The Evolution of American It Girls

Once upon a time, before the Hamptons was taken over by @RichKidsofInstagram, America’s It girls spent their summers in places like Newport, Rhode Island and Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, or lounging on a cruise in a classy one-piece. Here, a history of how America’s leading ladies have spent their summers, from Jackie Kennedy all the way to Paris Hilton.
Actress Clara Bow, the first to ever be referred to as an “It girl,” poses on a sailboat in 1929.
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Marilyn Monroe refused to actually get in the water.
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Jackie and John Kennedy set sail in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts in 1955.
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‘70s icon Farrah Fawcett played tennis in style in Los Angeles.
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Debbie Harry lounged on Coney Island in 1976, back when the boardwalk was a destination.
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Christie Brinkley embodied the ‘80s.
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Diane Keaton poses poolside in 1996, but bikinis were definitely not her style.
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Chloe Sevigny strolled South Beach in a bright romper in the early 2000s.
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Lindsay Lohan soaked up the sun in Malibu in 2004.
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Paris and Nicky Hilton lounged on a California beach for Jessica Meisels’ birthday in 2004.
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