anything goes with emma chamberlain - some people hate my style, and i don’t care
Episode Date: October 5, 2025[video available on spotify] i'm constantly sharing my personal style with the internet. some of the responses are really positive, but there are also some people who absolutely hate it. so today i... thought i'd sit down and share with you all why i don't care if people hate my style. Discover quality formulations at TheOrdinary.com. This episode is sponsored by State Farm®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.® Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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I post a lot of things on the internet, but one of the things I post about the most is my personal
style, both intentionally and unintentionally. Intentionally, when I take a cute photo in an outfit and
post it on my Instagram, and unintentionally when I just happen to be recording a podcast episode or a
YouTube video, and I just happen to be wearing a particular outfit with my makeup done a certain way
and my hairstyle a certain way. Both intentionally and unintentionally, I'm constantly sharing my
personal style with the internet. And as with all things that are posted on the internet, some of the
responses to my personal style are really positive. People love it. People are inspired by it and they
appreciate it. But there are also some people who absolutely hate it. Don't get it. Think I'm an
idiot and think I look like shit. That's just the nature of the internet. And listen, I am sensitive
about certain negative comments towards me on the internet.
That does bother me sometimes.
I'm a particularly sensitive person and I take people's words to heart and I'm not sitting
down here today and saying, no comments ever bother me.
I got thick skin and I've learned over the years how to handle it and it never bothers me.
I'm not sitting down here today and saying that.
However, I am sitting here today and saying that I don't care.
care when people don't like my personal style. And trust me, there are people who do not like my
personal style. I get comments all the time about my haircut. I have a little pixie that's
bleached blonde. I get comments all the time. Like, ew, this haircut is hideous. You should grow
your hair out and go back to your old hair. I miss the old Emma. This Emma's ugly. Or, ew,
this haircut makes Emma look like an old lady. Or, ew, this is the downfall of Emma. She
she's ugly now, like whatever. I get comments like that all the time about my hair. And about my
clothing, I get negative comments all the time too about how I dress like a grandma, how my
style doesn't make sense anymore, how I used to dress so much better and now my style sucks.
I get criticized for my personal style all the time. And I don't care at all. Now, I'm not here
just saying, I don't care at all, to say a fuck you to everybody who's criticizing my personal
style. That's pointless. That's not why I'm here. I'm sitting here today to share with you all
how I got to this point where I don't care what people think about my personal style. And I'm
able to wear whatever I want, do whatever I want to my appearance, and let all criticism
roll off my back. Because this is not how I've always been, okay? This is who I am today. And
this exact moment, but for majority of my life, I did not feel this way. I did not have this level
of confidence in my personal style. And I want to share with you why I feel this way, how I'm
able to feel this way, because I know that it's one of the hardest things to figure out
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If you're somebody who loves fashion is passionate about fashion and wants to develop a personal style
and wants to experiment with fashion, you know, publicly wear unique outfits out, I know that one of the
hardest things to figure out in that process is not what feels like you, what clothing fits right,
what colors look good on you. Yeah, that stuff's kind of complicated. I think the hardest thing is
finding the confidence, finding the trust in yourself.
in your personal style, in your opinions, enough where you have the courage to wear unique,
interesting things outside and not care what other people think about it. That is the hardest part,
arguably, one of the hardest parts. And when I was in high school, I did not have a personal
style. I dressed exactly like everyone else at school. Same thing goes actually for middle school
as well. In middle school, I dressed like everybody else. Why? Because I was terrified of standing out.
I didn't want to stand out. I wanted to fade in. I wanted to be accepted. I wanted to be cool.
And so I used clothing to try to do that. Clothing was sort of a tool for me to succeed socially
in a school environment. And then when I got out of school and I was in the real world, I realized,
Okay, wait, now that I'm in the real world and there aren't groups of cool kids that dress a certain way and I don't know, like I go to a coffee shop and there's so many different types of people with so many different styles going on, it made me realize, okay, wait, maybe I can experiment a bit more because in the real world outside of the school environment, there's so much more variation. People don't really seem to be as judgmental. Maybe I can experiment a bit more.
that's when I started developing my personal style. And then over the years, slowly but surely,
I've built a sense of confidence. And over the years, I've become more certain in my personal
style, in my fashion beliefs. And a bunch of other things have happened that I've led me to this
point where now I do not care at all about what other people think about my sense of style.
