Do Celeb Book Clubs and Multi-Hyphenates Go Together?
I wanted to roll my eyes at yet another celeb book club but I honestly can’t this time. I read this article in print, and then the online version featuring video interviews with Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford. She sounds smart & interesting and wants to be known as “the internet’s librarian” as she prepares to launch something called Library Science this year. She’s 22 and her favorite book is Just Kids by Patti Smith.
Yet something else caught my eye in that issue: an article about Something Navy, a now-defunct clothing company launched by influencer Arielle Charnas. “Once considered a model for social-media stars looking to capitalize on their followings, Something Navy has, in three short years, become a cautionary tale for influencer brands.” The piece shares how Charnas was “happy to stick with sharing outfits online, but [her husband] pushed her to think bigger.” And now the company has fallen apart.
So here’s my take: Have we taken “multi-hyphenate”-ism — this idea that people must diversify to the extreme & master multiple ventures — too far? Take a look at celeb culture & people trying whatever it takes to keep their tentacles in *everything.* I get the need to stay relevant in a fickle industry…but to what end? And how does this translate to normal people and general notions of “success”?
This past weekend we got to tour Hatch Show Print, the legendary letterpress print shop operating since 1879 in Nashville. To see humans producing these marketing materials using original methods was awesome. But it’s 2024; of course the shop needs to supplement its revenue. So it does tours and workshops, it sells merch, it has an airport shop. But it is *not* taking on digital jobs nor adding a concert series or cosmetics line (tho the ink is there…). Hatch’s focus is clear and it executes it well. I delighted in the passion for maintaining its mission, authentically.
I love hearing about people who quietly (relatively speaking) plug away at their work. When the output is skilled and measured, it turns out they don’t need to glom onto every “angle.” Let’s see what celeb book club proves lasting (after Oprah, ofc). I’d kinda like to see it be Gerber.
originally published on instagram