Another day another dollar

When i first started interning it began to dawn on me how the industry managed to maintain its exclusivity. In order to be employed anywhere you need at the very least 6 months experience, with many places asking for a minimum of a year spent in placement. The majority of these internships (with the exception of the few that pay expenses) are completely unpaid and are run on the basis that if you don't work for free, there are hundreds of others, just like you, who will. This limits the kind of people that are able to succeed in fashion to those who a) have parents who are able and willing to support them, or b) know people that know people with enough influence to open doors for you. Despite the few who fight against the grain and are able to sneak through the cracks, these are the facts, and they are not wholly surprising or much different from any other competitive industry.

What does leave me feeling a little jilted is how interning is celebrated as being some sort of prize. I was reading a magazine the other month, and on one of the final pages was the competition. Now as i read the article about how this magazine was looking for the newest and freshest talent and would whittle down one winner from thousands of applicants i started to get caught up in the excitement and skimmed down to the bottom of the page to find out what the amazing prize was, the prize that was THE opportunity of a lifetime for any budding fashionista.

The prize was an internship. When i think back on some of the stuff i had to do when i was interning i'm not sure i would consider it a prize. It was an amazing opportunity where i learnt a huge amount, yes. But a prize? A prize for a competition? The prize was like putting my dead hamster in a box, wrapping the box with a bow, and giving it to me for Christmas.

On Friday i found out that Anna Wintour is auctioning a week of work-experience at Vogue to help benefit the RFK Centre. "Tailored to the individual interests and skill set of the auction winner, the week at Vogue will be as fascinating as it is informative. As part of this experience, the winner of this dream package will get to attend a fashion show during New York’s Fashion Week. Also included in this package: The September Issue DVD, In Vogue , Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People
The World in Vogue: People, Parties, Places,The Teen Vogue Handbook. It does not get better than this for any aspiring fashionista--bid now!"

Don't get me wrong, i think it is absolutely brilliant that Vogue is taking active steps in raising money and awareness for the justice and human rights, what sits uncomfortably is the thought that don't promotions like this work to cement the increasingly apparent correlation between having money and having the opportunity to succeed in the fashion industry? Yes interning is an imperative, but must the opportunity to do so be open to competition winners and those with the most money? Whatever happened to whoever does the work the best gets the job?

The current bid for a week at Vogue stands at $12,000. Daddy??