Samhita Mukhopadhyay

Myth of Making It

We can bury the girlboss, but what comes next? The former executive editor of Teen Vogue tells the story of her personal workplace reckoning and argues for collective responsibility to reimagine work as we know it. "As I sat in the front row that day, I was 80% faking it with a 100% real Gucci bag." Samhita Mukhopadhyay had finally made it: she had her dream job, dream clothes--dream life. But time and time again, she found herself sacrificing time with family and friends, paying too much for lattes, and limping home after working for twelve hours a day. Success didn't come without costs, right? Or so she kept telling herself. And Samhita wasn't alone: far too many of us are taught that to live a good life we need to work ourselves to the bone. That to enact change, we just need to climb up the corporate ladder, to "lean in," to "hustle." But as Mukhopadhyay shows, these definitions of success are myths--and they are seductive ones. Mukhopadhyay traces the origins of these myths, taking us from the 60s into the present-day through a critical overview of feminist workplace movements that got us here today, stories from her own professional experience, analysis from activists and experts, and interviews with workers from all walks of life, ranging from interns, entry-level and mid-level employees, to supervisors. As more individuals continue to question whether dedicating their lives to their vocation can even lead to happiness and fulfillment in the first place, Mukhopadhyay asks: What would it mean to have a liberated workplace? To answer this question, Mukhopadhyay underlines where movements have fallen short in the past--and highlights where they have succeeded--and offers insights gleaned from interviews with those who have found a vision for work that feels authentically successful. What emerges is a vision for a workplace culture that pays fairly, recognizes our values, and gives people access to the resources they need. The Myth of Making It masterfully unravels work as we know it. A much-needed reckoning of retrograde work culture, a call to action, a field guide, The Myth of Making It is a manifesto for all of us who are tired, searching for justice, and longing to be liberated from the oppressive grip of hustle culture.