Fashion phoenix

Dear Gabriel

I want to set my novel in the world of fashion. I know this has been done quite a lot lately and of course everyone has read and seen The Devil Wears Prada, but I think I’ve got something original to say from an African perspective.

I want to write about someone who starts from very humble beginnings and rises above adversity to make something of herself. But at the same time I don’t want to make it so unrealistic that she will not be believable to the reader. Do you think that basically someone just has to want something really badly to make it work out for them, or is it about luck and meeting the right people at the right time?

Thanks

Sipho

Dear Sipho

I think an African version of The Devil Wears Prada would be fabulous – and the African fashion industry is really beginning to make its mark internationally too. So good timing I would say.

I think there is a really profound issue in your letter – can anyone make something of themselves if they try hard enough or do social and economic circumstances play the main role in determining our future?

My answer, which in some ways is typical for a psychologist, is that it’s probably a complex interplay of personal and contextual factors which shape our destiny. So can everyone be an Oprah and make it to the top of their profession and be a millionaire as well? I don’t believe so – I think Oprah is an exception and that most people are destined for more humble things.

It takes an exceptional will and an intangible “something” for some of us to drive ourselves: this could be a mix of our genetic complement, a personality quirk which makes us believe in ourselves, a formative experience with an adult who affirmed us, and maybe even the encouragement of a peer or a partner. But mostly, I think, it is social factors which play a role – with poverty often comes a lack of stimulation, education, opportunities, role models of success, support for ideas and the financial and other resources to make it.

I believe readers will want to know about the circumstances of your heroine as this will make her journey to the top so much more exciting. But if you make this journey too unrealistic then I think a chunk of readers will fall by the wayside. Having said that, there is of course a substantial body of readers who share the fantasy of success against adversity. This lifts them out of their lives. But how much more interesting was Meryl Streep’s character in the Prada movie when we saw her vulnerability? That glimpse of humanity made us so much more interested in her! Good luck!

Gabriel
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