Text丨Enthusiastic Panda 9NT
Editor丨Enthusiastic Panda 9NT
From dreams on the strings of the guzheng to the walk of fame in the fashion world
Imagine what Su Mang's life would be like if her fingers were not jumping on the shiny cover of the magazine, but still plucking the strings of the guzheng?
But the truth of the story is that this girl, who was born in an artistic family in Jinan, used her fingertips to dance out a gorgeous movement that did not follow common sense.
On an autumn moon in 1971, Su Mang descended into this world. Her father had a hand that could compose melodies, and her mother, who used that decent job to weave a warm home.
In such an artistic family, Su Mang's childhood was guarded by both notes and colors. She seems to have been born with the soul of art.
Learning guzheng was as natural as breathing for her, and at the age of 15, she easily stepped through the doors of the China Conservatory of Music.
There, not only did the seeds of music take root in her heart, but poetry also grew wildly under her pen, and at the age of 18, a book of poems called "The Dry Season" announced the beginning of her literary talent.
It all seemed to pave the way for her father's desired career as a musician. But, who can foresee that the melody in my heart will sometimes go a little bit?
Su Mang, the name faded in the lights of the concert hall, but it became more and more prominent on the fashionable catwalk.
After graduating from university, by chance, she stepped into the editorial office of a fashion magazine, where there was no piano sound, only keyboard tapping. She no longer composes music, but begins to edit pop.
Yes, it didn't go well at first, she was like a handyman, running before and after, from writing letters to moving magazines.
But just like those gems that shine in the grinding, Su Mang sharpens his own unique light in all these ordinary trivialities.
During that time, she not only gained skills at work, but also ushered in a romantic encounter with France in her life.
A French man, with his gentleman and romance, opened the door to love in Su Mang's heart, and their marriage is a collision of two cultures and a fit of two souls.
As time passed, Su Mang went further and further on this glamorous fashion avenue, and she grew from a small editor who moved magazines to a strong woman who can sit on an equal footing with international fashion celebrities.
In 1997, Hong Kong's fireworks bloomed in the sky, and she also bloomed her own light in this year.
She shook hands with Helen Gerry Brown of COSMOPOLITAN magazine and brought those international fashion ideas to China.
Helen, the idol in her heart, is her dream, her guidepost. Being able to walk with idols is not only a career success for her, but also a spiritual satisfaction and achievement.
Suman's philosophy of high heels
But the road of dreams is never covered with red carpets, especially for Su Mang, who has a monthly income of only 800 yuan. She knew that to gain a foothold in the fashion industry, she had to start by dressing herself.
So, she began to be frugal and cut back on food. For six months, every penny was like a precious seed, carefully sown by her in the hope of the future.
In this way, more than 5,000 yuan was saved, in exchange for the first LV bag in my life. This is not only a brand symbol, but also a starting point symbol of Sumang's fashion road. Since then, Su Mang has been like a different person.
She insisted on wearing only name tags, only carrying name tags, and every item on her body should be flashing with fashion labels. Brand, for her, is both equipment and weapons.
And Su Mang's weapons are much more than that. She also has an excellent deck of social cards. With this deck of cards, she quickly rose from a small employee of a magazine to a magazine editor.
"Fashion COSMO", "Esquire esquire", behind these well-known names, are printed with Su Mang's shrewd eyes and diligent sweat.
In 2001, Su Mang's name crossed the fashion sky like a comet.
She was appointed to found Harper's Bazaar, a magazine that not only opened a new chapter in Chinese fashion, but also tied Su Mang's name to the title of "fashion witch".
Subsequently, she founded the Bazaar Fashion Gala, and for a time, she became the focus of attention of the entire fashion industry.
Su Mang's success has to mention her deep network of relationships with bigwigs in the business world and entertainment industry. Pan Shiyi, Shi Yuzhu, and Ma Yun can easily be pointed out in her circle of friends.
Even in the glamorous entertainment industry, she is also called brother to Jackie Chan, Feng Xiaogang and others, and her social skills are well-known in the circle, and it is said that only the "social queen" Deng Wendi can compete with them.
However, Sumang's fashion throne is not invulnerable. As she rose to fame, her attitude became more and more high-profile, and her influence became stronger and stronger.
She understands the importance of making friends with influential people, but she ignores the impression that over-exploitation of connections can make on this path.
As a result, the group photos and high-profile appearances again and again have become a footnote to her success in the eyes of the public, but such footnotes are not always positive.
In 2015, Su Mang's career experienced a turning point. A photo of "sitting on the lap" at the Weibo night party went viral on the Internet and became the cusp of public opinion.
The public began to question her approach to the top, and her reputation plummeted as a result.
