Tavi Gevinson | |
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 Gevinson in 2013 | |
| Born | (1996-04-21)April 21, 1996 (age 28) |
| Education | Oak Park and River Forest High School |
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| Website | |
Tavi Gevinson (born April 21, 1996) is an American actress, writer, and magazine editor. At age twelve, she came to public attention for her fashion blogStyle Rookie. By 15, she had shifted her focus to pop culture and feminist discussion. Gevinson began acting in 2013, and later starred in theHBO Max seriesGossip Girl (2021–2023).
Gevinson was the founder and editor-in-chief of the online magazineRookie, aimed primarily at teenage girls.
Gevinson was born inChicago, Illinois, and raised in the suburban town ofOak Park, Illinois.[1] Her father, Steve Gevinson, is a high school English teacher.[2] Her mother, Berit Engen, is aweaver and part-timeHebrew instructor who grew up inOslo, Norway.[3][4] Gevinson's father was born to an Orthodox Jewish family; her mother, who was raisedLutheran,converted to Judaism in 2001.[5][6][7] Gevinson and her two older sisters, Rivkah and Miriam, were raised in the Jewish faith; she had aBat Mitzvah ceremony.[4][7][8] Gevinson attendedOak Park and River Forest High School and graduated in 2014.[9]
Gevinson started a fashion blog, Style Rookie, in 2008. The blog, featuring photos of the 11-year-old in distinctive outfits and her commentary on the latest fashion trends, began drawing nearly 30,000 readers each day.[10] Her father "wasn't terribly interested" in her new hobby until she asked for his permission to be interviewed byThe New York Times for an article about young bloggers.[11]
Because of the blog's success, Gevinson was invited to attendNew York Fashion Week andParis Fashion Week. She made overseas fashion-related trips to Tokyo and Antwerp, funded byPop magazine,[4] and was commissioned to write articles forHarper's Bazaar andBarneys. She styled a shoot forBlackBook magazine,[4] acted as a muse and model forRodarte's clothing line atTarget stores,[4][12] and partnered with Borders&Frontiers to design and sell her own T-shirt.[13] In 2010, she spoke at a marketing conference in New York and at Idea City, a Canadian version of theTED conference.[4]
There was a backlash to Gevinson's early success in the fashion industry.New Yorkmagazine questioned whether it was possible for Gevinson to write her blog without "some help from a mom or older sister".[14] Sarah Mower ofThe Daily Telegraph, while conceding that Gevinson had a "truly independent, original voice", criticized her father for taking her out of school "to go to haute couture shows ... It's hard to imagine a kid being able to come back down to reality."[15] AGrazia fashion editor complained on Twitter that a large bow Gevinson wore had blocked her view of a runway during fashion week.[4] Anne Slowey ofElle felt her success was "gimmicky" and commented, "She's been thirteen for, like, the last four years."[4] Gevinson later remarked: "A lot of people on the Internet have a problem with a young person doing well. I felt like there were people who were [at fashion week] because of their name, their money or their family, and I didn't have any of those things."[16]
In early 2011, Gevinson decided to stop writing primarily about fashion: "Lately I've been looking to other places for a creative outlet and for inspiration ... Now I'm more intrigued by mixing fashion with the other stuff I've been enjoying."[17] Her personal style also became less outlandish: "Before, dressing up was my outlet, and now I'm pursuing other creative things that take up a lot of time and energy, so in the morning I usually want to put on something simple and comfortable."[18][19]
