Photograph courtesy of Paris Georgia. The 2010s weren’t kind to women-skewed professional labels. Remember “Girl Boss”? Coined by the founder of Nasty Gal and author Sophia Amoruso, it traversed the cultural zeitgeist as both a rallying cry for ambitious women and a symbol of performative feminism – the punchline heard around the world. Sheryl Sandberg’s 2013 memoir “Lean In” experienced a similar fate. First embraced as a manifesto for women’s empowerment in the workplace, it was soon after criticised for its limited perspective and emphasis on the individual action of women, rather than structural workplace inequalities.
Both still, however, remain cultural touchstones. Why? Perhaps for their ability to capture a moment in the evolving narrative of feminism and professional identity. Despite their flaws, to “Lean In” and be a “Girl Boss” resonated with women seeking relatable frameworks for ambition and empowerment in male-dominated spaces. They served as entry points for conversations about gender and leadership, and their cultural longevity reflects a world still grappling with systemic barriers. These labels remain symbols — imperfect yet powerful — of progress and its limitations.
Enter: the Paris Georgia “Career Girl”. The brainchild of the label’s founders Paris Mitchell Temple and Georgia Cherrie, in collaboration with the London-based conceptual artist Joe Sweeney, the campaign is a modern reimagining of what it means to celebrate women’s professional and personal lives. Launched as both a t-shirt (available to purchase for $180) and photographic series, through Mitchell Temple and Cherrie’s gaze the 2024 Career Girl embraces inclusivity, creativity, and the multifaceted identities of contemporary women. Unlike the prescriptive ethos of its predecessors, Career Girl rejects the pressure to perform perfection or fit into a specific mould. Instead, it offers an “open club” for confidence, self-expression, and self-determination, celebrating the simultaneous lives women lead.
On a Thursday evening in late November, Mitchell Temple and Cherrie invited an intimate guest list of campaign muses and friends to celebrate the launch alongside Sweeney at iconic London restaurant Rita’s Dining in Soho.
The venue: Purposefully selected for it’s compact footprint, Rita’s had a capacity of 32 guests – ideal for the “warmth, intimacy and chaos” Mitchell Temple and Cherrie wanted to evoke. “The atmosphere is always electric when a whole bunch of likeminded people come together,” says Mitchell Temple. “Spatially, Rita’s accommodated this mood and feeling perfectly – we were all on top of each other! Missy Flynn (a Rita’s founder) is an inspirational Career Girl who we wanted to put in the campaign. We weren’t able to make it align, but it still felt fitting to use her venue.”
The food: Guests snacked on quintessential Rita’s fare, including chicken liver parfait with preserved cherries on toast, roast pumpkin with sesame mole, poached turbot with fennel and jalapeno and panacotta with poached berries.
The drinks: Margaritas and the Career Girl Cosmo, designed by Rita’s in-house mixologist.
The music:
