Iman Hariri-Kia’s A Hundred Other Girls had been on my radar ever since I found Hariri-Kia’s TikTok page, and a few months ago, I was so lucky to receive an ARC. Comped as a 2022 adapted version of The Devil Wears Prada, this novel is exactly that. Filled with amazing representation and a female lead so complex you’ll be torn between rooting for her and wanting to shake her by the shoulders; A Hundred Other Girls satisfies the need for seeing the fashion industry beyond its glamour and glitz. Here is the conversation I had with Hariri-Kia on everything from her first month of publishing to her favorite fictional ship.
Mehreen: Before we jump into everything I wanted to tell you, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. I follow you on Instagram and Tiktok, so I have seen how busy your month has been since publishing.
Iman: Thank you for being interested in talking to me and for following along on my journey. There have been so many times when I’ve wanted to give up or felt discouraged and the community that I have found on TikTok has sort of hyped me up and reminded me that there’s value in what I’m doing. So I just wanted to say, thank you for wanting to talk to me today. And also for supporting my work before it was out there in the world. I really, really appreciate it.
Mehreen: Of course, I’m so glad I found it. I wanted to ask first, how has this month been? You got great reviews on your book, you have some of your favorite authors being your colleagues, and some of them even blurbed your book, how has that all been?
Iman: It’s been surreal. It’s kind of felt out of body in a lot of ways. I think that the perfect way to describe the publishing process is that you’re constantly suspended in the air, but you’re never really sure if you’re flying or free falling. So many moments of this process have been exhilarating, exciting, and adrenaline pumping. You know, getting reviews is personal and emotional and scary. But receiving good feedback from critics and being recognized by people who you respect as writers and creatives and artists — it’s affirming. And I think that I’ve always had a tendency to sort of focus more on criticism than on praise. So and for a long time, I felt like any negative feedback I got would validate insecurities that I had about myself and the book, and with any positive affirmation I would say, “Oh, this person knows me personally or they feel indebted to me in some way.” So, to have the book come out and have it be so positively received by readers and critics and peers has been, it’s just been life altering. And it’s been a profound revelation for me to realize that I need to afford myself this period to be present and happy and just accept that, you know, I’ve done something. I’ve done something that has inherent value and to feel proud and let myself feel proud of myself. Because as a writer, I feel like I’ve always been so focused on the next thing, you know; the next story, the next big announcement, and I’ve just taken this month to experience it. I have to say, past the reviews, the blurbs, and everything, the best part of my month is getting to meet readers. Getting to meet my community in person has, it’s just one of the most rewarding parts of the entire process. Because I really, really feel a connection with the people who relate to my work because it’s so personal and vulnerable. And it reminds me that when I publish things, and it goes out into the ether, there are real people with real lives and it makes a real impact. So that’s been the best part for me.
Mehreen: Yeah, that sounds great to finally see face to face who’s reading these books. I think a lot of musicians talk about, how it’s one thing to have people listen to your music and get streams, but it’s another thing to be performing and see that those people are real and tangible.
Iman: Yeah, right? Because it’s just a number. In music, music streams are just a number, And in publishing, book sales are just a number, reviews are just a number, but then getting to hug someone who felt impacted by something you wrote, getting to look at their inscriptions and their notes and their tabs. I would take an in depth conversation with five people about the book over getting a sales report with 5000 people every day, because it’s just that is the true impact, making some sort of a profound impression on somebody else. It’s just so powerful, and ironically, very much at the heart.
Mehreen: One of the other things you mentioned was like getting to meet people that do relate to this book in some way, shape, or form. And one of my favorite things throughout this book was what I refer to as, “insider information.” For example, Nora talks about her gold plated necklace or how she’s always somehow late, and it just happens. These are references that are really specific to certain communities. I know in the back of your book, you talk about how you’ve kind of been writing this book in your head since you were a kid, but what was kind of the moment that you were like, “I’m going to write this, this story needs to be told, these references that people can relate to that are niche, if that’s the right word, deserve to be in this book. And I’m gonna write it.”
Iman: I love when people say that they notice small details that I think are really like cultural easter eggs. The lateness I think is a big Persian custom in some ways, like you’re when you’re on Persian time. And I think that it’s also the same way for a lot of South Asian and Middle Eastern, like a lot of different brown communities. So I love that you recognize that. I was added to a wonderful group chat of Persian bookish people and Iranian bookish people. And everyone was talking about having the gold nameplate necklaces. I wrote that line before being in this chat and it’s so affirming to see that people are recognizing the details that I think of as almost cornerstones of this strange, fragmented experience. So it’s nice. It’s always really nice to hear that has made an impact and has left a long lasting impression.
