"A Million Girls Would Kill for This Job"
The Dark Reality of Fashion Magazines' Dependence on Unpaid Interns.
Every year, a new cohort of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed journalists embark on a quest to secure a promising future. Fueled by their passion and a willingness to learn, they’ll take whatever experience they can get— even if that means spending several months working unpaid.
The Dark Reality of Fashion Magazines' Dependence on Unpaid Interns.
Every year, a new cohort of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed journalists embark on a quest to secure a promising future. Fueled by their passion and a willingness to learn, they’ll take whatever experience they can get— even if that means spending several months working unpaid.
The rationale behind foregoing payment seems a simple exchange. Magazines invest in training talents
deemed unqualified and significantly less productive than their seasoned counterparts, and in return,
enthusiastic interns willingly dive into menial tasks, free of cost, in the hope of securing a paid opportunity
in the future. But what if these interns weren’t merely dipping their toes into professional waters, but were
contributing to such an extent that their work rivalled that of full-time employees?
In a recent survey conducted among Fashion Journalism students at Central Saint Martins, 95% of respondents agreed that fashion magazines are dependent on unpaid interns for content creation, whilst 77% of these respondents admitted that in their own personal experience, their internships involved actively engaging in work equitable to the output of full-time employees. Whilst the educational value of their internship depended on how much experience they previously possessed, a large proportion of students were grappling with workloads akin to a 9-5 without any form of compensation.
Lily, a 21-year-old final year student at Central Saint Martins, is no stranger to feeling undervalued. “Although my internship was initially unpaid because it was over a 6 month period in alignment with my Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) year, the CEO asked me whether I'd like to stay on, unpaid, for another 6 months, writing six articles per day, conducting interviews, pitching ideas, and writing long-form profiles that consist of over 4,000 words,” she reveals. “I do feel demotivated by the lack of pay, but it has become so normalised that I feel I have to make the most of what I’m given if I want to succeed, even if that means working for free.”
In a recent survey conducted among Fashion Journalism students at Central Saint Martins, 95% of respondents agreed that fashion magazines are dependent on unpaid interns for content creation, whilst 77% of these respondents admitted that in their own personal experience, their internships involved actively engaging in work equitable to the output of full-time employees. Whilst the educational value of their internship depended on how much experience they previously possessed, a large proportion of students were grappling with workloads akin to a 9-5 without any form of compensation.
Lily, a 21-year-old final year student at Central Saint Martins, is no stranger to feeling undervalued. “Although my internship was initially unpaid because it was over a 6 month period in alignment with my Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) year, the CEO asked me whether I'd like to stay on, unpaid, for another 6 months, writing six articles per day, conducting interviews, pitching ideas, and writing long-form profiles that consist of over 4,000 words,” she reveals. “I do feel demotivated by the lack of pay, but it has become so normalised that I feel I have to make the most of what I’m given if I want to succeed, even if that means working for free.”
While unpaid internships are not exclusive to fashion, the sector stands out for the sheer ubiquity of such arrangements, particularly in the United Kingdom. According to The Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity, a 2018 study that surveyed more than 2,600 graduates aged between 21 and 29 revealed that 86 percent of internships in the arts – including TV, theatre, film, and fashion – were unpaid.
“So many of us are so willing to work for free because we know it's our only way in, and I think a lot of publications take advantage of that,” says Alice, a Fashion Journalism student in her first year at Central Saint Martins. “ Working at a fashion magazine is a lot of journalists’ end goal, so to have an opportunity to intern for one is rarely turned down, even if it is unpaid. This means these publications have a long waiting list of workers to use at their disposal.”
Andrew Loader, Founder and CEO of Fashion Workie, a free self service portal for finding work experience
opportunities, has been on a mission to alleviate the creative industry’s insidious power dynamics since
2009. “The popularity of the fashion industry and its culture has, for many, created a dangerous
romanticisation of unpaid work born out of a pervasive ideology ingrained in fashion of needing to work
unpaid to succeed,” he claims. “Whilst the education system and industry professionals parrot a toxic
mantra that to succeed, you need experience, and to get experience, you need to work unpaid, social media
platforms have become safe havens for exploitation by regularly advertising illegal unpaid work.”
