ZEITGEIST
Well, well, well.
WELLNESS MANIA HAS KILLED THE PARTY GIRL. BUT, WONDERS RACHAEL AKHIDENOR, HAS IT DONE MORE HARM THAN GOOD, AND IS IT TIME FOR HER RAUCOUS RESURGENCE?
There was a time, not long ago, when the hallmark of your twenties was all about the party. Late nights, cool clubs. Guest lists, vodka lime sodas and nights you barely remembered. You planned your outfit for days and discussed who you might run into ad nauseam. You trawled through nightclub photos, searching for that perfect image where you looked a combination of hot, effortless and carefree. (Naturally.)
Partying and being out and about was the aspiration. Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton; the epitome of cool. You aspired to be her: a Party Girl, a Club Rat. Of course, beneath the glossy sheen of late nights and wild stories often lay a seedy underbelly of escapism, unhealthy habits and regret. But the Party Girl didn’t care. She was the ultimate desire.
Then, something happened. Social media arrived. So, too, did the concept of a ‘personal brand’. Wellness entered the scene. And suddenly, a new kind of girl stole the spotlight. She stood in stark contrast to our beloved Club Rat. She felt overwhelmed by the throngs of a nightclub. Socially anxious in chaotic spaces.