'A million girls would kill for this chance' - an ex-intern at Vogue US

[Working Girl]

Thank you Ma_Petite_Chou, adorefaith, and misssakura for saying everything I wanted to say.

 

[L0VE]

AMEN!!!...



thank god someone said it..
HOORAY..

this is NOT about "accepting life"...or "learning to be tough"..
this is about coming to a place in your life where you realise you are WORTHY of being treated with the respect that you DESERVE..

L0VE...you say if people are shocked by this they must be young or lacking experience..
and it's funny you say that...because i think those are EXACTLY the people who take this kind of crap as "necessary" and "part of life"..
it simply IS NOT...
i dont know where you work or how you live...but in my life and my work, i don't take that kind of abuse and ridiculous hierarchy as NORMAL...and i don't surround myself with people who believe it is OK to treat others that way...
i dont live in a bubble...and of course i meet people who i dont particularly get along with....but i dont speak to others with disrespect and they dont speak to me that way either...

there is a BIG difference between learning to work hard and be surrounded by people who you dont particularly get along with and being instructed not to look someone in the eye or being taken advantage of...
i think with age and experience you learn that kind of discernment...

Describe "abuse"!? What?, asking someone to do their job and work long hours (probably in the papers) is abuse? I just don't see it in this article. I don't take it outside of work but if you go telling everyone off at work, then kiss your job goodbye, because that's the real world.
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE NOTE ALL OF THE ABUSIVE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO THIS GIRL AT VOGUE?

 

[L0VE]

The people in here pointing fingers at those who refuse to be treated like dog poop are missing the point. It's the same as those who insist bullying is necessary in schools because it teaches children the reality of life and the workplace. The fact is, bullying shouldn't exist. It just shouldn't. It shouldn't be tolerated. It shouldn't be TAUGHT. It shouldn't be encouraged. Now, it seems this woman wasn't bullied but she wasn't exactly treated with respect. However I've been bullied in the workplace and I've been bullied at school and under NO circumstances is it acceptable. In my instance, it has NOT taught me to have a thick skin, if anything it has made me distrustful and insecure, I fear what people will think of me, if they think negatively then it will turn into bullying, I doubt every thing I say, how I look, how I dress...

If anybody ever bullies you in the workplace it should NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT be tolerated and I hate the people who think it should be. If we keep sticking to the idea that it's a necessary evil then society won't change for the better.

That's not exactly right, well atleast for what I am saying, I DON'T SEE ANY "ABUSE" GOING ON IN THIS ARTICLE.
Did they harrass her or taunt her and call her names? No
Did they pay her low? YES, and guess what most interns do not get anything! Most would kill for some pay for what they've done.
Sheleping clothing around seems very tedious and exhausting, .
And getting the OPTION of eating 5 star food, that's awful! No one said she had to eat the food. (It's called bring your own food, and no fridge? well you can still eat, ala pbandj!) And if it's in contract, she can take them to court for not paying her back the money they said they would (phone bills) and for abuse at work, that is illegal. But did she do that, no.

=) I'm not trying to change anyones mind, just debating things.

 

[tigerrouge]

The only other job I've heard of, where people aren't allowed to look their boss in the eye, is the role of "servant". A role which went out of fashion some time ago - except in the offices of Vogue, it seems.

I don't think anyone minds being a low-paid employee kept constantly busy with never-ending tasks in the hope of attaining a better position. But there's another layer to the situation - Vogue loves its notorious reputation as a intern ballbreaker. It actively maintains it. I think what some of us are saying is: it doesn't have to be that way. The little acts of cruelty are an optional extra. There are workplaces of excellence that don't go down that road at all. So it's done for reputation. After all, these interns are not being toughened up for battle, they're being toughened up to write bylines.

And also, in terms of "whining", if someone tolerates a certain degree of ill-treatment in any situation, where exactly do they draw the line? Sometimes it's easier for a person to pretend they're a hard-nut, pretend they can take it, than it is to truly stand up and change things. Being able to say a situation isn't right is the first step to improving it.

 

[pinksatin]

I agree with this general stance against bullying, but it seems a little off topic. I mean these crazy demanding internships with no rewards until the not-immediate future aren't about bullying. Demanding is different than demeaning. Having a tough boss who doesn't take sh*t and just rattles things off for you to do and doesn't have time to answer questions is tough but that's the kind of thing that will give you the skills of thinking on your feet, handling pressure, multi-tasking, self-motivation, etc. etc. Now if they are asking you to do things that sacrifice your integrity or are literally bullying, calling names, constantly giving you snide remarks for no reason, purposefully doing things to make it harder for you for no good reason, etc, that is another story.

