Say Hello to the Instagirl

The supermodel is dead. Apparently.

This month’s coveted US?Vogue cover speaks volumes about the direction of fashion stardom. While Naomi, Kate and Christy reigned supreme in the 1990s, and stayed in bed until the ten grand bank transfer went through, this modern era has a different set of fame standards. Aloof is pass?. Over-sharing is no longer a snide insult but a savvy career move.

This year’s September issue sees a cover foldout of the girls who are dictating the modeling industry zeitgeist. While?Man Repeller grouped Joan Smalls, Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Arizona Muse, Edie Campbell, Imaan Hammam, Fei Fei Sun, Vanessa Axente and Andreea Diaconu as ?Millenial Models?, Vogue calls them the Instagirls.?These young women are on social media, guileless and attract enthusiastic?followers the world over by allowing fans to see them behind the scenes, make up stripped skin and all.

The notion of social media leveling the playing field for models has been an unstoppable trend these past two years. Cara Delevingne has gone from that Burberry girl with the eyebrows to over six-and-a-half million followers strong on Instagram. Her videos of a tipsy Reese Witherspoon at the Met Gala a few months ago became viral headlines. That same night she acted as an unofficial Stella McCartney ambassador as she posted images of their pre-party throughout the evening. And while Edie Campbell admits in the video below that most photos she posts online are of horses, her show jumping career is marking her out as one of the most fascinating faces. The slightly older guard of Gisele and Miranda Kerr are proving that motherhood and modeling are not oil and water careers as they share everyday photos of their lives. It’s a new world and brands want the women we like and feel like we know to lead the way. When Edie Campbell muses that she doesn’t think there are supermodels anymore we find ourselves agreeing.

One of Instagram’s uncrowned princesses, Kendall Jenner also makes her American?Vogue debut in an editorial shot by Patrick Demarchelier. While Kendall has appeared on the magazine’s website before, it was always in connection to being a member of the Kardashian family. This time she was a model, pure and simple. An instagirl clocking in.

Jeanne Sutton @jeannedesutun