Baddies Recognize Baddies
Baddies Recognize Baddies
Term 1: Fame Labyrinth; Module 1
Thesis: Being a "baddie" is not just about appearance or popularity—it’s an attitude, a mastery of one’s identity, and a form of social power that transcends conventional standards. Through Eve Babitz’s Slow Days, Fast Company, Julia Fox’s Down the Drain, and Raven Smith’s What Is It About an It Girl?, we will explore how baddies instinctively recognize and admire the qualities in others that reflect their own influence, individuality, and baddie-hood.
Baddie Defined
“We have to fulfill the prophecy of finding a new, hot internet girl. That’s literally why we’re at dinner. Or else our kind will cease to exist.” – Charlie XCX “360” music video
From Eve Babitz to Kid Laroi, poets and lyricists have long been inspired by the elusive “baddie” or “it girl.” Babitz wrote, “She was America-for-spacious-skies, the reason our boys died gladly in the war,” and Laroi begged, “I need a bad [bleep] Addison Rae, lil’ shawty the baddest.”
In our efforts to understand how an It Girl rises to join the social discourse, we’ve found that the “baddie” cannot be contained under one umbrella of identity. She is beguiling and ineffable. So obviously charming but not shallow or hollow. Sure, she may care about the front row seat at fashion week, but you won’t ever hear it from her. She is distinct and undeniable, but the qualities that make her so seem to transcend the limits of language (evident in this essay-length attempt to define her).
At the heart of this phenomenon is the "it factor," an intangible quality that allows a potential muse to captivate attention and admiration with a flick of her wrist. It's a magnetism that draws us in, not out of envy, but out of a deep respect for the mastery of one’s persona, and the audacity to demand attention on their own terms.
“Part of the 100-year intrigue is that an It girl is a nebulous concept. Initially she’s a break from a certain homogeny, but she eventually ushers in a new kind of homogeny.” - Raven Smith
It Girl vs. Celebrity
While the line between celebrity and It Girl often overlap, the distinction is clear (if intangible). For example, Taylor Swift, who, despite her undeniable celebrity and general influence, is not an It Girl. Meanwhile, Alexa Chung had a literal rockstar writing poetry about her and her siren song of coolness. Even Chloe Sevigny started her career as a certifiable “it girl,” appearing in Indie music videos before making the jump to mainstream actress.
It Girls don’t have to be major A-Listers either; they’re often not. They can be the girl you follow on Instagram who introduced you to those mesh shoes everyone is wearing. Or the angel on your explore feed bequeathing unto you the door to the underground hotel in Brooklyn where you might bump elbows with The Dare. She told you that the Hugo Spritz was the new Aperol when you weren’t even aware you needed a change.
In an essay for Vogue, Raven Smith describes the It Girl as “pure zeitgeist, charisma incarnate.” She’s a muse, a moment, someone who shapes culture without needing to try. (Imagine Julia Fox with an LTK for a second.) Baddies survive off their aura and presence. They wear the fashion – fashion never wears them. Yet under the breezy layer is a fog of calculated drive for relevance, remaining the name on our lips without breaking a sweat. And in our current climate, a world of ever-evolving media, lies limitless opportunity to be seen and followed.
In 2020, TikTok became the perfect distraction, bringing forth Charli D’Amelio, Alix Earle, and Addison Rae. Only time would reveal their status as It Girls, celebrities, or both. Eager to evolve, Addison Rae hit the recording booth and dropped a 2023 EP titled AR, which critics described as “forgettable” and “inoffensive.”
And so she took a step back – a lion waiting patiently for its next meal. Rae returned in 2024 with “Diet Pepsi,” a song that provided the sonic nostalgia and campy lyrics of 90s pop stars. Soon after, she performed with Charli XCX and found ground with the indie darlings leading Brat Summer. She signaled a polished transformation into the pop star of bygone eras–proving she embodies the persona we continue to crave.
