Debunking the 'Fashion Girl' Myth: How TV & Film Got Work Style Wrong

It was only after my first week, when I saw crisp denim jeans, simple white cotton shirts, and Sambas-Gazelles galore, that I realized the image of the fashion industry was a mirage and that the truth about what it's like to work in media, or design, or PR, was less tied up in what you wear to work every day.

It’s no surprise these myths have taken on a whole new life beyond film and television. A slew of insider perspectives of those “in fashion” are at the touch of our fingertips. With the increase of fashion influencers, especially those with the niche content focus of “Day in my life as a fashion student,” we’re seeing a centralized and almost creative nonfiction approach to what it means to work in one of the most glamorized industries.

By 2030, Gen Z will make up 30% of the total workforce. With the influx of aesthetics, trends, and cores, we’re seeing in real-time the ramifications of glorified fashion and ostentatious “main character” presentations in the workplace.

Podcast host Jenn spoke to this point in her TikTok video: “If you are not a front-facing person, you don’t need to step out in straight off the runway to convey respect in the fashion industry in New York. You can always spot who is a newbie because of how they’re dressed. The girls who are very young, green-eyed, bushy-tailed, and eager tend to wear the Emily in Paris-type fits.”

She went on to say that some of the most notable fashion creatives, like Grace Coddington, wore a simple uniform to work because they weren’t the main focus — the art was.

There’s a popular narrative online that working in fashion means dressing to the nines every day — but that’s more caricature than reality. Yes, the designer labels are everywhere (why wouldn’t they be in a fashion office?), but that doesn’t mean you have to be elite to belong. Some people are wearing archival runway, others are in thrifted denim or pieces they scored on sale from Ssense. The truth is, looking the part is not one-size-fits-all. Flashiness isn’t a daily requirement to be taken seriously, even if social media can make it seem like there is a rigid dress code. Fashion, at its core, has always been about personal style, not just price tags.