Bright and early, our day started with quick breakfast and then a ride to Hearst Italia.
When we got there, our group was brought up to a conference room to talk with different people in different departments, including advertising and editorial. I was really interested to compare what I know about magazines from working at Pittsburgh Magazine this past semester and compared to the change I’ve witnessed in American magazines.
I would have to say, I’m surprised they have made as much progress in the industry as they have as far as inclusion and diversity go. As a country, we’ve learned that Italy is a very traditional company, and we know they have a stereotype of what they think a woman should be. They told us that they do try to include people who look different from a typical model. I think a lot of people we’re frustrated with the fact that they kept saying the type of person who was on the cover was generally “not skinny” but healthy, but I think that a lot got lost in translation. I know, even from my time at Pittsburgh Magazine, the cover must be an extremely visually engaging photo (to sell copies, obviously). When I was working in weddings, the writers would go through the pictures and comment “beautiful, blonde bride…cover worthy.” That’s just how the business runs, and while I’d like to see it be a bit different, I was not at all surprised that it isn’t at Hearst Italia.
We got a tour of Cosmopolitan and Elle, and we got to speak with different people in their offices about their specific jobs. Again, everyone was so welcoming and answered our questions as best they could.
After we finished at Hearst, we had the rest of the evening free until our last group dinner. Kelsey and I went back towards the city center to grab lunch and our last souvenirs. We tried to walk out past the Duomo to see if we could find any small stores and restaurants. We didn’t pass many restaurants, but we passed probably every expensive store in Milan. We finally found a restaurant to eat, and we walked towards the Duomo to get those souvenirs.
We walked to find the bus stop, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, we got a little bit lost with the directions provided. We walked around to different stops to see if we could find the 54, and a small, little, old man noticed we seemed lost. He spoke no English, and besides the bare minimum basics, we speak no English. Despite the language barrier, he explained to us how to get to the bus to take us home. In that moment, I felt so lucky to go to a country where they spoke my language. I also felt sympathy for anyone visiting the U.S. as I know many Americans don’t speak another language fluently. I’ve had such an easy time getting around here because so many people speak my language.
We made our way back to the hotel m, and I cleaned and packed up the rest of my stuff before our group dinner. We had three courses, which included the BEST steak I’ve ever had (like not kidding in the slightest). Then, we were surprised with a cake for Emily’s birthday. A group of us decided to go back to Blender Bar, which was right next door, for our last drink together in Italy.
Today was our last day in Italy, and I tried so hard not to think about it. This place has really stolen my heart in ways I didn’t think was possible. I felt so at home in the country and so in sync with the group of people surrounding me. I made friends I never expected to make and now have so many stories to tell for the rest of my life. I am so unbelievably happy I took this trip, and I know it’s one I’ll never forget.
