Plum Sykes, a Vogue editor whose Substack boasts over 20,000 followers and charges subscribers up to £65, is currently employing students for free to help run her platform. This arrangement allows Sykes to maintain a lucrative personal brand while relying on uncompensated labor, raising significant questions about the ethics of unpaid internships within the lifestyle industry, especially in 2026.
The lifestyle industry prides itself on creativity and innovation, but it continues to rely on outdated and exploitative labor practices like unpaid internships. This tension between proclaimed values and actual practices creates an environment ripe for ethical scrutiny.
Without significant industry-wide reform and increased accountability, the barrier to entry for diverse talent will likely remain high, perpetuating an insular and inequitable system.
Plum Sykes, a former assistant to Anna Wintour, is facing backlash for not paying student interns who reportedly worked on her Substack, according to AsatuNews Co Id. This controversy reveals how even established figures in the glamorous media world persist in leveraging free labor, igniting a crucial debate about ethical employment practices.
The Glamour of Exploitation: When Free Labor Fuels a Paid Platform
Plum Sykes, an editor at Vogue, employs students for free to help run her Substack, which boasts over 20,000 followers and charges some subscribers £65, as reported by Theguardian. This arrangement means Sykes directly profits from the unpaid labor of students, transforming their aspirational work into a revenue stream for her personal brand. Such a model starkly illustrates how the lifestyle industry's 'glamour' often masks a business built on exploiting aspiring talent, effectively gatekeeping opportunities for those without independent financial means.
The Promise of Future Payment vs. Present Reality
Sykes admitted she does not currently pay the student workers but hopes this can change, according to theguardian.com. This statement, while offering a glimmer of hope, exposes the precarious position of interns expected to contribute valuable work with only the vague prospect of future compensation. Such promises of future payment or 'exposure' often serve as a justification for present exploitation, shifting the entire financial burden onto the interns themselves and reinforcing an inequitable system.
A Systemic Problem: The Industry's History of Undervaluing Talent
Condé Nast, Sykes' employer, previously settled a class-action lawsuit for $5.8 million over underpaying interns, with some earning as little as $1 per hour, reports theguardian.com. This history exposes a consistent pattern where major players in the lifestyle industry have benefited from the exploitation of young talent. The recurring nature of such issues, despite significant legal penalties, indicates that financial repercussions alone are insufficient to dismantle the deeply entrenched culture of free labor within creative industries. A fundamental re-evaluation of ethical employment practices is clearly necessary. By 2026, continued reliance on such practices will likely see the lifestyle industry face intensified scrutiny and potential legal challenges, particularly as public awareness of labor ethics grows.
