Affluent youth rely on daddy to land prized internships

Richard Dennen, the writer of the Tatler article, casually remarked that interns at various media companies, art galleries and fashion houses are being “chosen like racehorses — legs and breeding don’t count for nothing”, and in doing so, confirms one’s worst suspicions: that precious internships, which can launch careers and change lives, are being unabashedly given out to the rich and privileged. 

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Frankly, it's always been this way. Washington D.C., corporate America, Wall Street, sports, and Hollywood have always relied on nepotism to fill job vacancies. Politicians are routinely grandfathered in, there is nary an actor or actress in Hollywood who is not the son or daughter of another far more talented star and athletes frequently come from long lines of fast-twitch muscle fiber. It's a pathetic state of affairs. "Outsiders" hardly stand a chance of breaking into the business, whether politics or acting or sports. How many corporations are now run by the privileged spawn of a far more competent entrepreneur? 

The article is illustrated with photos of preening, self-satisfied interns, such as Clary Aspinall, Damian Aspinall’s 17-year-old daughter, who, we are told, spent her work experience at Jimmy Choo “looking through magazines all day, while tracking Jimmy Choo fashion credits”, and Freddie Hall, a 20-year-old former pupil at Stowe, whose father is a television producer and is featured talking about his work experience at Pinewood Studios. The piece reveals that in some cases the rich are buying internships. Apparently, “parents are slugging it out at charity auctions in a social bidding war whenever one of these prize positions comes up. The last Tatler one went for £50,000.” Although the revelation that cash is more important than talent is perhaps not as shocking as the shamelessness of those involved, you’d think that if your career were being advanced by Mummy and Daddy, you’d be embarrassed about it. But the likes of 18-year-old Olimpia Emo Capodilista, a blonde Italian countess-about-town, who of her summer internship at Armani remarks “Daddy organised it — as usual”, seem positively to revel in it.

As if there aren't enough reasons to despise the rich already...