I think that I’ve wanted to write fiction, my whole life. I’m a huge reader. Meg Cabot’s books have taught me how to be an American teenager in a lot of ways. I always had a goal of being able to write realistic fiction that was colloquial and accessible and felt like you were talking to a friend. The idea for this book first started percolating my brain when I worked as an assistant at Teen Vogue during the sort of the socio-political evolution of the brand from, you know, a fashion magazine that focused a little bit more on exclusive elitist fashion towards like a more universal, inclusive brand that was leading a political revolution for teenagers. And this was the post-Trump election Teen Vogue, where everyone was talking about gaslighting and educating people about sex and bodily autonomy. Everyone was so excited about the work that we were doing. The year that I worked there, we received so many awards for the type of content that the brand was putting out there for young people. And I think it was a really big shock for the public when the print magazine folded at what many saw as the height of its popularity, and the entire team was laid off. And I think that when I saw that happen, I realized that there were so many conversations happening behind the scenes by people who didn’t necessarily work for the brand that its audience wasn’t privy to. And there was a big sort of dissonance between the public perception of what it was like to work at Teen Vogue, and what was happening behind closed doors. That was the first time that I thought to myself, “This shit is crazy. Someone should write about this.” I always got comments like, “Your life looks like it’s like The Devil Wears Prada. Does it remind you of it?” And the truth is that The Devil Wears Prada is so symbolic of the time in which it was published, but it’s 20 years old. It’s two decades old. And it completely predates the digital. So digital media didn’t exist when that book came out, and in my experience working in magazines, while I did recognize the tropes of the assistant working for a tricky boss and the toxic workplace drama, there was a lot more of a generational tension between the old guard, elitist print team and like the young work for the wrong reason.
Digital editors that were in their early 20s, and questioning the status quo. And, you know, people were fighting for resources and taking shots in the dark to remain relevant. I went to work from like big companies like Conde Nast to younger, techie companies like Bustle Digital Group that were growing at the speed of light and acquiring failing brands and turning them into content mills. I thought to myself, like, this is all right for storytelling. So I sort of quietly took notes on my own experience and my friends’ experiences of what I saw happening. And when I got to a point where I started to feel frustrated with my career, I kind of was ready to have something that was entirely my own. If I were able to pull it off, I wasn’t going to be making old white men that I’d never meet, would never know my name, richer. And I was not a disposable part of the entire operation. And that’s when I realized I was ready to start telling the story. I was working on it after work, for months. I worked a full-time job, I would write after hours, and I was also freelance writing. So I was working full-time, part-time, and writing the book. And, it was really cathartic. Ultimately, I think that this was the story I needed to tell, to almost wipe my slate clean, and to feel like my palate was cleansed. I felt like I could exhale. I am proud of the way that it came together. Because I think that it’s a true coming of age story for people in their 20s and anyone who’s ever worked entry-level anywhere will see themselves in Nora and her journey. So a long-winded answer, but it’s been percolating in my brain for a while.
Mehreen: I think all of your real-world commentary communicates well throughout the book. [Note: for the purpose of a spoiler free interview, the specific scenes mentioned will not be included here] Was there specific commentary that you wanted to make sure to include?
Iman: I love that you called out a few things. I think the characters that you mentioned both come across as heroes and are good guys at certain parts of the book. And ultimately, you’ll realize that every character in this book is morally gray to a certain extent, which means that I empathize with all of the characters. But I also think that there is no way for them to make the “right decision” because they are subjected to this systemic issue in the industry. Which is, the industry doesn’t know how to make money, and it will exploit whoever it can to try to figure it out and to best keep itself afloat. At the end of the day, a character like Cal may make some fishy decisions, but you know he’s also in a difficult position. You know he’s probably one of the only black men working in an IT company of a very white conglomerate, and he’s starting a business that is tied to his own experience. And it’s very personal, but also professional and he doesn’t have connections and he’s trying to get startup cash and he’s also trying to hustle his way to make this happen for himself, but maybe he doesn’t care. Similarly to the character that you mentioned at the end, you know, she is, at the end of the day like hiring diverse people and trying to elevate marginalized narratives. But is she doing so at the cost of tokenizing, the writers that she’s elevating? Is she in a position where she has to exploit the people that she hires to get more clicks and keep her job? Does she have to turn her back on her mentor to get ahead? And will she burn out before she’s thirty? Because look at the way she’s working. So at the end of the day, I wanted to comment on the true difference between tokenization and representation, which I think a lot of people within publishing and media struggle with. And something that I love about the book is that there are characters all morally great characters of all different identities, races, cultures, sexualities, genders, and abilities in this book. None of them are symbols or emblems of that marginalized group’s suffering. And none of their story arcs are tied specifically to their identity. They all make mistakes, they all fuck up. And they try to take accountability and some kind of cross worse than others. But ultimately, I have empathy for all of them. And I can see where they’re coming from. What I love about this book is that as Nora is trying to figure out the difference between representation and tokenization, the reader is sort of implicitly doing the same thing. And I love those parallel journeys.