I do not care. It rolls off my back completely. And so today I thought I'd sit down and share with
you all why I don't care. What's going on in my head that allows me not to care? Like there have been
certain outfits that I've posted on my Instagram that have gotten so much criticism. People are like,
this is the worst outfit I've ever seen. I hate this outfit. Not every outfit is like that,
but there's been a few where I've gotten just like roasted. And it completely,
I completely rolls off my back. I don't even flinch. And in some ways, it's like a superpower not to care. And I want to tell you my mindset so that you can hopefully, if you're struggling with finding confidence in your personal style, I just want to plant some seeds, you know? Because I think for people who love fashion as much as I do, this is such a superpower that I think I want everyone to experience. You know, I want everyone to experience it. And that's why I want to share it. Like, and I think that also,
So I'm particularly talking about having confidence in personal style, but I actually think this can
apply to other things as well. And so whether you're into fashion or not, maybe there's
something in this episode for you. Anyway, without further ado, here's why I don't care
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number one, I trust my taste. I've been developing my taste for years. I've been studying
runway shows. I've been scrolling on Pinterest, making mood boards. I've been trying on clothes
and experimenting with outfits on my own physical body. I've sat at coffee shops for hours on
end on the weekends and analyzed every single person's outfit that's come through the coffee shop
door. Like, I have studied fashion in my own personal way for years to the point where now I trust
my taste. I know that my taste is not set in stone. I know that it's going to continue growing
for the rest of my life. But I trust it for what it is right now because I know that I've spent
time studying it. I've spent time developing my own set of opinions, you know, in general about
clothing, but also for myself as an individual, right? I trust my taste. And I think I was able to
get to this point where I trust my taste through exposing myself to as much fashion as possible,
but also naturally just being somebody who is interested in fashion. And so naturally just looking at
every single outfit with an analytical eye. And now I'm at a point where I know what I like,
I know what I don't like, but I also accept that it's going to continue to grow and evolve
as I expose myself to more fashion, as I mature, as I have more life experience, it's going to
continue to evolve. But that doesn't negate what my taste is today. I trust my taste today
and I trust my taste five years from now. I just trust myself.
Because at the end of the day, personal style is for you and you only. It's what you like based on the studying that you've done. And I mean studying like, not like going to fashion school, obviously, but looking at runway shows, people watching, going on Pinterest and making mood boards, reading fashion books, going shopping and trying on clothes on yourself. I've studied for so long.
and studied with the intent to figure out my own personal style to the point where now I just
trust it. And I also know that within trusting my personal style, I also might experiment sometimes
and wear something hideous that I regret a week later, you know? I might like something for a little
bit and then hate it a few weeks later. But that's okay because that's how we develop our taste. We
experiment. We have opinions. The opinions grow and evolve and change. But in order to participate
in fashion, I think you have to trust your taste for what it is in the present moment, accepting that
it might not be perfect. It might change. And that's okay. Does that make sense? But nobody can decide
what my personal style is but me. But I find confidence in the years that I've spent developing my taste.
gives me confidence because in my eyes and in my opinion, I've put the work in to develop my point
of view. And I acknowledge the work that I put in and I allow it to give me confidence. Next.
Number two, for the most part, I wear clothes for my own satisfaction and self-expression. I don't
really care what other people think about it because at this point in my life, I dress to make
myself feel a certain way, not to be perceived in a certain way. Listen, there are sometimes where I'm
like, I want to go out and look hot tonight. If I'm single, maybe that's because I do kind of want
to have a hot energy. But I don't really care about what a potential partner would think about my
outfit. I more so care about my energy in that outfit. Like, I want to dress in an outfit that
makes me feel hot and cool because I'm going to carry myself a certain way and maybe be a little bit
more flirty, maybe be a little bit more confident in that certain type of way, like in like a more
flirty type of way. Whereas a different kind of outfit might make me feel confident in a different sort
of way. Like if I'm going to a business meeting, I might want to dress up in a particular way that
makes me feel sharp and chic and classy or something, right? That type of outfit might make me feel a
certain type of way and that sort of scenario. And again, it's not really because I care about what
people in the meeting think about my outfit. It's more about how that outfit's going to make
me feel and how I'm going to carry myself in that outfit. That's why I get dressed. I don't get
dressed so that people think about me a certain way. I do think that maybe that's a teeny part of
it. I think that might be like 5% of it for me, but I can barely pick up on it. I truly feel like
I get dressed for me. And I think I was able to get to the point where I get dressed for myself
by realizing and truly internalizing and digesting the fact that people are going to
come to their conclusion about you based on your personality. You know what I'm saying?
Like, personality is number one priority when it comes to making an impression on someone.
