by Last week Clapham-based lifestyle website SheerLuxe made a big splash by announcing its new fashion editor, Reem. There are rarely new roles on this beat. In fact, fashion editors are an endangered and declining species; there are only a handful of us left in London. If you want a job, you’re basically waiting for someone to die or have a baby, so a fresh comrade is always interesting. Reem came with a prominent industry directory ad, a flashy Instagram post and a dedicated introductory interview feature. Wow, Reem must be really special, I thought; strange i haven’t heard of her.
Oh wait, sad plot twist. Despite the sexy bits on the inside of her handbag, a “go-to” lunch salad and a shiny new head, Reem is actually a “new AI-enhanced team member”, “powered by SheerLuxe”. Well! Was the SheerLuxe community overjoyed with this new team, ready to dispense all manner of fashion and beauty advice? Inspired by us IRL fashion editors, no. The brand was so harassed on its social media channel that the entire office took a “duvet day” the next day to “unwind, switch off and maybe stay in bed”, before probably spending that time at come up with the sincere apology issued over three. slides in his next post on Instagram.
It’s probably much easier to manage cocky personnel, to fire and refuse pay rises
You can sympathize with the plucky HR director who finds it much easier to manage, fire and refuse pay rises to personnel. Virtual women won’t complain about horrible things like the gender pay gap and diversity employees; she doesn’t need to be kicked out on maternity leave or told she failed to leave at 5pm to pick up her child from school. Reem won’t do anything careless like compromising the quality of her OOTD (outfit of the day!) look by getting fat, spotty or having a weird hair day; she’s not going to start a fuss about her seat, hotel location or expenses at Fashion Week because – lol! — she won’t be there. You can see how it could be win-win, regardless of the Cyranos feeding their lines.
Although, if I’m going to be picky, it seems amazingly vague that even when I’m able to create any kind of woman, Reem is an imitation of a mysterious slime. She is young, beautiful, but not so threatening, she is thin (because why would you make a chubby person pretend?) has perfectly glossy hair blow-dried and slathered on “no-make-up” makeup. She speaks in brand names, products and trendy restaurants, while pouring out mind-numbingly banal sentences like: “Despite my love of top designers, I think it’s worth investing in some of the heritage brands that a legacy of beautiful craftsmanship.” is there a skin care routine (“I swear by retinol”) and a recommendation for injectables, because what kind of fake woman would not hammering home impossible beauty standards manufactured? So-called intelligence has never felt so artificial.
Reem herself is the brainchild (we’re told) of an “AI image creator” in the Middle East. To be fair to his Frankenstein-overlords, there is a virtual impact of nothing new. In the world of gaming, it’s a booming spin-off industry. As far as users tampering with their so-called authenticity, no one seems to mind. LA studio Lil Miquela has 2.5 million followers on Instagram and has worked with Prada, Dior and Calvin Klein. They are a marketer’s dream in that they are completely malleable. No streak or white demands, no rashness or uncomfortable political loyalties, no aging.
Virtual influencers are a marketer’s dream. No streak or white demands, no rashness or uncomfortable political loyalties, no aging
Over the weekend, Adidas was forced to apologize and withdraw its SL72 trainer campaign featuring Bella Hadid, a half-cut Palestinian model, after Israel and Jewish groups objected. The trainer is a reissue of a shoe from the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, where 11 Israeli athletes were kidnapped and killed by the terrorist group Black September, although it was not connected. Hadid is rumored to be considering taking legal action against the German sports giant. One can imagine after the self-inflicted short-sighted fury that the brand wishes it had taken a more seductive approach to its solutions.
Perhaps SheerLuxe is just ahead of its time, with its audience not yet ready for the delights of Reem’s favorite mini-spots (“I’m loving Scotland right now”). Or, maybe, guffawing at clothes might be a valuable human skill, ahem. In the words of Marty McFly, “Your kids will love it.” Shudder, etc.
Victoria Moss is the fashion director of the Evening Standard and ES magazine