 

[tigerrouge]

A tough boss can be immensely inspiring, and being forced to come up with your own solutions to a situation... well, there's nothing like learning the hard way. I've enjoyed working for such people, and have nothing but respect for them and their achievements. Such people also make you realise when a boss is being harsh because its what the job demands - and when a boss is being harsh because they simply enjoy pulling rank. The latter has nothing to do with doing a good job.

 

[thefrancofille]

Describe "abuse"!? What?, asking someone to do their job and work long hours (probably in the papers) is abuse? I just don't see it in this article. I don't take it outside of work but if you go telling everyone off at work, then kiss your job goodbye, because that's the real world.
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE NOTE ALL OF THE ABUSIVE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO THIS GIRL AT VOGUE?

Yeah, I want to see what was so abusive about what happened in the article.

For the people who this this is abuse, y'all need to check out the training that doctors and medical students go through. Students EXPECT to be what they call pimped. That's the culture of medicine. I guess it's not different at Vogue.

 

[misssakura]

I wasn't referring specifically to this article, if you actually read what I said:

Now, it seems this woman wasn't bullied but she wasn't exactly treated with respect.

Should I quote it again?

Now, it seems this woman wasn't bullied but she wasn't exactly treated with respect.

And maybe a third time, for good measure.

Now, it seems this woman wasn't bullied but she wasn't exactly treated with respect.

I bolded it this time, I'm great with WYSIWYG!

Edit: All I was saying is that there are people in this thread who indicate they would put up with any kind of bulls**t just to get this chance. And while this woman did some ridiculous things and worked very hard hours, she came out unscathed. But myself and many other people have been in the situation where the line has been crossed, and it becomes more than just 'hard work'. All I'm saying is, people shouldn't take the attitude that they'll put up with anything just to work somewhere, because then it lets people take advantage. It's a subject that's quite sensitive to me. Just never say you'll do anything....

 

[ThiagoMello]

If you give the best of yourself can't you get a promotion later?

 

[ultramarine]

I think most of the people are missing the point ... at the end of the article the girl complaints of teh fact that in Conde Nast they use limos to carry cold cuts but cant give her tkts or whatever for food for an unpaid internship ... thats all she cared about that crazy policy ... Im with her ...

In the mags I work for, if its a shoot for an entire day, everyone gets paid lunch ... if its half a day .. some hors d'oevres plus water and juice .. and believe me .. if you're an asistant, like me, youll be eating anything with sugar cuz you'll be the first to arrive and the last to depart at a photoshoot!

 

[Miss Dalloway]

I seriously think this article she wrote is just one BIG complaint,pleasee many other people would learn lots from it and knew what they were getting themselves into.She,it seems had the preconcived notion of what Vogue is,this beautiful,glamorous place.Well not for an intern and you have to expect to do all of that.
The only thing i agree is that,they are so shameless and would spend huge amount of money for trivial things and not pay their emploies launch?No excuse.

 

[MulletProof]

I have to agree with Ale, the only thing that I found obnoxious about her story is that they didn't pay for her meals and she didn't have a specific hour for it.. I usually don't eat when I'm working or like taking breaks but if it's more than an 8-hour job, they should definitely respect her worker rights.. respect is key for me, I don't mind sweating it 24/7 for no payment but merely mental satisfaction but if they ever insult me or belittle my job (which I didn't see anywhere in the article), that's where you have to draw a line... or/and quit.

other than that, I can't think of anything better than having a ridiculously hectic 15-hour job. it sounds insane but so exciting at the same time.

I recently assisted the director of a film festival here, reading the article gave me a few deja vus... she basically just dealt with people from the film industry and ambassadors but I had the best time of my life.. I remember when they introduced me to her, I told her my name and she said 'well, good morning', and didn't even look at me.. I thought it was so rude!, and out of the blue, like 3 hours later, she asked me a couple random things about my life just to get the picture of who she was with, probably.. I don't mean to excuse her behaviour at all no matter how rude it might seem to some people but once I was fully immersed into her world and knew how absurdly busy she was, it seemed to me more than just a nice gesture that she even took one minute to ask some random assistant (out of many she's been given everywhere she goes) about her life and hobbies..
.. she sent me for lasagna one time at 11pm, I hated that she had to send ME since my shoes were killing me but I loved that she asked me what I wanted to eat and my suggestion was considered an order. nice woman.
another time she abandoned me at the airport. and she apologised.

one more thing I'd like to add is that there was a policy that she told me quickly about how I shouldn't ask celebrities anything regarding their job or life while they were around us or even dare to ask for a photo or autograph. It reminds me of the 'do not stare' rule in the article... I don't see it so negatively.. I assume it's often that people who know who's who end up staring like a child.. and I guess it's just bothersome and unnecessary for them when they're at work and not promoting anything... having an assistant that's acting more like a fan rather than as a professional.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

Am i the only one most shocked by the fact that Steven Meisel dosent take photographs himself,but lets his PAs click away?