And I don't want to dress to cater to other people's opinions or what they like because then
people might like me for the wrong reasons because I'm painting the wrong picture with my
outfit. If I'm completely myself and completely authentic with my style, I'm going to attract
people who like me for me. You know what I'm saying? And that's important to me. I don't want
people to like me or respect me because I'm dressed a certain way. I want people to see exactly
who I am through my clothing and through how I want to present myself, because that's how I want
to present myself. And I want somebody to respect me or like me or give me the time of day
because they like my energy, they like my personality, they like my ideas. I think it can be a bit
harmful. Like, I don't want to manipulate others into thinking I'm in a certain type of way through my
clothing. That's not appealing to me. I really do think that clothing does speak volumes. And I take
that seriously. And so I don't want to manipulate people into thinking, like, not that it's like
devious manipulation, because it's not. But I choose to dress authentically and for me
because I want people to see the real me. That's more important to me than getting attention
from somebody because I'm dressing for them. Does that make sense? And I've realized over the
years that if you're being yourself and you're dressing authentically to you,
It might be a subtle element of who we attract in this life, but I do think it helps us attract
people that are going to like us for us. Do you know what I mean? Like I think this applies most,
I would say, in dating, right? Like, let's say I had a crush on a guy who was a cowboy, okay? And he
wears cowboy boots and he wears wranglers and a flannel shirt in a cowboy hat. Okay? Let's say I had a
crush on a guy like that. And let's say to get his attention and to make him like me, I started wearing
cowboy boots and I started wearing wrangler jeans and I started wearing a cowboy hat and I started wearing
a cute little blouse, you know? I started dressing to appeal to him. Well, that's not good because
that's not my style. I think all of you can look at me and look at every outfit I've ever worn.
and come to the conclusion that that's not my style.
You know what I'm saying?
And then imagine this guy starts to like me
because he's like, oh, we have so much in common.
We both like cowboy boots or whatever the fuck.
But that's not real.
That's not genuine.
That's not authentic.
Then what happens?
It's chaos.
It's a mess.
Do you see what I'm saying?
I think once I realized that it doesn't really benefit me to dress to cater to other people,
I was truly able to lean into the full.
fun of dressing for myself in how it impacts how I carry myself. It allowed me to lean into
dressing in a certain way to make myself feel a certain way. Next, number three, fashion is a
hobby for me. The simple act of playing with clothes, putting together an outfit, it brings me
immense joy. I love it. I'm passionate about it. It, like, it fills me with how
I mean, okay, maybe not happiness. Well, it does. It makes me, momentarily, fashion gives me
happiness. Now, does it give me like eternal happiness? No. But it does genuinely bring me joy.
And I think the mere enjoyment of the act of participating in fashion sort of creates this
emotional force field around me where I'm having so much fun doing it. I mean, listen, there are times
where getting dressed stresses me out, of course. Like if I'm running out of time or if I'm trying
to put something together and I got a time crunch and it's not working or it's not clicking,
like, sure, there are times when putting together an outfit is stressful for me. There are times
when I'm having some sort of fashion identity crisis and I feel confused and, you know,
maybe I'm a little bit less confident in my style than I usually am, whatever.
even though not every single moment I participate in fashion brings me joy. Overall, if we were to
pull the data on how often fashion brings me joy, it's a net positive. I would say fashion brings me
joy 75% of the time, let's say, maybe even 80% of the time, actually 75, because I do often have to
pick out an outfit last minute, and that does stress me out. But my point is, I get so much joy from
participating in it, that that joy almost creates an emotional force filled around me that protects
me from criticism, protects me from judgment. I don't care because I enjoy participating in it.
You know, I think when something brings you enough joy, it can protect you from unnecessary
judgment or criticism. Now, listen, I will say I'm about to go off on a tangent here, but allow
me to indulge. Criticism isn't a bad thing. And especially when you post on the internet,
criticism is inevitable and can sometimes even be helpful. Like, I don't think criticism is always bad.
