I spent most of my high school career diving into whatever I was interested in at the time. My goal of eventually working in the fashion industry, preferably at a magazine, stayed the same, but how I was going to get there changed often. Freshman year was writing and journalism, sophomore year was fashion merchandising, and junior year I had settled on marketing around SAT season. Was I confident about it? Not at all. But I had taken a few classes and thought I had a pretty good idea of what it all entailed. Besides, if I didn’t like it, I could always try something else once I got to college right?
(Image courtesy of theboldtypetv)
Then, The Bold Type premiered the summer leading into my senior year. Anyone who has ever met me knows how much I love anything that has to do with working women on television. The show was set to take place in New York City, surrounding three friends who worked for Scarlet magazine, a fantasy version of Cosmopolitan. It was like the stars aligned to give me exactly what I needed to see. My excitement grew tenfold when I found out the show was created by former editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Joanna Coles. Everything I read told me it would be the second coming of Sex in the City and I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for anything.
After the first ten minutes of the first episode I was hooked, inspired, and everything in between. Kat Edison, the social media director, is everything I’ve ever wanted to be in my life. She is the first black woman I’ve seen on a television show that was both a lead and holding a leadership position. As the first season went on, I got to see more of what her job entailed and how hard she fought for it. She created social media campaigns to further change and fight for women without a voice. In the first episode alone, she spearheaded the publication of a Muslim lesbian’s photos in Scarlet. I admired her fearless attitude and complete neglect of anything that looked like consequences.
(Image courtesy of theboldtypetv)
Kat wasn’t the only one who inspired me. The other two members of their trio, Jane and Sutton, were equally empowering. Sutton, a personal assistant turned fashion assistant, showed me how important it is to allow yourself to go after what you want and not just what’s practical. I saw so much of my own ambitions and wants in each of the three leads. It wasn’t that I didn’t think it was something I could accomplish, more so that I hadn’t seen anyone who had done it. Fiction or not, The Bold Type reminded me I am a multidimensional woman, who is allowed to have more than one interest I want to explore.
I was never really sure if going into the beauty and fashion industry surrounded by people who don’t exactly look like me was something I wanted or needed to do. However, seeing these women take control of their careers and be agents of change from the writer’s room to the fashion closet, was enough to push me towards what I wanted. I, along with many other women, spent so much time figuring out who I would be the next one of. It took this show, and a good few life moments, to realize I wasn’t the next Elaine Wentworth (Former editor in Chief of Teen Vogue), Maya Alenaa (Digital Beauty Editor for Allure), or Michelle Lee (Editor in Chief of Allure). I’m going to be the next me in an industry that needs women like me.