Jack Schlossberg, who you may know as JFK’s grandson or the guy on TikTok, has just been announced as a Political Correspondent for Vogue ahead of the US Presidential Elections. How is the internet feeling about this?
When the announcement article and fun accompanying photoshoot came up on my Facebook, my initial thought was that this was a brilliant pairing.
When I think of political correspondents, I usually envision old men. Granted, Mr Schlossberg is a white, wealthy, educated man. So on the diversity front, we haven’t stretched too far. But I think that his younger age and genuine use of social media will help connect with the younger audiences, ultimately motivating more people to vote in November. Politics are now almost becoming more accessible to the younger generations. Through the use of social media platforms, influnencers telling people to vote and it almost being uncool to not be interested in politics, we are creating a space for these discussions in the society of the youth. A perfect example of this is one of my friends, who sent off his postal vote for our General Election in full glam on our way to the Eras Tour. It was cool, there was a picture taken, and the notion of “if I have the right to vote, why the hell wouldn’t I?” was in the air.
Even just the images alongside Jack Schlossberg’s Vogue interview prove this point. They’re so fun, goofy and very clearly not aimed at 67 year old men in retirement homes. He’s even holding the Barbie Vogue from last summer in one of the images. Please. I also think that it’s worthwhile that this position goes to someone who actually knows what they are talking about, having both understanding of history and interest in the future.
To be completely honest, I hadn’t even considered the flip side of this coin until I posted a TikTok about this and someone commented “a Kennedy that went to Harvard? Shocker.” I should have probably been more objective in my initial thoughts about this, and looked at both sides of the argument – but I initially forgot there was another one.
We are all familiar with nepotism and that word in itself can hold a pretty heavy debate. And this got me thinking, is there such a thing as ‘good nepotism’ ? We usually hear the word in a negative or undeserving setting, assuming that someone’s success is only linked to a familiar connection. And yes, the family link and last name cannot be ignored, but maybe in this particular case, they serve as a benefit to the readers of Vogue. We have someone who will surely know what he’s talking about and have the flair to make it understandable to us.
The other thing that stood out to me was the amount of look based comments on the TikTok. Other than the few nepotism based ones, they were all just about how handsome the man in question is. I found it quite fascinating, because despite the Kennedys being known for being handsome, it was the first time I saw a man’s achievement being overshadowed by his looks – something which we see happen to women on a regular basis. Despite posting this TikTok to develop a genuine debate and share of thoughts, turns out I helped my followers crown the latest internet heartthrob.
You can read the full Jack Schlossberg Vogue interview here.
What do you think?
K x