In fact, it often isn't. However, with something that's ultimately harmless like somebody's
personal style, criticism is arguably unnecessary. It's like it's unnecessary for the person
receiving the criticism to take personal or absorb because it's not it's it's it's fashion is
ultimately it's harmless right so when I say that I'm sort of immune to criticism and judgment due
to the joy partially due to the joy that fashion brings me that's not me saying that criticism
is bad like it's inevitable on the internet and people can say whatever they want I can't stop them
And I won't. Do you see what I mean? But what I'm saying is it's not necessarily beneficial for me
to take criticism about my style to heart because other people's opinions about my style doesn't really
matter. Like if people criticize me for other things, like there are certain things that people
criticize me on that maybe I should pay more attention too bad. That's actually kind of a whole,
now are we really going to go down this rabbit hole? We can. Arguably, criticism on the internet is
I mean, I think people should be able to criticize on the internet. Okay. I definitely, I stand firm in that. I think that's fine. I think that's inevitable and I think that that's fair. However, on the receiving end, do I think it's ever helpful to internalize criticism? I don't know. I think we all need to come to our own conclusions on our own. I think sometimes online criticism can be helpful.
can help us learn, but I also think a lot of times it's more impactful to listen to the criticism
of the people in our lives who know us personally, who know our circumstances, like, do you know
what I'm saying? Like, I think that's the criticism we should be listening to, not necessarily
people on the internet who don't know us, who we don't necessarily, I don't know, I could go back
and I go back and forth on it on whether or not it's ever necessary for a public figure to
internalize it. I mean, I think in extreme, I'm not referring to extreme cases here. I'm referring to
like more harmless stuff. Like fashion criticism or, you know, if somebody makes music, right,
criticism about the music, like, oh, this latest album sucked. Or criticism about art. Somebody's a
painter. You know, criticism about a movie. I don't know. Anyway, let's move on. The moral of all
that is that the joy that fashion brings me allows judgment and criticism to roll off my back. I just
don't care because the joy creates this warm, soft bubble around me that protects me. I just don't
even feel it. I don't even care. I feel like I sound kind of petty. Petty in this episode.
I'm like, I don't care. You hear me? I don't care. Like it sounds like I'm kind of like defending myself and
being defensive maybe a little bit. Maybe I don't sound that way. I can't tell. But it's
Coming from a place of like, I want everyone to experience this feeling of not caring.
And I don't feel this way about everything in my life.
I wish I did, but I don't.
But I've been able to find it in my personal style, in my fashion identity.
And I just want everyone to experience it.
So I'm talking with conviction, less because I'm defensive and more because I just, I just want everyone to feel that way.
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Now back to the episode.
Okay, moving on. Number four, I'm not trying to fit in to any particular group of people.
I don't care if any particular people think I'm cool. I don't care. And as I mentioned earlier,
when I was in school, I used to dress like everybody else because I desperately wanted to fit in.
And criticism of my style would have sent me into a spiral because I was using clothes as a tool
to help me fit in. That was it. There was no art in it. There was no interest in having a personal
style. I was using fashion simply as a tool to help me socially in school. And so any any criticism
about my style would have completely derailed my confidence because I was trying to fit in. And if I didn't
pull it off, that's embarrassing to me. Like that, that would have shattered my confidence and
made me feel embarrassed, you know. But now, because I'm not using fashion as a tool to fit in,
I'm able to just use fashion as a tool for self-expression and a hobby and empowerment, ultimately.
When fashion was about other people for me, it was not something that reliably brought me joy, right?
Because it's the same thing with your confidence in general.
If your confidence relies on approval from other people, that's a pretty unstable source of confidence.
So your confidence is going to be all over the place.
If your personal style and how you feel about your personal style and your fashion identity
is dictated by other people's opinions, it's going to be all over the place.
It's going to be fragile.
And that's not enjoyable.
When I was able to let that go and I stopped using fashion to help me fit in,
again, it made me not care anymore because I don't, I don't, if somebody is a low enough
person to judge me because they don't like my house.
outfit. I don't want to be friends with that person anyway. Does that make sense? Like, I want people
to judge me based on my character. I want to be accepted or to be interesting to people because of
who I am on the inside. And so I think it's morally wrong for my style to play a role in whether or not
people want to give me the time of day or want to accept me or whatever. Like, you know what I'm saying?
But also, too, like, I don't care about being cool anymore. I think we care about.
being cool when we're younger more so because we're confined to the school environment where
the social situation is incubated in such a way where being cool matters more, being popular
matters more. Once you leave school and you're in the real world, as I am now, there is no social
hierarchy like that as much anymore. You know what I mean? There is no popular group as much anymore.
I mean, there still is at times, but it holds less power.
And I think most people mature out of caring about that.
So even if there is, say, some sort of social hierarchy at work or in an industry, like, I mean, I would say in my industry of entertainment, if you will, there are like clicks in a way.
There's groups of friends.
There are cool groups.
But it doesn't hold the same weight because...
There are so many different groups of people to choose from in the real world.
