By Jolie Plucinski
I had the opportunity to attend a fashionable Q&A with Andrea Lavinthal, PEOPLE’s beauty and style director, hosted by Senior Associate Dean Jessica Pucci. The event occurred at The First Amendment Forum at Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Lavinthal gave great insight into her position and how she earned her way to PEOPLE Magazine. At the end of the event, many students had questions for Lavinthal, which she answered with insight enthusiastically.
At first, Pucci asked what initially got Lavinthal interested in the fashion and beauty industry. Lavinthal shared that she grew up dreaming of writing for a magazine. All she can remember is watching red carpets nonstop and having so many magazine subscriptions to count on one hand. Then Lavinthal explained that this passion made her pursue a degree in public communications at Newhouse School Syracuse.
After graduating and having many intense internships, Lavinthal learned she had a more significant fascination for beauty rather than fashion, although fashion is still her second love. Later, she went to work at Cosmopolitan, with some participation on Cosmopolitan Radio and worked with US Weekly in their digital space. Lavinthal has been at PEOPLE for 13 years and has many accomplishments, like interviewing celebrities on red carpets and appearing as a beauty specialist on The Today Show.
Since ASU takes sustainability very seriously, Pucci asked a great question: How can someone who enjoys fashion as a hobby not break the bank by doing it?
Lavinthal raises awareness that people can buy only some high-end or fast-fashion brands to feel successful when navigating fashion. She found that TikTok was extremely helpful in creating a space to find dupe products and also highlighted styles that can be found on Amazon.
One of the last questions Pucci asked Lavinthal was how she felt about the industry nowadays and in the future. She said it is entirely different work from when Lavinthal first began her journey. To be a good employee in the fashion and beauty industry, you must be multifaceted and say yes to new opportunities. This open-to-variety manner will grow your career and gain you respect from your higher-ups.
The Q&A with PEOPLE’s Beauty and Style Director, Andrea Lavinthal greatly impacted my career goals. I am very interested in fashion and pop culture and have always believed getting involved in that industry was super complicated, but Lavinthal made me much more optimistic. She shared great advice on standing out when applying to internships and jobs by remaining humble, finding your niche, and showing your passion for making the industry a more vital space.
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