57 pages 1 hour read

Ruth Ware

The It Girl

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Background

Social Context: Defining an “It Girl”

Although April’s identity is more complex than the “It Girl” persona she leans into, she plays the part well. An It Girl is a socialite who balances being fun and fabulous with being glamorous and desirable. It Girls are attractive, but without trying too hard. Their beauty is somehow unique and never stereotypical. An It Girl would never also be the girl next door or prom queen. Sex appeal oozes from It Girls, though their notoriety doesn’t depend at all on their sex lives. It Girls tend to have impeccable style and taste, but although they set trends, they’d never admit to being trendsetters. At the same time, It Girls are just as appealing when dressed casually because their defining qualities have to do more with their inquisitive yet blasé personalities than with style.

Historically famous It Girls are primarily young, skinny, blonde, and white. They represented popular ideas and preoccupations when they peaked as It Girls. It Girls from past generations are memorialized in popular, artsy photos and occasionally songs. Modern It Girls have an impressive social media presence with thousands of followers. Ware uses April to demonstrate a new era of It Girls on Instagram.