As far as the UK government is concerned, the only circumstances in which interns are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage is if the student is required to do an internship for less than one year as part of a UK-based higher education course, if they’re working for a charity or statutory body, or if the internship solely involves shadowing an employee, meaning no work is carried out by the intern. Given the starkly different reality brought to light by the experiences of fashion students, why do so many magazines continue to get away with breaking the law?
“The problem is that HMRC doesn’t enforce the law to go after these lawbreakers and exploiters,” Andrew says. “From my experience, the person who was legally subject to payment who didn’t get paid has to report it, which just doesn’t happen. Even when youngsters feel wronged, they’re against the idea of taking things forward, as they're at an age when they feel they’d create trouble and don’t want to jeopardise their next career move.”
As far as the UK government is concerned, the only circumstances in which interns are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage is if the student is required to do an internship for less than one year as part of a UK-based higher education course, if they’re working for a charity or statutory body, or if the internship solely involves shadowing an employee, meaning no work is carried out by the intern. Given the starkly different reality brought to light by the experiences of fashion students, why do so many magazines continue to get away with breaking the law?
“The problem is that HMRC doesn’t enforce the law to go after these lawbreakers and exploiters,” Andrew says. “From my experience, the person who was legally subject to payment who didn’t get paid has to report it, which just doesn’t happen. Even when youngsters feel wronged, they’re against the idea of taking things forward, as they're at an age when they feel they’d create trouble and don’t want to jeopardise their next career move.”
With a lack of financial means to challenge these exploitative practices, a fear of industry blacklisting and the perceived necessity of unpaid experience creating a culture of silence and compliance among interns, further action is required to safeguard young creatives from exploitation. The Unpaid Work Experience Bill, which would prohibit unpaid work experience exceeding four weeks in the United Kingdom, was introduced in the House of Commons in 2020, but according to the UK Parliament’s website, the House of Commons’ 2nd reading of the bill is still in progress. Considering this necessitates subsequent stages including Committee scrutiny, a Report stage, and a 3rd reading, followed by repetition of the process in the House of Lords, consideration of amendments and Royal Assent, addressing this matter does not appear to be at the top of the government’s priority list.
“In my earlier internships, I didn't mind the lack of pay as I gained valuable skills, learning how to write more quickly and efficiently and how to master platforms like WordPress,” says Alex, a 20-year old student in his second year at Central Saint Martins. “However, now that I am older and enter internships with a richer skill set, whilst I'm eager to showcase my abilities, this usually results in being given a work load no different to full time-staff, which leaves me questioning how I will ever get a job. In their eyes, what would be the rationale behind hiring someone who's already operating at maximum capacity, and isn’t costing them a penny?”.
While some publications, such as The Telegraph, The Financial Times, and Dazed Magazine, uphold ethical standards by offering formal internship programs with fair compensation — ensuring interns receive at least the London Living Wage — many others are entangled in the web of exploitation. In an effort to uncover the truth, over 20 major magazines were contacted and requested to disclose their internship policies, but despite numerous follow-ups, just two out of 20 magazines responded. Their silence speaks volumes.
It is undeniable that aspiring journalists are driven to gain work experience, hone their skills, and develop their portfolios. However, the prevalence of unpaid positions has evidently created a pervasive sense of disillusionment within the industry, with a staggering 89% of Fashion Journalism students in their second year at Central Saint Martins admitting to feeling either somewhat or strongly discouraged from pursuing a career in the field due to magazines’ widespread reliance on unpaid internships.
“I have the opportunity to work for a big publication for a 3-months, on site, unpaid internship, but financially, that's a big burden,” says Alice. “It's extremely demoralising when being a journalist is a life- long dream of mine, but I'm not sure I'll be able to achieve it because it means I will have to work for free for several months and won't be able to support myself.”
Fostering a culture that values and rewards the contributions of the next generation is not just an investment in the future of the respective magazine, but the future of fashion. For magazines to not merely survive, but flourish, employees need to see young creatives as valuable contributors that deserve to be rewarded for the work that they do. After all, the livelihood of fashion journalism — and the broader creative industry — is in their hands.
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