The phenomenon of “the girl crush” has been circulating the globe for as long as anyone can remember. English women back in the 1500s probably wanted to be Queen Elizabeth just as badly as ninety-percent of the female population wants to be Jennifer Lawrence today. And no, it’s not just because both were rich and famous; there are plenty of women like that who aren’t nearly as admired (I’m talking to you, Miley Cyrus). It takes a certain kind of girl do be deemed “crushable”, and here’s a profile of some bonafide girl crushes walking around campus.
Name: Tatiana Hayakawa
Age: 20
Hometown: Chino Hills, CA
Major: Journalism and English, with a minor in Media, Culture and Communications
Favorite Film(s): Ameliè, Spirited Away,(500) Days of Summer
Unsuspected Facts: A love of “girly” video games, such as Mario Karts or Pokemon (“I can beat my boyfriend any day of the week)
Girl Crush Status: A lot of people would say that the fabulous lives of those career-driven people portrayed on TV are just that– a television show. Ms. Hayakawa, however, is living proof that that assumption is wrong. Not even legally able to drink yet, Tatiana has since the start of her college career interned at five prestigiously-named companies, including Teen Vogue and Jason Wu, gratifying herself to instant girl-crush status. Here’s what she has to say on the matter.
HC NYU: For starters, who are your own personal girl crushes?
TH: Definitely Zooey Deschanel, especially on New Girl. Others include Miranda Kerr and Scarlett Johansen, although I don’t know why. With Zooey Deschanel, I can pinpoint the most reasons: she’s beautiful but she doesn’t draw upon it to become relevant or important to the viewer. She’s quirky and real, almost unaware of her beauty, and she’s also very talented. She’s able to be in [She and Him], but doesn’t use her being in it [the band] to propel them to star or mainstream status in the way Jared Leto might in 30 Seconds to Mars. Some of her fans may not know she’s even in the band! Mainly, though, she doesn’t attempt to fit the stereotype. On New Girl she’s a dorky girl that people may not be able to relate to, but are still attracted to.
HC NYU: What about Miranda Kerr and Scarlett Johansen?
TH: They certainly embody a sense of strong women and they do play into the fact that they’re beautiful, but they use it to their advantage. With them it’s more that it’s “sexy” that’s power. But they do embody a strong sense of womanhood. With Miranda Kerr, for example, she is a mother. She has a kid, yet she’s still a model and still does all these campaigns. She really embodies the idea that you can do it all.
HC NYU: Which moment in your life this far are you most proud of?
TH: I think of one in particular, when I was studying abroad in Florence. I had wanted to travel to Paris for Easter break, but everyone else had already visited or had made other plans. I was struggling back and forth with whether I should go anyway by myself, even though I didn’t know a word of French. Finally, I decided to just go anyway. I figured I could get by since they [the French] are very multilingual, so I just spent the entire time speaking either French or Spanish. I had such a blast! I had never been on by myself in a foreign country since I’d always have friend or relatives around. I’m still proud [of what I did] because it’s what I wanted to do. I indulged myself, and found it scary and exhilarating.
HC NYU: Which quality about yourself do you find girl-crush worthy?
TH: I don’t know if I would say “determined”, if there’s a better word. But maybe– I guess “determined” is good, because I feel like I’ve done a lot by juggling my social life with class with internships with jobs with sleep. Well, I feel like a lot of kids do that, so maybe that doesn’t make be special. I don’t know– maybe it’s about sensing a balance in my life, to do the best that I can to do what I want. I mean, I’m doing five internships with a sixth in my final semester, so it’s definitely taken a lot from other aspects of my life, but they’re building upon each other towards achieving my goals. [Laughs] Sorry if this sounds like a cliché. I guess I’d also say I’m obsessive with everything, from my hair to having my nails done that day to wondering whether the article I had written was as good as it could have been.
HC NYU: So like Miranda Kerr, basically?
TH: [Laughs] Well…
HC NYU: Lastly, what do you find to be good qualities in not just role models or girl crushes, just admirable people in general?
TH: Being assertive because that’s what gets you places. I feel like especially in this day and age, if you can’t communicate your needs, you will get lost in the shuffle. And that goes for everything: at work asking for a raise, in a relationship. Just ask for things that’ll work better for you.