In the fall of 2011, at the age of 15, Gevinson foundedRookie magazine.[20][21] The site was originally conceived of as a joint venture withJane Pratt, but Gevinson ultimately decided to maintain sole ownership.[22]Ira Glass acted as a mentor figure to Gevinson. The website focused on issues impacting teenage girls and was written mainly by teenage girls. It also featured guest contributors. A one-off print edition of the magazine,Rookie Yearbook One, was published byDrawn & Quarterly in 2012.[23] In 2012, Gevinson spoke atTEDxTeen, with a focus on representation of women in popular culture, and atThe Economist's World in 2012 Festival.[24][25] She is also a contributing editor atGarage magazine.[26] In November 2018, Gevinson announced that she was shutting down Rookie due to its no longer being financially sustainable.[27]
Gevinson first acted in a short film,First Bass, in 2008, but became more visible in 2012.[28] That year, she voiced a character in the animated short filmCadavar, which was directed byFirst Bass'sJonah Ansell and co-starredKathy Bates andChristopher Lloyd.[29] In the film, she sang renditions of bothNeil Young andPet Shop Boys songs.[30] Also in 2012, Gevinson filmed a role inEnough Said by directorNicole Holofcener.[9] Gevinson is interviewed on screen in the 2013documentary filmThe Punk Singer, talking aboutriot grrrl punk iconKathleen Hanna.[31] In 2014 and 2015, she starred inThis Is Our Youth in Chicago and at theCort Theatre onBroadway.[32] In 2015, she made aguest appearance as Feather McCarthy on "Beware of Young Girls", the seventh episode of the Americancomedy horrortelevision seriesScream Queens.[33] She playedMary Warren inIvo van Hove's 2016 production ofThe Crucible at theWalter Kerr Theatre.[34] Later that year, she played Anya inThe Cherry Orchard at theAmerican Airlines Theatre.[35]
On theMSNBC chat showSo Popular!, hostJanet Mock dubbed Gevinson the "Queen of theMillennials".[36] She then made a guest appearance onThe Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore on a panel critiquingSean Penn'sRolling Stone interview withEl Chapo.[37]
In 2016, Gevinson recorded a duet withHunx and His Punx frontmanSeth Bogart, singing on "Barely 21" from Bogart's self-titled debut solo album.
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Enough Said | Chloe |
| 2016 | Goldbricks in Bloom | Calvin's ex |
| 2017 | Person to Person | Wendy |
| 2023 | Shortcomings | Autumn |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Parenthood | Lauren | Episode: "The Pontiac" |
| 2014 | The Simpsons | Jenny (voice) | Episode: "What to Expect When Bart's Expecting" |
| 2015 | Scream Queens | Feather McCarthy | Episode: "Beware of Young Girls" |
| 2017 | Neo Yokio | Helena St. Tessero (voice) | Main role; 6 episodes |
| 2020 | The Twilight Zone | Maggie | Episode: "The Human Face" |
| 2021–2023 | Gossip Girl | Kate Keller | Main role; 24 episodes[38][39] |
| 2023 | American Horror Story: Delicate | Cora | 4 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Les Misérables | Gavroche | Circle Theatre | |
| 2014–2015 | This Is Our Youth | Jessica | Steppenwolf Theatre | Chicago revival |
| Cort Theatre | Broadway transfer[40] | |||
| 2016 | The Crucible | Mary Warren | Walter Kerr Theatre | Broadway |
| 2016 | The Cherry Orchard | Anya | American Airlines Theatre | Broadway |
| 2017–2019 | Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow | Irina | Williamstown Theatre Festival: 2017 | |
| MCC Theater: 2019 | Off-Broadway transfer | |||
| 2018 | The Member of the Wedding | Frankie Addams | Williamstown Theatre Festival | |
| 2018 | Days of Rage | Peggy | Second Stage Theater | Off-Broadway |
| 2020 | Assassins | Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme | Classic Stage Company | Off-Broadway |
| 2024 | Pre-existing Condition | "A" | OHenry productions | Off-off-Broadway |
During the 2012 US presidential campaign, Gevinson supportedBarack Obama,[41] and appeared in a public service announcement for women's rights, mouthing the words toLesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me". She organized a get-well-soon-card drive forMalala Yousafzai, the fourteen-year-old Pakistani girl whose campaigning for education rights led to her shooting in October 2012.[42]
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