Everybody (Else) Is Perfect

February 15, 2020
Debut essays from the director of fashion and culture at Refinery29. Though Korn, the former editor-in-chief at Nylon Media, worked at women's magazines throughout her 20s, their constant use of thin, cisgender cover models often collided with her ideals of diversity, inclusivity, and body positivity. Before the concept of being "woke" gathered steam, the author promoted change, penning viral columns on subjects like body hair. "As women's media grapples with how to be more positive and inclusive while covering topics like fashion and beauty," writes the author, "I frequently find myself caught between two worlds--the world of empowerment culture and the world of perfectionism." In addition to chronicling her rapid rise to the top of Nylon Media, Korn offers intimate forays into her struggles with anorexia, coming out as a lesbian, and finding meaningful love. The narrative serves as a poignant insider's look at women's digital media as well as a tender retrospective on growing into adulthood in the early 2000s. The author is honest about her enviable position as a tastemaker, though some readers may not muster sympathy for her depictions of salary negotiations or dressing for Fashion Week. In the breezy, clever "Low-Rise," denim trends inspire reflection on the complexities of sexuality, body image, gender presentation, progressive politics, and social media. "I was coming of age in a time when everything was hypersexualized," she writes, "but I didn't understand the relationship between that and actual sex, a disconnect that's one of the main reasons I didn't realize I was gay until after high school: it was like being disembodied." Particularly incisive is Korn's essay on feminist language being co-opted for profit while one of the author's themes--that feminism and aesthetics needn't be at odds but that the beauty and fashion industry still need to change--is keenly observed, if familiar. Korn also offers darker reflections about personal and wider pressures on women. A confident, confessional modern account of breaking free from image obsession.

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October 15, 2020
Korn was named editor in chief of Nylon at 28. Not only was she unmatched in industry leadership for her age, but she was also the first openly gay woman to hold such a high title in fashion media. In this juicy memoir, Korn reveals how it all went down. Korn is cognizant of the fact that she could not have made it so far if not for the cheap New York City housing she enjoyed thanks to a relative. With a knack for social media, aesthetics, and managing others, Korn experienced meteoric rise from freelance writer to director of fashion at Refinery29 to her ultimate top title at Nylon. During this short period, Korn also battled anorexia and the shame that comes with loathing her own body while publicly proclaiming empowerment and body positivity. Her self image issues seeped into her romantic relationships, each of which inspired growth, teaching Korn much about her intimate self alongside her professional persona. A candid glimpse at the fashion media industry in the era of diversity and inclusion.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)