Mehreen: Yeah, I think one of the things that you mentioned earlier was the morally gray side of all these characters; there’s not a single character that you can 100% root for, because everyone’s a little shitty in their own way. I think the only person that you could like entirely like is Superman. Did you go into this writing knowing that you would write each of these characters in a morally gray light regarding particular topics that are specific to each of them?
Iman: I wanted everyone to be very messy. I didn’t want there to be a single character that 100% made the right decisions every time and always said the right things. And I think that, to me, is the most humanizing and relatable kinds of characters you can have. I just wanted to see brown and Black and Queer and disabled people just like, fucking up and owning up to it, men are doing the best that they can. And genuinely, I believe that, like, all of the characters in this book deserve empathy. And I think that their stories could be explored so much more. And I mean, ultimately, I wanted to subvert expectations with a lot of these characters, I wanted the reader to have maybe a somewhat clearer understanding of who they were at certain points of the book, and then surprise them. I wanted to challenge people’s perceptions of certain workplace tropes. But ultimately, I don’t know I think that there are some comfort characters in here.
Leila is one of my favorite characters because I think she’s a badass bitch. She makes a ton of mistakes and does some controversial things, definitely in her own professional life. But she calls Nora on her shit, she would do anything for her sister. They have very like, I don’t know, parallel storylines that are very much at the heart of the book.
I think Saffron, also like, they don’t do as much as they can when it comes to intervening in the digital team. And it plays into a lot of the, like, the vinyl tear for mindset. But they are also I think, they are challenging the status quo and a true friend to Nora and a big part of like the found family.
Ultimately, it’s funny, because I’ve been thinking about you saying the ending of the book was a little bit like Get Out. And one of the pieces of feedback that I’ve gotten from people that weren’t huge fans of the book is that it didn’t feel realistic. Like the plot was too out there and chaotic and everything. And I’m so surprised to read that because this book is no fantasy. I wish people knew how realistic it was. It’s so realistic that I constantly get messages from people asking if I lifted specific plotlines from specific brands or very specific characters that were modeled exactly, after a specific editor’s. Is it that? Is it that like, this is like a horror movie? Or has the media itself become like a horror movie?
Mehreen: Yeah, exactly. I think it’s so interesting that people don’t think it is realistic because I read certain scenes and I was like, yeah, I could already tell you four situations in the last 30 days that are similar to this.
Iman: I think it speaks a lot too though, how the fact that everyone who’s ever touched the industry finds it so triggering because it reminds them of their own experience. But I think that is also one of the constructive criticisms of people that liked the book. I think it goes to show how good of a job people who work in the industry do of making it look so wonderful and glamorous and cool when their reality is so much darker. People are much more burnt out, mentally ill, and exploited than you realize.
Mehreen: Yeah, I can see that. One of the things that I liked that you talked about throughout the book was the abuses of power behind the curtain of the fashion industry. Like when models go backstage to change into their outfits or artists not getting paid properly, because streams are like half a cent. But with all of the concepts that you talked about throughout the book, have you thought of a tagline that you would have for your book?
Iman: Yeah, I mean, I love the tagline that my publisher came up with which is “How far would you go to keep the job that 100 other girls are ready to take.” I think that that gets at this idea that when you go into a job with rose-colored glasses on and stars in your eyes, people will like to exploit your passion by saying, you know, “You’re lucky to be here, you are lucky to be in the room, you’re lucky to have this job. And if you have a problem with your pay, your hours, the tasks are being given; that’s too bad because if you leave, I could hire your replacement tomorrow.” And I liked that tagline because I think that if you read the book, you’ll leave knowing that there aren’t 100 other girls that can take your job. After all, nobody can do your job the way you can. You are inherently worthy and valuable outside of whatever your job title is. And I think a lot of people have trouble divorcing themselves from jobs that they’ve used to give their lives meaning and definition. I think a lot of people have a lot of guilt and shame around quitting dream jobs and giving up on dreams and breaking up with dreams. But ultimately, there’s so much strength and courage to walk away from something that is no longer serving you.
