Interview

Blasberg: When you were studying homeopathic medicine, did you ever anticipate that you would become gossip-column fodder?

Zhukova: No. Full stop. And, for the record, I don’t see myself as gossip-column fodder.

Blasberg: But that’s what makes you such an endearing young woman. You’re completely unaware of the shallow opportunities that could await you—especially now that you’re the editor of Pop.

Zhukova: I guess that made me a little bit of -gossip-column fodder for a second.

Blasberg: We can get into Pop in a minute, but some of the stuff that was reported was wrong, right?

Zhukova: Yeah, there were all these silly rumors flying around. I just heard one this morning that I had bought Pop, which is ridiculous. Why would I buy Pop? I’m the editor, and I’m getting a paycheck—it’s as simple as that.

Blasberg: Do you read the stuff about you?

Zhukova: Yeah, sometimes I see it. And sometimes I think it’s unfairly mean. But people have the freedom to say what they want, and I get it—mean stuff sells better than nice stuff.

Blasberg: So you’re not in the bathroom crying, beating your head against the wall, screaming, “This isn’t what I asked for!”

Zhukova: No—not yet anyway. If a stranger is writing something completely fictitious, or insulting me on a blog or a tabloid, I don’t take it personally. But the press hasn’t been bad to me, so let’s not make me sound like a martyr. I mean, they called me a socialite a few times . . .

Blasberg: How dare they!

Zhukova: And they doubted my credibility as an art connoisseur. But I don’t have a background in art, so I get that. And, yeah, I do go to parties. I like a good party. So I understand where it all comes from.

Blasberg: They also doubted your ability to edit a magazine.

Zhukova: Yes, there was a lot of doubt there. But here’s the thing: I’ve wanted to do a magazine for years. In fact, my friend Olympia Scarry and I had worked on a magazine concept before. We did up a dummy version, and even looked to get it printed. It was not like Pop. We had only planned on a single issue a year, and the layout was different. But when this opportunity came along—an entire magazine ready to go and fully staffed, with an entire infrastructure—eventually I decided it would be stupid not to at least entertain the idea.

Blasberg: What was your initial reaction?

Zhukova: My initial reaction was, “No way. I don’t want this.”

Blasberg: Why, because you didn’t want to take over someone else’s magazine?

Zhukova: Not even that. That’s another thing: I read fashion magazines, but I’m not all up in the mix. I’m not from this world. I haven’t spent years in fashion making friends and making enemies. I barely know who half the people are. Obviously, I know that Katie Grand started Pop, and that it’s a product that’s so associated with her in this world. But in my world, it’s just Pop.

Blasberg: Do you think it’s advantageous that you’re only half in these worlds, then? Not too into the drama of art or fashion?

Zhukova: Absolutely. It allows me to not delve too deep into the politics of it all. I like to think of myself as the average reader.