 

[Nemova]

i'm amazed by how many people here justify the behaviour...
because it's "vogue" and it's "anna wintour"?...come on people..
there is NO reason to treat people like sh*t...i dont care WHO you are...

and this whole "they're major editors and they're REALLY busy" argument is ridiculous imo..
no-one has the right to abuse people...

i dont know if this stuff is true...
ive not met anna wintour and until i do, i'm not going to judge..
but internships dont have to be miserable and interns dont have to be mistreated....even at VOGUE....i dont care how good the opportunity is or how many doors it opens up...it doesnt give anyone the right to treat a fellow human being as anything less than that..

Karma for you, adore.

 

[Nemova]

I have to agree with Ale, the only thing that I found obnoxious about her story is that they didn't pay for her meals and she didn't have a specific hour for it.. I usually don't eat when I'm working or like taking breaks but if it's more than an 8-hour job, they should definitely respect her worker rights.. respect is key for me, I don't mind sweating it 24/7 for no payment but merely mental satisfaction but if they ever insult me or belittle my job (which I didn't see anywhere in the article), that's where you have to draw a line... or/and quit.

From the article:

After a couple of weeks, I was allowed to do “returns”; the laborious task of sending post-shoot clothes back to the designers’ showrooms. I was constantly told off by my boss for not being fast enough: “What’s wrong with you, girl? You were so good yesterday and you’ve slowed up. If you can’t do returns properly then you shouldn’t be doing them. We rely on you to be quick and I can’t be expected to babysit you. If you don’t want to do this job there’s a million girls who do” — just the thing to lift the spirits.

I don't see how this can't be considered belittling one's work.

 

[smartarse]

I agree wholeheartedly with this post.

One thing peeps need to understand that interning you would have to do the menial jobs 98% of the time. Now if you cant even do that properly than you'll get a not so nice feedback- and that doesn't mean you are being bullied. Some people might take offense easily when it's not even takened as such-- we call that too sensitive.

However, there have been cases (from news reports and articles) that bullying in the workforce do exist. Unfortunately, by reporting such behaviour does not have the same effects as reporting sexual harassment which in some ,if not all, of US workplace is considered a crime with penalty.

Having said that, this article does not fall under bullying , belittling, or insulting. If you think it does than you are a sensitive person and maybe should not be working in a competitive environment such as Conde Nast, Fortune 500 Companies in big cities like NYC.

That's not exactly right, well atleast for what I am saying, I DON'T SEE ANY "ABUSE" GOING ON IN THIS ARTICLE.
Did they harrass her or taunt her and call her names? No
Did they pay her low? YES, and guess what most interns do not get anything! Most would kill for some pay for what they've done.
Sheleping clothing around seems very tedious and exhausting, .
And getting the OPTION of eating 5 star food, that's awful! No one said she had to eat the food. (It's called bring your own food, and no fridge? well you can still eat, ala pbandj!) And if it's in contract, she can take them to court for not paying her back the money they said they would (phone bills) and for abuse at work, that is illegal. But did she do that, no.

=) I'm not trying to change anyones mind, just debating things.

 

[smartarse]

she shouldve known this before accepting the internship. but nooooooooooooo she was all too gunghooed about NYC and Vogue

when an internship application says "no-paid internship" that includes lunches and commute! Kiddies need to read the fine print and dont let excitement cloud your blinkers.

I think most of the people are missing the point ... at the end of the article the girl complaints of teh fact that in Conde Nast they use limos to carry cold cuts but cant give her tkts or whatever for food for an unpaid internship ... thats all she cared about that crazy policy ... Im with her ...

 

[marc jacobs addict]

She like, so many others, come into the industry thinking it's all glamor and fabulous-ness. It's not. At all. Especially as an intern. Know your place, that you are at the bottom of the totem pole. You do as your told, no complaints. If you can't handle that, then you shouldn't be working in fashion.

I agree, that it's not right for bosses to belittle others, but the reality of the situation is that it happens. It's part of the elitist industry that is fashion. People think they're better than you, and in a work environment where you are creating images of the ideal woman in the ideal clothes, people will expect the ideal worker... meaning that you get everything done before you were asked to do it and it's 100% correct.

Fashion is not for everyone.

 

[fourboltmain]

So a million girls would like to be berated or what? Don't look Anna Wintour in the eye? I wouldn't look a pitbull in the eye, but being told not to make eye contact with another human is awful. I don't care who you are, that's just a superiority complex.

Wow, it's just like boot camp, except that your meals are paid for and you get promoted at the end.

 

[Ferdinanda]

Fashion is not for everyone.

I disagree. The Fashion business maybe but not just "Fashion."