Fall 2023 @ Lehman College: October
September was tough. I was (still am!) grateful of my new job, but in the midst of New York Fashion Week I felt like I couln’t be possibly belonging in a classroom and teach students the dynamics an methods through which content, stories, and artistry pour out from fashion media platforms, have I never worked in a traditional fashion media setting. Where are my credentials? Does my academic backgorund mean at all? Yes, I wrote for Vogue, I did a series of internships, but have I ever had the chance to flaunt a “nice” and formal title that could help me get into certain spaces? Never. If I got places it was always because of my mere name and surname: Giulia Baldini. No big title has ever really brought me opportunities, just my own work ethics, punctuality, and discipline. It is great to have a solid character, but I do wonder if I could benefit from a much more solid title attached to a publication or a company that could boost my work instead of just being me, myself, and I to represent the underdogs through my research and literature.
This month I became more comfortable in owning my background and experiences, especially while we were covering Edward Enniful. Re-reading his story with the students brought me solace and elevated my self-esteem, while dealing with the real life around me - battling against late paystubs (yep…including one from Vogue Italia), moving into a new apartment with the love of my life, with whom I started making plans for the near future. For the first time in my life I. have a sense of stability and freedom. I do still worry about how is going to look like my life here in the USA, but I do feel comfortable an loved in my new abode and work environment.
For many students this was the first time even seeing and holding a fashion magazine. I brought in class an old Vogue UK issue and they loved it. So happy!
Students and faculty are officially familiar at this point. The faculty hierarchies are inevitable and I can perceive more transparent dynamics, which do not necessarily make my job more or less difficult. I just feel like I know more about my surroundings, just as I would do by making observations in a newsroom, with all its rules, team members, and office talk.
Students read and learned the story of Edward Enninful. For lots of them this was their first non-American Black author they have come across. We covered deep topics, such as intersectionality and unconscious bias. I’m fully aware now that these concepts take time to be digested, but I was glad to show them through Edward’s early stages at I-D, along with the words and comments on his immigrant background - many students related to these portions of the book. We also analyzed his fashion portfolio and the revolutionary things he has done so far in the fashion media industry. Even though majority of my students are not interested at the moment in pursuing a career in the Humanities and Liberal Arts, a lot of them have vibrant hobbies and passions, such as modeling, knitting, make-up, nail painting, dj-ing, building businesses, graphic designing, etc. I’m sure a great number of them are secretely getting interested in fashion media.
Everyday I hope and pray that i’m doing the right thing with them. I hope they stay brilliant and smart in the lanes of education and any other creative endevours they will like to keep up with.
