Style Amor

We all begin a new year filled with hopes and dreams and to some, this is the opportunity to begin a career in an industry filled with glamour and hardships. Every year, I always come across many fashion hopefuls dreaming of landing an internship at a renowned fashion house that could lead to a coveted job in the industry.

Thousands of people come to fulfill their dreams in New York City, I was raised in the city and know first hand, how hard it is to land a dream job, especially when you have so many people competing for the same position. I also don’t want to sound like a pessimist, because I  personally know people that had great internships that led to solid fashion careers.

However, it breaks my heart when I see young hopefuls realize that the fashion world is not what they thought it would be.  The fashion industry is not the Devil Wears Prada, you will not get to fly to Paris or get designers clothes right away, this is a fantasy and if you think the movie was bad, reality can be much worse.

It’s ok to fetch coffee, lick stamps, empty boxes, hey everyone has to start somewhere and it’s always a humbling experience to learn every aspect of a job no matter how simple or small it is.

I have read several posts about how to land the “perfect” internship and  how to deal with difficult “interns”, but I have rarely come across anyone mentioning the injustices that many interns face in the industry.   This is why I compiled a small list of issues a first time fashion intern can face and how to deal with them.

• Personal Insults:

Maybe your boss was angry that you sent a sample to the wrong magazine, maybe you forgot the season’s best dress in the back seat of a taxi cab, will you face the heat and anger of your boss? Absolutely! It doesn’t matter if your mistake was big or small, you can always apologize and assure your boss that you will try everything you can to resolve the issue (now, assuming your boss accepted the apology) get on your feet and act promptly!

However, never ever allow anyone to insult you based on your education, background, race, religion or appearance.  Personal insults, are unprofessional in fashion and in any other industry. I’ve heard horrible things, from someone being called sloppy because they were overweight and others being called lazy because they were minorities (I’m a Latina). Not only are these insults, ignorant, racist and ILLEGAL, they are completely unnecessary. Please if you ever hear this verbal diarrhea and demeaning abuse, report it to the labor department and kindly leave with your dignity.

• Sexual harassment and misconduct:
  

Only you can define your personal boundaries and set an example of how others should treat you and most of all, respect you.

I have seen girls become very friendly with male executives and later find out they are getting together for drinks and dinner after work.  Is this a good way to climb the career ladder? It can be, until you realize that it can only get you so far.

On the other hand, I have also seen other types of sexual related misconduct, for example if your boss asks you to buy sexual toys, book call girls, show you naked pictures of him/herself or making you try on the new sheer string bikini because, ahem…. fit models are too “expensive”, it’s ok to say no and walk away.

If at any moment you feel like someone is testing your moral standing, express that you’re uncomfortable and will not continue with such requests. In the worst case scenario, where you have been asked for sexual favors or have been touched inappropriately, please report it to the police right away! No internship is worth enduring any type of harassment.

Image: via

• Working As a Slave (LITERALLY):

Working about 60 hours a week for 6-7 days would be something many could bear, if there’s a prospect of a paid job. Unfortunately, I’ve seen many use interns as free labor, I’ve  had internships in the past where employees never bothered to learn the interns’ names, since interns were considered to be disposable after 6 months or less.

In some cases, I have seen bosses and their colleagues ask interns to do some of the important work of calling buyers and PR firms so they can take a few days off.  Many interns find these opportunities too tempting to refuse, but aside from making a great business deal, you can also ruin a business relationship and if the deal turns sour, it will be blamed on you.

If you decide to take on an important task, you are taking a big risk, who knows maybe you’ll get the job or be thanked for your time at the end of 6 months, but before jumping into such a delicate situation, you should ask around to see if any interns have been hired recently.  If you are in an internship and see that people come and go and no one has been offered a paid job within a year, you probably won’t get hired but take advantage of this opportunity and learn from it as much as you can.

The fashion industry is a great world but at the same time it can be very difficult, you need a thick skin and must understand that you will have to deal with grandiose egos, angry outbursts and difficult personas.  Yes, sometimes you will feel incompetent and make mistakes but it happens to all of us, and you can always do better –next time.  Also, keep in mind that you have a life and a family, if someone important to you passed away or had an accident and you cannot make it to your internship, it’s ok to take that day off, there isn’t a job that will ever be more important than taking care of you or your loved ones.

xoxo Glendy