It's been about 3 and a half months since I created this blog (at least my tumblr), so I'd thought I'd write something to dedicate my gratuity to the goddess that is Tavi Gevinson. I realized that she's the person who inspired me to actually get up and create a blog like this (I've always had considerations of doing it, but I didn't actually start until I saw her blog). The first time I had heard of her was only about a year ago -- I saw her in some pictures of Mae Whitman's on Instagram because they were in the show Parenthood together (Mae was a major character for the entire series,and Tavi was pretty minor, I think she was Haddie's girlfriend -- I stopped watching the show after a while so I'm not completely sure of the details). I didn't think of her again until last July, when my family and I were visiting Chicago and we wanted to see a play. We were looking through a list of all of the local shows happening in Chicago, and we immediately stopped when we saw one called "This Is Our Youth" that starred Michael Cera. Most probably know that show as the one on Broadway, but it used to be a show in Chicago inside a tiny theatre. We bought tickets mainly because my entire family loves Michael Cera (I mean, who doesn't?), but once I read the rest of the cast, which only also included Kieran Culkin and Tavi Gevinson, I recognized Tavi's name from Mae's photos. I thought she was solely an actor who was in her 20's, but in the playbook, it said she was only 18. After the amazing play, I was shocked to see a woman fresh out
of high school be so successful and talented at what she does, which was acting. I immediately followed her on social media, and soon realized that she was more than an actress -- she was a fashion icon (at least in my eyes), a successful blog runner, and the editor-in-chief of a magazine called Rookie, which I had never heard of before. Thus the obsession began, and I constantly got ideas from her unique looks that embody her identity and the awkward transition from teen years to adulthood. I later found out that she had been running her blog since she was 13, and that her blog is one of the main reasons that she gained fame so early. Her blog is now defunct, but that's because it transformed into Rookie Magazine, which she now writes for and edits along with a few dozen other people. Her story inspired me -- because she is so young and successful, I thought I could make a blog like her. Although my blog is not just like hers (her's is probably more personal, and mine focuses more on fashion than other aspects of life), I thought I could be like her. Maybe not just like her, but someone people look up to for fashion and everyday advice that all teens struggle with. Along with Rookie Mag, she creates a Rookie Yearbook, or a compilation of articles, photographs, sketches, and much more that are found on the website in a single year into a 350+ page book. I've wanted to buy the third one for a while now, and I finally ordered it and it came in the mail today. I've spent all day reading it instead of doing more important
things, and I'm only halfway through (remember, it's over 350 pages and is about the size of a normal yearbook), but never have I seen something so relatable and creative and put together in the most unique way until I read this. It's a book made for teenage girls, so all the images and articles are meant to attract our minds -- what we're thinking, what we like to see, what we need to hear. And it really did just that for me, and I'm not even done reading it. It makes me even more grateful towards Tavi, because she was able to keep her sense of her teen years into creating a book that only a successful adult could do. The fact that this woman is only two years older than me and she's already managed to act in a T.V. show, be on Broadway with two extremely successful actors, run a successful blog with thousands of fans, appear on the cover of many magazines, and be the editor-in-chief of a successful online magazine astounds me but it also inspires me greatly. Her work has allowed me to realize that I would love to work in the side of fashion that involves writing and editing, a place where I can use my free spirit to write about something I'm truly passionate about.
No comments:
Post a Comment