to spot the It Girls of today. They practically want you to see them wherever you are, whether it be on the road or online. It’s the same faces you see on noontime shows and in all those nightclubs. For the last couple of years, our It Girls have been the celebrities. The same people who star in all those telenovelas, the same ones in commercials, and the same ones people can’t stop tweeting about. Before the celebrity It Girls of today, Manila’s It Girls were the cool girls with even cooler last names. They were the rebel elite of South Forbes, the bad apples that fell from the high society family tree. This isn’t about those girls.This isn’t about the current set or those who came before. In Young STAR, we like to look ahead and for this week’s Hype issue, we wanted to make a wish list. An It Girl fantasy draft if you will, highlighting the future It Girls we would love to see, hear, and talk about.
The Scientist It Girl
The new batch of It Girls should have more than a pretty face. That’s why when we heard about teenagers like Ann Makosinki, the Filipino-Canadian who invented a palm-powered flashlight, it gave us a warm feeling that the future It Girls will be praised not on looks alone. Reading up on Makosinki’s sudden rise to prominence and how she invented the flashlight to help her less-fortunate friend read at night, was a great contrast to the awful ambitions some of our past It Girls have had. Ann Makonsinki showed that genuine kindness and brains can also be cool and is in fact better than the shallow divas, young girls seem to idolize. If what’s on the surface will eventually fade then we should look to something more that can stand the test of time like talent and intelligence.
The Surname-Upgrade It Girl
Having a famous last name is pressure enough, one that can easily break the weakest of It Girls. Some will just live off all the fame and fortune a last name can give. We’re a bit optimistic for the future and we will be more so if future It Girls take their cue from the one and only Stella McCartney. We can’t imagine the pressure of being the offspring of a Beatle. It’s such a heavy legacy that it seems the only two options are to take advantage of that name or completely hide from it. Stella McCartney found a third option and did her own thing as she also added another layer to her famous surname. With her superior taste and talent in fashion and design, Stella McCartney was able to set herself apart from the clichés of having a famous last name. McCartney became her own person, which we hope It Girls of the future with recognizable surnames will be inspired by.
The Androgynous It Girl
If we’re talking about the future, then we’re talking about progress. The next batch of It Girls shouldn’t look like runners-up from a beauty pageant. They shouldn’t be the Barbie molds that have ruled the scene. Seeing the trend now, we’re confident that one of the next It Girls of Manila will be someone who rebels against what came before. Not to toot our own horn but our good friend, filmmaker Sam Lee, and artists like Tegan and Sara have given hope to those who might be a bit different. They inspire girls to be who and what they want to be and not conform to the vast majority. An It Girl should personify the sign of the times and there’s no cooler sign than these women.
The Cool Boss It Girl
If today’s It Girls are all about who metaphorically rules the city, let’s actually celebrate those who literally do. I think it’s time to put aside the fleeting power of celebrity and recognize the power that comes from hard work and dedication. Sheryl Sandberg is one of those women. She is now the chief operating officer of Facebook and before that she was a vice president at Google, and served as the United States Treasury Secretary’s chief of staff. Sandberg is a great peg for the next batch of It Girls. For anyone who wants to follow her lead, Sandberg’s debut book, Lean In, offers insights on how women can reach the top (something that says more about the society we live in rather than what women can do) without sacrificing what’s most important to you. When it comes to role models like Sandberg, this new version of the It Girl highlights smarts over showbiz.
The Funny It Girl
Hollywood is often ruled by the typical Beverly Hills bombshells. It gets repetitive, not to mention tiring. When girls like Rebel Wilson come along, it’s such a breath of fresh air. People love Rebel Wilson and everything she is. They see that she represents the kind of celebrity who masters her craft and relies less on scandals and tabloid stunts. She’s funny, confident, edgy, and serious about her work. In her still young career, she’s already starred in box-office hits and has created and produced her own sitcom. When most celebrities just take the standard path to stardom, artists like Rebel Wilson choose instead to make their own path and prove that you don’t have to look and act a certain way to achieve success.
