Come with Me to the 2021 Teen Vogue Summit
By: Lanie Brice ‘24
On Saturday, December 4th, I headed down to Goya Studios to attend the Teen Vogue Summit. This outdoor event was half block party and half convention: there were booths from LA brands and vendors, as well as panels and musical performances running on an outdoor stage. I was immediately drawn in by the event advertising a chance to network with other Teen Vogue readers, editors, and panelists as well as receive career advice from Condè Nast recruiters. The event felt full of opportunity and community.
My friend and I left USC mid-morning to head to check-in. After a quick glance at our COVID cards and a registration check to get our plastic wristbands, we started exploring the studio. The actual space wasn’t particularly big, but they packed in plenty to do. We registered to get our headshots taken before heading over to the pink carpeted stage area to get ready for the opening remarks for the day. They were delivered by the newly appointed editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, Versha Sharma. She expressed how excited she was to be able to host all of us in person, and thanked everyone for getting vaccinated so events like these could happen.
Sharma kept her remarks brief and quickly brought out Haylely Kiyoko who started off the day with a stripped performance. She played a quick, four songs, telling the audience that she rarely ever played acoustic sets. She remarked that her dad is always telling her that she should do these sorts of sets more often, but she just loves putting together lighting plans and big productions. While the performance was minimally produced, her outfit did not make any sacrifices for the small stage. Kiyoko came out in a flashy, sequined green and lavender floral print pants set and glittery silver ankle boots that made her look like an absolute rockstar. After the show while my friend and I were looking at some of the booths, I noticed Kiyoko walk out of the backstage area and got to tell her how much I enjoyed her new collaboration with Fletcher, a song called “Cherry.” She was super sweet, and throughout the day, she paused to take pictures with fans who lined up around her.
We skipped the first panel of the day to look around at all the booths because we were so excited. I went to Rare Beauty first since I’ve been hoping to see their products in person for years. I pinned my affirmation to the Rare wall where attendees were encouraged to set intentions, writing “I am…” They had representatives there from Rare to help color match everyone to their right foundation and concealer colors as well.
Then, we walked down the row where they had booths to register voters (where we got stickers for already being registered), and I found my personal favorite booth, Recycle 2 Riches. They had two racks full of secondhand clothes to look through, and they had a table where you could turn old T-shirts into tote bags, giving them a new life. From chatting with the woman running the booth, I found out that they were able to sell the thrifted clothes so affordably ($5 for shirts and $10 for dresses and skirts) because they were a nonprofit and got most of the clothes through donations. They were working as sustainability advocates, and I thought it was a great way to introduce attendees to thrifting.
There were also three local LA food trucks parked along the curb outside the studio. My friend and I tried Yeastie Boys and Beignet Box. She grabbed a blueberry bagel that was a gorgeous purple color all the way through, and I got a box of three fluffy beignets that were heavenly but got powdered sugar absolutely everywhere. From the design of the booths, to the restaurants represented, everything was perfectly coordinated to fit the Teen Vogue brand.
After our lunch break, we stopped in for our headshot appointments. My friend got her bright pink lipstick touched up at the Smashbox cosmetic outpost that was set up to get people headshot ready. I’d never had the chance to get a headshot done, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they had a lady directing the shots that made it super easy, stress-free, and quick. I’m still not sure how my photos turned out, but it was one of many great perks at the event since headshots can be quite pricey.
When we’d finished exploring the block party, we settled back into the audience to watch the “Putting Ourselves First: Mental Wellness & Community Healing” panel, moderated by the Executive Editor of Teen Vogue, Danielle Kwateng. The panelists discussed balancing mental wellness in their respective jobs and also how addressing mental well-being takes place in their individual communities. Devery Jacobs discussed how some Indigenous communities struggle to prioritize mental wellness when they don’t have a means to maintain basic physical wellness (like access to clean drinking water). Nneka Ogwumike shared what it was like to be a part of the WNBA walk out and balancing mental health with her super demanding job. When talking about things she’s learning about mental health in her own life, she said something that really struck me and is super applicable for students as well as athletes, “I need to understand that it’s okay to not do. Sometimes it’s better not to. Sometimes it’s more productive.”
The keynote panel of the day featured Mindy Kaling and Maitreyi Ramakrishan and was called “You Have to See It to Be It: Brown Girls Taking Up Space in Media.” Versha Sharma, Kaling, and Ramakrishan discussed the importance of South Asian representation in media, both in print and television. Kaling discussed her beginnings in the industry and many of the positive changes she’s seen in recent years. They also talked about Kaling and Ramakrishan’s Netflix show Never Have I Ever and its significance. The panel was both entertaining and inspiring as Kaling discussed how growing up she had to learn to see herself in Tina Fey and Steve Carell because of the lack of representation when it came to South Asian female comics and how she hopes she’s contributing to changing that reality for kids and teens today. As a word of encouragement to the girls in the audience, she said that she thinks there’s no one more attractive in a writers’ room right now than women of color and told everyone to keep dreaming big.
The discussion also turned to fashion where Kaling laughed about how her boring wardrobe on The Office cause plenty of pent up fashion feelings that led to her iconic carpet moments. Ramakrishan, for her part, joked that she really only gets out of her sweats to play her character on Never Have I Ever, Devi, but that she has played a major role in shaping her character’s style. The panel wrapped up with a game of Never Have I Ever in which Kaling admitted to recently having cheated on a driver’s exam, which got major laughs from the crowd.
After the panel wrapped up, there was a long, cold two hour wait for Olivia Rodrigo to take the stage. I truly underestimated how cold it could get in LA, and we all shivered as they set out barricades ahead of her performance. Rodrigo finally took the stage with Versha Sharma for a quick Q&A where she hinted at a tour and said that, for her, writer’s block is more when she doesn’t like anything that she’s writing more than not writing at all. Then she played an acoustic rendition of “Good 4 U” before taking off. The audience was surprised she only stuck around for one song, but everyone there soaked up every second of the performance.
If you’re looking to go in the future, definitely keep an eye on the Teen Vogue’s social media (@teenvogue on all platforms) for the announcement of next year’s Summit. I actually found out about this year’s conference from friend who was a huge Olivia Rodrigo fan; after finding out Olivia was making an appearance, my friend sent me a link. Make sure to buy your tickets early because the event sold out in just a couple of days.
I’ve heard that in the past there were New York City events in addition to different versions of the Summit, but this is the first they’ve held the event since COVID, so they kept it a bit simple but it might evolve more in the future. It seems like this time it was a paired down version of what the conference used to be pre-COVID due to the tentative state of holding larger events.
Another major change to this year’s event was that tickets were only $18 at presale, which felt like a pretty good deal for everything that we got. One of the girls I spoke to at the event had been going throughout her teen years and said that the event used to have a $300 entrance fee! Hopefully the Summit will stay affordable and accessible to teens and college students in the future.
All in all, Teen Vogue put on a super fun day that focused on bringing together young people interested in media, beauty, fashion, politics, and music in one place. We walked away with resume tip guides, informational pamphlets, business cards, and, of course, tons of free samples from brands like Smashbox, Tinted, and Rare Beauty. It was great to get to network, learn about new companies and initiatives, and hear from amazing guest speakers on a sunny LA day!
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