“I know you wanna live this life.” - Addison Rae on “Von Dutch” with Charli XCX
Audacity: Where Baby Baddies are Born
The making of a baddie requires a certain acceptance of audacity. "Because the truth is,” Julia Fox writes in Down the Drain, “anyone who is someone first started out as a delusional dreamer." This audacity is a crucial step in the radical transformation from fleeting sensation to lifelong star. "Sometimes you have to burn your life to the ground in order to experience the life that is truly meant for you." It’s hard to bring a baddie down to earth when her platform is constructed on the belief that if it could be anyone, why not her?
Eve Babitz gives a more historical lens, reflecting on the elusive quality of star power that only those in the know can truly recognize. Describing Terry Finch, Babitz writes, “She was a star, I plainly saw.” It's not about fitting a specific mold; instead, Babitz observes, “It seems to me that you can have any sort of features to be a star, really, just so long as your skin is luminous.” This luminosity, whether a product of fame or something that fame requires, is what sets the real stars apart from the rest.
“I know I got a big ego / I really don’t know why it’s such a big deal though” - Marina and the Diamonds
The Baddie Effect
The baddie presence is felt, not explained; it’s the confidence that makes her unforgettable. Baddies understand that allure isn't about being seen but about making others feel your presence long after you've left the room. Babitz observes how “People around us seemed to move in slow motion, the way extras do in movies when they want to give the illusion of a background of people without distracting you from the stars,” highlighting how baddies recognize each other’s glow amid the crowd. It’s an unspoken acknowledgment, where presence eclipses all else.
“Livin’ life like I’m in a play / In the limelight I want to stay” - Marina and the Diamonds
In the world of it girls, aesthetics and self-expression are currencies. As Smith puts it, their innate taste is “not so much effortless as entrenched,” reflecting the idea that true baddies curate their lives like art. And wasn’t Babitz on this same track? Portraying women moving through the world as if it’s their stage, the extras around them fading into the background. Smith and Babitz agree: It’s not about what baddies do, but how they inhabit your space. And inhabit your space they will.
Perhaps the most enduring quality of a baddie is rooted in how she creates her own mythos – the real power lies in the ability to self-define and remain unbothered.
Renowned but Unknown
“I did not become famous but I got near enough to smell the stench of success.” - Babitz.
Babitz is not alone in this musing. Smith describes the “perfect contradiction” a baddie may sometimes feel: being both aspirational and elusive. By definition, renowned but unknown. Early on her journey to baddie-hood, Fox describes the blurry line between self-creation and self-preservation. “I became who I thought they wanted me to be,” she says. The price of being seen is sometimes losing sight of oneself.
The allure of the It Girl lies in her paradox: she is both seen and unseen, commanding attention while maintaining mystery. Babitz, Fox, and Smith capture this duality, where being renowned but unknown becomes both a shield and a trap. If uncareful, the path to becoming unforgettable often leads to a blurred identity, where the performance of self overshadows the person behind it.
The baddie’s journey is one of constant reinvention, navigating the fine line between visibility and self-preservation.
Study Questions
Define the “baddie paradox.” Is it possible to be both aspirational and elusive without owning at least one statement coat? Discuss.
Evaluate Julia Fox’s journey of maintaining relevance. What happens when your life becomes a performance but nobody yells “cut”?
Compare and contrast the rise of TikTok stars to traditional Hollywood fame. What might Eve Babitz say about the benefits of the For You Page?
Imagine Taylor Swift as an It Girl rather than a capital-C celebrity. How would her discography change, and would Alexa Chung approve?
The study questions are so cute!!
1.) Absolutely not, you must own at least one statement coat. And it cannot be from Zara.
2.) You nearly die 800000 times like Julie has
3.) Hear me out, I actually think it's similar in the sense that you just needed to have the little SPARKLE about you in early Hollywood, similar to the rise of TikTok stars. I think this is different from 80's-10's celebrities, many of whom came from legacy families, elite institutions or both. If anything, it's more equitable.
4.) Every album would be Folklore and there would never be remixes sent to the radios
you described the aura and attitude of it girls SO WELL