Whereas when you're in the bubble of school, you don't have as many options.
You're forced to see the same people every day.
There's just a lot more pressure to fit in, you know?
And if you don't fit in, you have a lot of underdeveloped brains that don't have social skills yet
that are cruel about you not fitting in.
Adults don't care as much, you know what I mean?
So I don't know. I think part of me stopped trying to be cool, stop trying to fit in because I grew out of it and most of my peers grew out of it. None of us really care about that anymore. For the most part, there are still little, little, you know, there's remnants of that vibe in adulthood, but it's far less powerful. So I think that's part of the reason why I don't care about fitting in anymore. But I also think, too, I've realized that I want people to think I'm,
cool or awesome or great because of who I am as a person, not because of how I present myself.
You know what I mean? Like, I want people to make their decisions about me based on that.
So I'm not going to dress a certain way to cater to anyone. And I'm also not going to fear what
anyone thinks about my personal style because I want people to accept me for who I am. And if they
don't do that and if they can't do that, I don't want them in my life. So it's actually also kind
of a tool I use now to find good people. Okay, next.
Number five. Now, I'm not saying this to be rude or disrespectful to others, but this is truly
something that has allowed me to disregard people's opinions about my sense of style,
and so I have to mention it. But saying it out loud makes me quiver a little bit, but it's true,
so I'm going to say it. I don't like most people's style, to be honest. Like, I sit at a cafe
and watch people walk by in their outfits.
And out of 100 outfits that I see,
I might like one, maybe.
And that's okay.
I'm not judging anybody.
I'm not, I don't think less of them,
but I just don't like their style.
Because that's their style.
The only person who needs to like their style is them.
And I assume most people like their own style.
Or maybe they don't even care about style,
which is actually a decent portion of people.
A lot of people just don't even care, which I also respect.
And there's also actually a sense of personal style, even in that in a way.
But I don't like a lot of people's style.
I scroll on Pinterest.
I look at runway photos.
I read fashion books, and I don't like every single thing that I see.
There's a lot of things that I don't like.
There are also a small portion of things I do like, but I don't like most things.
But that's the case for all types of art.
There's a lot of music that I don't like.
There's a lot of sculpture I don't like.
There's a lot of paintings I don't like.
There's a lot of movies I don't like.
That's the nature of expression, art in any form.
Not everyone's going to like it.
And that's what makes it interesting.
That's what makes it powerful.
You know, we all have such different taste.
But I think on my journey to ultimate fashion confidence,
I realize that I don't like what a lot of,
other people wear, and that makes it okay for them to not like what I wear. That's just the nature
of fashion. We're not all going to agree on what's cool and what's cute and what's flattering
and what's interesting. We're just not all going to agree. But that's actually what makes
fashion even more fun is the fact that we can all have our unique opinions about it and we all
are so different, you know, like that, that actually makes fashion even more dynamic and even more
exciting. But I think the fact that I don't like everybody's style to me is comforting because it's
like, I know that I don't like most people's style, but that doesn't impact how I feel about them as
people. I just don't like it. And if I feel that way about other people in a way that I personally
feel as morally okay, I don't think there's anything wrong with it, then that means that if I do
the math, if I do the PEMDOS, they're allowed to not like my outfit too. Does that make sense?
And that doesn't mean that they hate me as a person or that my sense of style is wrong. I know
that when I don't like somebody else's outfit, that doesn't mean that they're not stylish.
That doesn't mean that they don't have a good sense of style. That doesn't mean that they're wrong
and I'm right. It's just my opinion. You see what I'm saying? So like to analyze my own feelings
about other people's style has helped me find peace
in how other people feel about my style
because I also don't like a lot of people's style.
Okay, next.
There's also a weird part of me
that actually kind of gets excited
when people don't like my outfit.
There's a part of me that feels like,
ooh, I ruffled some feathers here.
This is interesting.
The fact that people dislike my style
is proof to me that I,
must be doing something a little bit unique. Listen, I'm not saying I'm reinventing the wheel by any
means, okay? But if there's a lot of people that are like, oh, this is weird, I don't like this,
or like to me, this is ugly, but then at the same time, I like it and it makes sense to me,
that means the fact that an outfit can make sense to me and be completely hideous and
perplexing to others shows me that perhaps I've created something interesting. Perhaps
my taste is a bit abnormal, a bit unusual.
And that's exciting to me.
Now, listen, I'm not necessarily putting together an outfit with the goal to do something weird
or do something unusual or come up with a new idea.