Mehreen: Yeah, I really, really liked that tagline, too. And in the book, when Nora’s sister took her out for thrifting and made her understand the difference between materials; that was the catalyst for her passion for fashion. Did you have the same type of moment or moments that pushed you into the magazine industry?
Iman: Yeah, I mean, I never really thought of myself as a fashion girly, even though I enjoy getting dressed. I like putting things together. But I’ve never really been someone who has been obsessed with trends and brands and seasons. I think that the reason that I have always been fascinated by the concept of personal style and expression through style and dress, is because my mother; she’s always been a very, dramatic dresser. And she’s obsessed with structural garments that aren’t just two-dimensional, but three-dimensional; that like move and shake and make sounds and you know, are an experience for whoever passes you on the street. And when I was younger, and all I wanted to do was fit in, I begged my mom to buy the expensive UGGS we couldn’t afford, because everyone else had them. She was like “They’re hideous,” but I didn’t care because all I wanted was to blend in as much as possible with my peers and I was sick standing out as much as I did. Which I think is a huge experience for any person of color who grew up in a mostly white, homogenous community. I was embarrassed that she was like so unapologetic about having sort of an out there personal style. And now I realized how much it’s impacted me. And sort of trickled down into the way that I enjoy dressing. And I love that Nora loves to thrift. Because I think that the conversation around thrifting and sustainable fashion is never nuanced enough. And it also is a wonderful way for you to sort of explore putting pieces of outfits together like Jenga, and then somehow like making it work. And I think that I just discovered thrifting or started thrifting when I was in high school. I remember the first time I was a friend that took me for the first time, that it was momentous. But I have to say my favorite style in the book is, is Leila as like, I love that she’s just like, a power suit, curve-hugging queen who like is always like, “No, we’re wearing the brightest color, we’re showing our cleavage off and we’re going to dress black tie for this casual outing.” I love that she’s, so loud and unapologetic about who she is.
Mehreen: Yeah, exactly. And beyond fashion, I think this book in general is also kind of like a love letter to NYC. I don’t know if maybe I’m seeing it the wrong way but, Nora talks a lot about the good the bad the ugly of the city, but loves it regardless of its flaws, or even because of its flaws. Do you have the same feelings about New York?
Iman: Oh my gosh. Yeah, it’s definitely a love letter in New York. It’s tough because so many people have written New York novels. And it’s very, it’s very hard to find something new to say about New York, but I was born here and lived here my whole life. I see most New York novels falling into two different camps; the city of possibility, the streets are paved with gold, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, New York novel; and the dirty, gritty, dark, Gotham City, you’re on the subway, surrounded by people, but completely alone novel. But, I’ve never really seen New York as completely either one of those. And ultimately, I think New York is its own living breathing organism. It’s constantly evolving and moving forward. And I also love how there isn’t one New York, New York is varied; it’s culturally varied. Every neighborhood has its own history and personality and people and community and neighborhood and language. So yeah, I mean, I just really wanted to show very different nuanced versions of New York and I wanted New York to feel like its own character in the novel.
Mehreen: Yeah, exactly. And I’m from Los Angeles so one of the things that I’ll always enjoy is a description of the seasons. Because there are no seasons here; I don’t understand what winter looks like. So I really, really enjoyed how each time you talked about time passing, you describe the weather, for people to pinpoint the environment at that point. And I think, if you lived in New York, and you understood how seasons work, it would give you such an accurate description of this time and place and where somebody’s head might be at during that time of year.
Iman: I love that you mentioned the passage of time through the weather and the seasons. And we’re definitely, as Nora would say, in bad summer right now. It is August, it is humid, and the air feels heavy. Like, it is not the best part of summer. But I still love the city so much when it gets like this. New Yorkers high-five each other because they know that, the crisp and cool air is just around the corner. And I think that it’s just such a cool way to navigate any sort of timeline and the novel.
Mehreen: I love that! Okay now for some rapid fire. What’s your favorite fictional ship in literature and a movie or TV show?
Iman: Oh, my God. I’m already dying. Okay. In a TV show? Okay, so I’m a huge Buffy the Vampire Stan and I feel like half of the people are gonna hate me. But, I feel like Spike was the first morally gray villain, enemies to lovers interest that I was like, “Oh, what are these feelings I’m feeling deep inside.” So he’s like the blueprint for like the Damon Salvators of the world. So yeah, I will say that.
