Gabrielle Korn starts her professional life with all the right credentials. Prestigious college degree? Check. A loving, accepting family? Check. Instagram-worthy offices and a tight-knit group of friends? Check, check. Gabrielle's life seems to reach the crescendo of perfect when she gets named the youngest editor-in-chief in the history of one of fashion's most influential publication. Suddenly she's invited to the world's most epic parties, comped beautiful clothes and shoes from trendy designers, and asked to weigh in on everything from gay rights to lip gloss on one of the most influential digital platforms. But behind the scenes, things are far from perfect. From #MeToo to commercialized body positivity, Korn's analysis turns feminist commentary on its head. Both an in-your-face take on impossible beauty standards and entrenched media ideals and a call for personal authenticity, this collection is ideal for fans of Roxane Gay and Rebecca Solnit.
Korn questions not only her own definitions of success, but those of society at large ... By refusing to take 'empowerment' or 'inclusivity' at face value, Korn emphasizes the fact that without substantive changes to economic disparity, and the mechanisms of privilege that support it, progressive mission statements and employment quotas are often ineffective against systemic inequality .... Everybody (Else) Is Perfect is a compelling expose of online journalism, in which Korn dissects the realities of digital media in an informed, but informal blend of essay and memoir. This is useful reading for anyone interested in the evolution of digital journalism, especially as it pertains to the struggles and rewards of mitigating a more diverse and inclusive system.
In Everybody (Else) Is Perfect: How I Survived Hypocrisy, Beauty, Clicks, and Likes, Korn comes across as more than just a good guy: she's a hero ... Korn writes about her life, both in and out of the office, in a series of smart, nervy essays ... it's hard to read Everybody (Else) Is Perfect without seeing Korn as a soldier fighting in the culture war on the side of women's empowerment. The nation is better off for her service.
The continuing lack of diversity and inclusivity of mainstream and other media both in their own organization and the messages they convey, and the impact of this on eating disorders and other mental health issues, are perhaps becoming rather well-worn themes, but Korn explores them again with elegance and passion that take her story above the banal.