Like, no, I'm not going into putting an outfit together to do that.
Like, that's not my goal when putting an outfit together necessarily.
my goal is what's going to make me feel good, what makes sense in my head, what do I think
looks cool? Like that's it. I'm not trying necessarily to be unique because I think at times
having personal style means doing something unique, sure, but at times it means wearing, you know,
a plain white t-shirt with blue jeans and like a boot, but wearing your signature bag that you
wear all the time and having, you know, your signature watch on or whatever. Like, my goal is not
to reinvent the wheel with fashion when I put together an outfit. However, when I put something
together that makes sense to me and people are like, this outfit makes no sense to me. I think
it's ugly. I hate it. It's like, I don't get it. I hate it. Why are you wearing that? Why would
you ever wear that? That's ugly. That's weird. That to me is a sign that I've done something
interesting, perhaps more interesting than usual, actually. Perhaps I've unlocked a new idea.
Maybe my personal style is leveled up a little. Because if people hate it, that means it makes them
uncomfortable. They haven't seen anything like it. It's unfamiliar. It's weird. They hate it. That's why
they hate it. They think it's perhaps ugly because it's unfamiliar in a way. Or maybe they just think
it's ugly. But I think a lot of times we like familiar things, you know. If something's
bit more unusual or odd, those things take a bit longer to appreciate at times. A lot of times
our taste has to evolve for us to appreciate maybe more odd or unusual things. And with some
odd or unusual things, the taste never develops to the point of appreciating it or maybe it's just
not, it's just never going to be somebody's taste, right? But I know from experience that
some of the best music, some of the music, one of my favorite songs of all time, okay,
not for all the love, wait, what is it? I'm like saying it's one of my favorite songs of all time
and then I can't remember what it's called. It's not for all the love in the world, okay?
One of my favorite songs is a song called Not for All the Love in the World by the Thrills,
okay? Somebody showed me this song like a year and a half ago, and the first time I heard it,
the first time I listened to it, I was like, what the fuck is this song? Like, everything about it was
weird to me. It just, it made me kind of uncomfortable, actually, because it was so odd to me.
And it's not that odd. Like, if you were to go listen to it, it's not that odd. But, like,
the vocals on it are really unusual. And, like, the, I don't even know the technical music
terminology, but, like, melodically, it was really interesting and weird. And I did not like it.
I did not like it the first time I heard it. It was intriguing to me, and it was
interesting, but I didn't get it at first. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. I could not stop
thinking about it. And I went back and I listened to it a few more times and I think on the third or
fourth or maybe fifth list, and I can't remember, it clicked for me. That song helped me evolve
my music taste because I eventually figured it out. It clicked in my brain. And that experience of
struggling with the song but being kind of obsessed with it and being like, oh, but like there is
something there. Like I don't, I want to listen to it again, but like I don't know why, because I don't
like the song. That experience of push and pull and then ultimately realize, like finally
it clicking in my brain that I like it, that experience developed my taste in music. I've also
had that with many other songs. With David Bowie, my dad used to play David Bowie for me when I
was a kid. David Bowie has a weird voice. The music is kind of like chaotic or whatever.
And it's a little bit hard to listen to when you've never heard it before and you've never heard
anything like it. I hated David Bowie's music when I was a kid, but I kept hearing it in repeat
exposure. Eventually, I got used to it and I was like, wait, I get it now. That's how you develop
your taste. If I put together an outfit, this all goes back. Let's get back on track here.
If I put together an outfit and people don't like it, it evokes a strong emotion, people don't
like it. There are a certain portion of those people that will never like it. But there's a certain
portion of those people who might actually one day like it. And maybe, just maybe, that can help
them develop their taste. But also, that actually even goes for people who will never like the
outfit. That also can help them develop their taste. My point is this, if I put together an
outfit that makes people uncomfortable, but yet in my world, in my brain, in my mind palace,
okay, it makes sense to me. And I believe in it. And I think it's good. And I really believe that
in my core. Okay. There's a chance that maybe I just ruffled some feathers,
because it's unique.
And there's going to be a portion of those people
who maybe one day are like,
you know, I actually do like that outfit.
I actually do think I get it now.
And then there's going to be the people who never like it.
But do you get what I'm saying here?
Like, I actually think a strong emotional response on the internet
a bit of dislike is a sign of uniqueness.
And maybe that's delulu to some of you, you know,
but I actually don't think it is.
I love experimenting.
I love playing around.
putting together something that maybe I haven't seen before every once in a while, if it feels
right and it just kind of happens. Like, I don't force that experience, but if it happens, it happens.
