The Devil Wears Prada and Her Intern Wears Black and Gold

*Article by Isabella Basco

It takes more than an impeccable and unique sense of style to land an internship at a world-renowned fashion magazine for young girls.  Maddy Gaiman, a cute and bubbly sophomore, has both a keen eye for fashion and the writing skills to back it up. No wonder she was able to land an internship at Teen Vogue this past summer!

Maddy worked under the direction of the styles features editor.  Her daily tasks in included running errands, transcribing interviews, and choosing images for inspiration boards. But Maddy was much more than a personal assistant.  Teen Vogue published one of her articles for the September issue!  Did I mention she also got credit for the internship?  That’s like getting a mini bottle sample of designer perfume after buying something on super sale.

When asked about her experience with the internship, Gaiman laughed and said, “I thought I would be stepping into a scene in The Devil Wears Prada!”  Have no fear.  There were no Miranda Priestlys (Meryl Streep’s character) at Teen Vogue.  Most people were nice, friendly and willing to be a mentor. “I know the whole industry is so competitive but within Teen Vogue itself, it was the best environment to work in because I was expecting it to be more cutthroat.”

With internships it’s more about who you meet than what you learn.  Maddy got to meet A-List celebs like Austin Mahone who is hailed as the next Justin Bieber.  She also met the face of Vogue and the woman who Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada is based on, Anna Wintour. 

Initially, Maddy had concerns about the extent of her freedom to self-expression at Teen Vogue.  “When I first went into the internship, I thought that I needed to act and dress like a Teen Vogue intern. But by the end of the internship, I realized I can’t go into something wanting to act like anyone else. I dressed and finally acted like myself rather than trying to be someone else that I envisioned.”

You go girl!  Way to rock your inner Anne Hathaway and stay true to yourself.

Maddy hopes to apply the lessons she has learned from Teen Vogue to further her success at Wake Forest. She is currently taking a journalism class and hopes to major in communication and minor in journalism.  “I’ve always loved writing, listening and telling stories.” 

After school, she plans to pursue magazine writing, publishing or public relations. But for now, she hopes to continue taking her time and enjoying life in Chi Omega and hopefully write for other publications on campus (we’d love you on the team, Maddy!).