Even at her friend Yi Nengjing's wedding, her every move seemed extremely careful, as if she was afraid of setting off a storm of public opinion again.
At the wedding, Ms. Yi asked her guests to share only carefully edited photos, perhaps a silent echo of Ms. Sumang's experience.
When Su Mang's "real sharing" ignited the anger of netizens
In this world of looking at faces, what can capture every perfect moment is not only superb photography skills, but also that magical retouching filter.
For Yi Nengjing, this was the guarantee of her beautiful memories of the wedding - until her best friend Su Mang, a photo of "pure scene without P picture", made all the good presets come to naught.
"Beautiful bride" is every woman's dream, and Yi Nengjing is naturally no exception.
She played a tacit game with the media very slippery: you help me fix the photos, I will give you exclusive pictures, the media is lucky, and the bride is beautiful.
Every photo of the wedding scene is impeccably retouched, and Yi Nengjing is as beautiful as a fairy in the headlines of major news.
But who would have thought that Su Mang suddenly made a big news. She posted a set of unedited photos on social platforms, and marked "pure scene without P pictures" in capital letters.
It's okay now, public opinion is frying. In this group of photos, Yi Nengjing is far from being as glamorous as the retouched pictures, and her state is greatly reduced, and even a little... How to say it... Let's be realistic!
Netizens have turned on the protection mode, bluntly saying that Su Mang's approach is to put a cold gun in the back. Moreover, everyone is not stupid, and quickly linked this to some of Su Mang's previous high-profile behaviors.
Take "not wearing autumn pants" as an example, Su Mang publicly said that autumn pants are a representative of low-end aesthetics, which is not just a small problem of living habits, this is a direct negation of "cold and warm self-knowledge".
Many netizens began to reflect on whether this is Su Mang's true attitude all along.
Although Yi Nengjing stood up and tried to calm down the turmoil caused by the unedited map, saying that Su Mang had made an unintentional mistake, this was obviously not enough to calm everyone's anger.
For the sake of momentary truth, Su Mang sacrificed his friendship for many years, and also let his image fall to the bottom. But this does not seem to be the first time that Su Mang has paid the price for "truth".
I have to mention the "Autumn Pants Gate" - Su Mang's disgust and ban on Autumn Pants made her nicknamed "Su Qiu Pants", which pushed her to the position of the public enemy of the whole people.
The rules of the game in the fashion circle of Su Mang
It seems that Sister Su's vacation is not only about basking in the sun, but also about fashion. But in her fashion view, it seems that everyone has to be good enough to prove their "game" level.
However, the grandmaster of the fashion industry is not only glamorous, her reputation is declining due to her domineering behavior and rhetoric.
The Sugar Daddy took the position and publicly excluded others, and these actions made people begin to examine her glamorous back stories.
Let's rewind to the scene at the Bazaar Charity Gala in 2017: Zhang Shaohan, with his generosity, donated 700,000 yuan and became the queen of donations that night.
But in front of the camera, her light is ruthlessly obscured. Su Mang ordered her to crouch, as if to say, although your good deeds are great, your aura is not big enough.
This kind of superior attitude instantly made everyone present feel the uncomfortable cold wind of reality. Zhang Ziyi, a veteran who knows how to survive in this game.
A pair of Tiffany bracelets, a painting worth 7.8 million, and just like that, she skillfully bought Su Mang's friendship, maybe this is the so-called wisdom investment.
Her name and image, which now appear frequently on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, prove that she is the real winner in this fashion game.
The rules of the game don't seem to apply to everyone.
Hong Huang, a proud woman of her own, was cut out by Su Mang in a party photo, and her response was full of sarcasm and wisdom: "Maybe it's because I'm not beautiful enough." ”
Hong Huang also cleverly used the novel "Miss Zhang" to satirize Su Mang's unscrupulous upper-class ambitions. All this makes Su Mang's image even more confusing.
In 2018, Su Mang unexpectedly announced his resignation as president of the fashion group, ostensibly to take care of his family.
However, people are skeptical of this reason, the sanctions of the backstage forces, the possible duty crimes... All kinds of speculation, like new pieces in this game have been put on the board.
In Su Mang's world, everyone must master the rules of the game, otherwise they can only become pawns in her hands.
Her game is played big and played with arrogance, but perhaps, as the opponents she eliminated showed, true fashion is not just about external glamour, but inner independence and a sincere pursuit of beauty.
In this glamorous but brutal game, Su Mang is undoubtedly a legend.
But as with all games, there is always an end. Su Mang's story taught all audiences a lesson: behind the halo of the fashion industry, there are endless scheming and struggles. And true fashion, perhaps, should be a more inclusive and sincere attitude.