And that experimentation is fulfilling for me and exciting for me and fun for me. And I would like to
believe that it's polarizing, not because it's genuinely hideous and stupid, because it can't be
if it makes sense to me. If one person even thinks that it's good, if I think it's good,
I cannot be the only one.
I can't, and I'm not.
So perhaps it just means that it's unique, and that to me is exciting.
Do you see what I'm saying?
Okay, let's move on.
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Next, let's address the obvious.
Fashion is subjective.
There is no defined right or wrong.
It's all opinion-based, and there's no use in being
offended by an opinion that's neither right nor wrong. A fashion opinion is ultimately a neutral
opinion and it can be taken as seriously as you want to take it. Like fashion, there is no right or wrong.
Now, some people might think, well, you know, if something is fashionable or cool if a lot of people
like it. But the problem with that argument is like the way that art evolves, and I do think fashion is
art some people disagree but i think that there's an art in building an outfit undeniably the way that
art progresses is by experimentation and doing something new doing something weird doing something unusual
and anytime something new comes out people have a tendency to hate it look back in history this has
happened time and time again so the argument like well something's fashionable and cool if if a lot
of people like it and think it's fashionable and cool i disagree with that because how is the
are supposed to evolve if its merit is based on if a lot of people like it because when something
new and interesting is created a lot of times in the beginning, it is heavily criticized and it's
scrutinized and people don't like it because it makes them uncomfortable. And then through repeat
exposure, people are like, wait a minute, not everybody, but some people are like, wait a minute,
I actually do like that. So there is no right or wrong. There's no objective opinions in fashion
for the most part. I mean, unless like two people are looking at a dress in saying like maybe the
dress doesn't fit well or something. Like I guess you could like, I guess it could be objectively true like
that's a badly tailored dress. But maybe that was the intent. Like, I don't know. It's really,
I think it's such a subjective thing that there's also a lot of peace to be found in that.
At the end of the day, fashion should be used as a tool for you.
You should wear clothes for you.
You should style yourself in a way that makes you feel how you want to feel.
You should style yourself in a way that feels like an extension of yourself.
And everyone else's opinions about it should go out the window.
It does not matter what other people think about your style.
The only exception is if you're, like, dressing inappropriately, okay?
Like, if you're going to a wedding and the dress code for the wedding is black tie,
everybody should be in a gown, in a, in suiting, you know, whatever, and you show up in jeans.
Well, I think that maybe is a little rude, right?
Because there's a dress code.
This person invited you to their event.
They're going to be feeding you.
They're going to be hosting you.
It's a special day for them.
they want everybody to be dressed up for the ambiance because clothing absolutely impacts the
ambiance of a space. Like if you're wearing jeans to a wedding, that's rude. If you're going to a
business meeting wearing like, you know, a mini skirt and like a graphic tea that says like literally
fuck everyone. Yeah, like I think it's okay for people to be like, oh, that's kind of like an inappropriate
outfit for the setting, right? Because in a business setting, it's respectful, I don't know,
like, I, like, I get it. It's like, you can't be wearing a shirt this is literally fuck everyone
to a business meeting. And I don't think anyone can argue a point as to like why that might be.
Like, in a business meeting, there's like an expectation that everybody is going to dress professionally,
you know? So wearing a shirt this is literally fuck everybody in a mini skirt and like flip flops
is like, it doesn't, that's not the dress code for the occasion.
However, I think in every situation, a business meeting, a wedding, a dinner date,
for every situation possible, you can find your personal style in it.
Like, if you need to wear a formal wear, you know, there's something for everybody in
formal wear, I would say.
You can find your personal style for every type of event.
And so the only time that I think criticism of styles should be maybe paid attention to
is if you're blatantly like disrespecting a dress code, I guess, you know?
Like, I guess.
But it's like that doesn't happen that often.
Also at the end of the day, too, fashion is not that deep.
Now listen, it is deep actually in some ways, right?
Like on a personal level, it's deep because the way.
the clothing makes us feel, the way we choose to express ourselves. All of that is very deep and I think
can be very profound on a personal level. However, in a social setting, fashion is not that deep.