And oh, my god book is so hard because I read a lot. I think that the first romance that I read in so long that reminded me that romance is my favorite is Gus January from Beach Read.
Mehreen: I love Emily Henry! Okay, next one. Three books currently on your TBR.
Iman: Oh, I’ve got it right here. Bodyguard by Katherine Center, Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters, and The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa, and I’m currently reading Daisy Haites by Jess Hastings.
Mehreen: Wow, we have such a similar TBR. What’s your go to coffee drink?
Iman: Vanilla, sweet cream, cold brew from Starbucks.
Mehreen: What’s your favorite number and why?
Iman: 15 . It’s my birthday and I love the halfway mark of every month.
Mehreen Mahida: When and where are you most productive?
Iman: Oh, my gosh, these are the best questions. When am I the most productive? Like, late at night. We’re talking hours like 10 PM to 2 AM. I’m relaxed, I’m a little tired, and I can write without being like, “This writing needs to be perfect.” And I love to write when there’s no stress in the back of my mind.
Mehreen: Current inspiration, in whatever way you want to interpret that.
Iman: Oh my gosh, current inspiration. In all honesty, all my friends are doing the coolest shit in the entire world right now. Like the stars aligned the week that my book came out. One of my best friends in the world started a new job as editor-in-chief, another one, quit her job because she’s going to Columbia Law, another one took the bar, and my sister had like the biggest photoshoot of her life. So I am just feeling motivated by the people around me and I’m very lucky to have people in my life who have known me for a very long time and sort of love and see me unconditionally. And then I’ll also just say, my grandmother. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how she shaped my love of literature and my personality and my sense of style and how I see the world. She was the person who used to read to me growing up, she used to read a book a day. And she survived a war, a revolution, and a pandemic and has been the matriarch of my family for as long as I can remember. So I’ve been feeling like she’s been sort of my guardian angel lately, so I’ll say her as well.
Mehreen: That’s such a lovely answer. Current hobby?
Iman: I’m trying to learn to cook Persian food; I suck so far, it’s very bad.
Mehreen: I don’t know about you, but I’m in the same boat, and the worst part of it is that the best ethnic food you have is like from like your mom or grandma or whatever. And all of them just eyeball everything; they do not have recipes for anything.
Iman: Yeah, they just feel it out!
Mehreen: Chocolate or vanilla?
Iman: Chocolate. Like you will not find me without chocolate. I’m a like strictly like coffee, chocolate, red wine, indulgence gal, and I those are the three things that are like the worst for your physical health, but they’re there what keeps me going so we stick with it.
Mehreen: What is your “If you don’t like this you can’t be my friend,” book?
Iman: The book that immediately popped into my head was I Feel Bad About my Neck by Nora Ephron; it perfectly encapsulates how I feel in my late 20s. And I feel like if you don’t read it and underline at least one line in it, I mean, we can probably still be friends, but we will see the world in very different ways. I love those essays. I just feel like she was in my head when she was writing.
Mehreen: Okay, I’m gonna have to put that one on my list.
Iman: Please let me know what you think.
Mehreen: What’s a book that made you cry?
Iman: The most recent book that made me cry is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Do not read it if you’re afraid of crying.
Mehreen: How do you select the names of your characters?
Iman: Most of them are like Easter eggs and little inside jokes. There’s always some sort of connection. Noori was the name of my late grandfather and Nooe is my sister’s middle name. She said that I can’t steal the name Noor, so I changed it slightly and chose Noora. I wanted it to have some sort of connection to my family and my heritage.
Mehreen: Have you Googled yourself yet?
Iman: Yes, I have googled myself, but I’m trying not to do it at all. I have put parent lock on Goodreads so I can’t read my reviews. But, when I google myself, I do see my average ratings and stuff. And I just think it’s counterproductive.
Mehreen: My very last question to you is, even though your debut was just published, can readers expect anything more from you later in the future?
Iman: I can’t say too much about this. But it turned in my second on August 1. And I’m waiting on revisions. I’m not allowed to reveal enough about it. But if you liked A Hundred Other Girls, I think that the best parts are amplified here. So if you liked any of what I just mentioned, I would add me on Goodreads and subscribe to my newsletter, Cherry Picked. There are big things coming up and I’m just really, really excited to be able to tell everyone about them.
Mehreen: I’m excited to read the new book, even though I just got through this one. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for it.
Make sure to go pick up a copy of Iman Hariri-Kia’s A Hundred Other Girls, at your local indie bookstore.
