This type of image reflects an integral part of her role as a fashion journalist, leaving followers with the impression that she is always on the job. In contrast, Sykes drinking an iced coffee while being on the phone resembles a snippet of her on leisure time. In this sense, both arguments proof what Duffy and Hund define to be “discourses of passion” where Sykes leaves readers with the impression “of work that doesn’t seem like work as labor.” In addition to this, Sykes hints at her pregnancy when she writes “when you can’t...
This type of image reflects an integral part of her role as a fashion journalist, leaving followers with the impression that she is always on the job. In contrast, Sykes drinking an iced coffee while being on the phone resembles a snippet of her on leisure time. In this sense, both arguments proof what Duffy and Hund define to be “discourses of passion” where Sykes leaves readers with the impression “of work that doesn’t seem like work as labor.” In addition to this, Sykes hints at her pregnancy when she writes “when you can’t dress your waist” thereby exposing her authentic persona to the reader. This creates a notion of what Duffy and Hund argue to be “representations of life” that go beyond the ones of fashion magazines.
The Glam Life, defined as the second trope is evident in Sykes’ articles and across her social media accounts. Figure 4.3 shows a snippet of an article that Sykes had produced for the media brand Man Repeller, where she is captured wearing a combination of multiple luxury goods with the caption reading “Rejina Pyo dress, vintage Chanel bracelet via Vestiaire Collective, Manolo Blahnik mules.” This staged type of self is what Duffy and Hund define to be the glam life, an “attention-seeking practice” that is often referred to as wearing luxury goods as displayed on social media.
Not only through luxury goods but also by “aligning their personas with established celebrities,” Sykes situates herself in a glamorous environment where “prestige becomes a vital form of social currency.” These types of images create a notion of Sykes’ symbolic status within the field that exceeds the image of a professional journalist, with Sykes being perceived as a personal brand.