I don't think. Like in a social setting, what is deep is human connection and exploring everyone's
uniqueness and individuality and getting to know somebody for who they truly are. That's what's
deep. You know, someone's outfit, who cares? Like, as long as somebody's not like wearing jeans at a
black tie wedding, like, it's like, who cares? You know what I mean? It's just not that deep. It's just
not that serious. Like, it doesn't need to be taken that seriously. That's why I don't care what people
think about my style. And that's why I don't think you should care about what other people think
about your style. But listen, it's a journey. It takes time. And I've been interested in fashion,
experimenting with fashion, caring about fashion for probably nine years now, let's say, in a very
consistent, deep way. I was like, you know, into dressing up and wearing costumes as a kid and
stuff. Like, sure, you know, everybody likes to say, like, well, I've been doing this since I was
born. But it's like I wasn't studying other people's outfits when I was like in kindergarten.
And I had a major chunk of time in my adolescence where I was not.
into fashion and the way I am now, you know? It was about fitting in, right? As we know, I've already
said that a thousand times. But I'd say for the last nine years or so, I've been on this personal
style journey in a very dedicated sort of pointed way. And I would say only recently have I
truly figured it out, like not figured out my personal style or perfectly nailed down my
taste, but rather develop this thick skin where I don't really care what other people think about
it. And I've been interested in it, participating in it, for almost 10 years now, you know,
and it's taken a long time. But it just makes it so much more fun. And you can truly unlock the
full potential of enjoying fashion when you're not afraid, when you don't care if you get judged
for it when you're confident in yourself, your taste, in your style. It's a beautiful thing.
But you know what is funny is when, because as I mentioned towards the beginning of the episode,
there are times when, like, I'll have sort of, I don't even want to call it a lapse in judgment
because I don't really think it's a lapse in judgment, but it's just a normal, I don't have
another term to use other than lapse in judgment. I'll put it this way. Throughout,
the nine years of me developing my personal style, I've had little moments where I've
experimented or tried something. And in the moment, gotten a lot of criticism for it. Like,
ew, that's ugly. Ew, I hate that. And in the moment, I was like, wait, I like it,
though. And then six months later, a year later, I'm like, ooh, that was bad. They were right.
Like, that shit happens all the time. When I first cut my hair, it was a bit of a controversial
topic. Some people absolutely hated it. Some people loved it.
When I look back at how I cut my hair when I first went really short and bleached, I hate the cut I
chose. Like, I chose a very particular cut. I was too scared to go super short pixie. So I like went a
little bit longer and it was this like hideous shag. And that was like less than a year ago.
Okay, now I love my hair because I have a very short pixie and I love it and I love the shape.
I love the way it looks on me. I love it. I love styling it. I love everything about it.
but I look back at my pixie cut early days before it was even a pixie when it was a shag and
I hate it. That was recently. But in the moment, but that's, that was a step I had to take
towards getting to where I'm at now where I have a haircut that I absolutely love. Like that was a
step I had to take. I was too scared to go as short as I, as I am now. And so I went a little bit
too long for a few months. And then I ultimately decided to cut it really short and now I love it.
That was a step on my journey to where I'm at now.
I got criticism then about it. People thought it was ugly. In retrospect, I'm like, you know what,
that cut was ugly. But guess what? They're still calling my hair ugly now, and now I love it.
And do you know what? In five years, I might hate my hair. Honestly, it's possible that in five
weeks I could hate my hair. But I like it right now, and that is all that matters to me. That's all
that matters to me. And I liked my shaggy, bleached haircut when I first got it. But then I
started to realize, you know what, this could be better. This could be better. I'm not there yet.
I haven't figured it out. And I figured it out. So people were right. Like sometimes the criticism is
right. But it doesn't really matter because I have to figure it out on my own anyway. But it is
funny when the criticism ends up being right or the judgment ends up being right. But that's
also not always the case. Sometimes I'll get roasted for an outfit and years down the line I'll be
like, I stand by it. I love it. Anyway, that's enough of me for today. I think you've
had enough of me for today. Wouldn't you say? That's enough Emma for today. Well, if you enjoyed this
episode and you might have more space in your brain for Emma tomorrow, new episodes of anything
goes every Thursday and Sunday. You can stream anywhere you get podcasts. And if you want to watch me
talk, YouTube and Spotify, anything goes is on the internet and anything goes. I'm on the internet
and I'm a Chamberlain and my coffee company is on the internet and in the world at Chamberlain
Coffee. I love you all. I appreciate you all. And I just encourage you to wear whatever the
fuck you want. Okay. And not give a fuck about what anyone has to say. It doesn't matter.
Set yourself free and have fun. Okay. Anyway, I love you all. I appreciate you all. And I'll talk to you in a few
days. I love you all. Wear whatever the fuck you want. Okay, bye.