Photo L-R: Allie Chen, Alix Earle, Lauren Barnwell (Source: Instagram)
This case study was written in collaboration with Duke University’s Women’s Leadership Lab and Professor Sima Sistani. HSR surveyed the 45 students in the class and this case study is written with the real insights!!
The It Girl, Reimagined for a New Generation
On campuses today, the “It Girl” has evolved into something far more layered than the polished archetypes that defined the early 2010s. She isn’t aspirational because she’s perfect. She’s aspirational because she’s real, because she’s willing to show her ambition next to her anxiety, her goals next to her doubts, her routines next to her chaos.
The Duke Women’s Leadership Lab partnered with Hot Smart Rich to understand this shift not as a trend, but as a cultural reset. What we found wasn’t a singular aesthetic or a single influencer but a shared identity forming across campus communities. The next generation of campus It Girls isn’t defined by what they wear or who they follow. She’s defined by the world she builds around herself, and the people she allows to build it with her.
This case study dives into that world: the values that shape it, the creators who influence it, and the pathways brands must take to earn their way inside.
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