What really makes a multi-hyphenate?

Just thought I'd share my Op-Ed assignment for my Fashion Journalism class. ;)

In an industry where everybody thinks they could be anybody, what really separates a nobody from a somebody?

Long before the term multi-hyphenate became as wildly used as it is today, Hollywood darlings like Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake and Gwen Stefani have already launched successful careers in music, movies and fashion. While the art of holding several job titles is no longer something new in the fashion industry, it has never received as much hype as it does now with it being almost synonymous to an “it” girl or boy. With that being said, the sprout of wannabes is definitely inevitable.

Besides being a musician, movie star and a restaurateur, JT is also into fashion. With his best bud Trace Ayala, they founded  a clothing line names William Rast.

No Doubt's front woman and mom of two is also an actress and a fashion mogul.

A multi-hyphenate is simply a successful jack-of-all-trade, with successful being the operative term. Firstly, just like in any usual case, you have to at least know how to do the job to get the job which, in this case, requires talent. That’s why, to say you are a model-stylist-make-up artist when you can barely fix a bushy pair of eyebrows or have your signature pose as the only facial expression you know does not give you any bit of right to call yourself that. It would be a direct jab to those who exerted so much time, effort and hard-work to perfect their craft if you do that. Secondly, you have to actually have a job and not just know how to do it. While in a normal corporate setting where your future boss shaking your hand and telling you that you got the post means you’re officially employed, no such scenario exists in the fashion industry. You’ll know you’ve made it when you’re actually booking jobs regularly and people are already requesting for your services. This is probably the reason why a lot of newbies are deluded once they’ve done it once or twice. Booking one show or styling one shoot doesn’t mean you’re already a legit model or stylist. Personally, I think it just means you’re one foot in the door with your other foot and the rest of your body still hanging outside. After all, it takes more than just one successful project to deserve that coveted spot in this industry.

Part of the appeal of being a multi-hyphenate is its illusiveness. Being one puts you in the company of the elite few who, not only managed to penetrate the fashion industry, but have done so successfully several times. What’s common among all of them is that they don’t try to be everything all at once. They typically try doing ‘something else’ after gaining a certain level of success from their current occupation. In a way, it’s like reinventing themselves and putting something more on the table. “It” girl Solenn Heussaff started as a model in her teens, then became a make-up artist, studied fashion in college and eventually became a designer and is now venturing into TV, movies and music. On evolving, she muses "I evolve every day and will have to do so for the next years in my life. You can never stop learning. I'm definitely more mature in the thought process (of my designs) because I've been learning and incorporating it into my work. I can only get better and work harder for it." Fly Girl Jennifer Lopez started as a dancer, then took the role of Selena in a movie with the same title, then became a singer and eventually an entrepreneur releasing both a perfume and clothing line. 

The Talented Ms. Heussaff. Solenn the Painter/ Make-up Artist/ Singer/ Endorser/ Body Painter/ Designer/ Cover Girl/ Actress/ Host. 

 When asked by Matt Lauer on what part of his personality doesn’t allow him to settle, Justin Timberlake ponders, “I think we’re all perfectionists in a way, but I think it’s more a case of you grow up young in the business and you get to try a lot of things and so you, naturally, are interested in so many different things. Growing up on television show, we were taught to be kind of triple threats like you described.  And (I don’t know) I think that if you’re gonna do it, obviously, do it in a way that’s authentic to you.” Maybe an artistic mind is never really an idle mind that’s why these celebrities constantly think of ways to release their artistic juices. Maybe they had good exposure with the other aspects of the industry that interests them, or maybe it’s just hidden talent that they recently discovered. Whatever their reasons maybe, one thing is for sure, gone are the days when having multiple jobs merely connotes poverty; just like in countries such as the United States where people usually hold two jobs to make ends meet. Nowadays, being a multi-hyphenate means you’re too talented that you can do anything and everything, enough for you to cement your spot in whatever industry you’re in. While it is definitely a feather on one’s cap to be labelled as such, it would also be an insult to the deserving ones, who have paid their dues and probably fought tooth and nail to get to where they are, to claim something that you’re not (or perhaps, something that you’re not yet).

In an industry where everybody thinks they could be anybody, what really separates a nobody from a somebody is success. Success is objective. How you define it, is up to you.