Iris Apfel, American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion icon is a pretty amazing woman. At the ripe old age of 93, she still consults and lectures about style and fashion, and she continues to rock the same inimitable style that she became so well known for.
I might have said it to you a million times before, but looking at someone like Iris only reinforces my belief that you need to wholeheartedly be yourself. Standing out in a crowd is awesome, but in life (no matter how you choose to present yourself) you’re always going to come across people who are threatened, intimidated, offended or annoyed by you. You need to keep prancing along doing your own thing anyway. If you don’t, you’ll end up being a carbon copy of everyone else and just as bitter as the rest of them.
I’d rather people disliked me for who I actually am, than have them dim my sparkly light because it might – GASP! – offend their boring sensibilities. I already know my style, opinions and choices are going to annoy some people, so I might as well just be myself and enjoy life on my own terms regardless!
If you think about all the really successful people that you admire, I bet they’re not the ones blending into the background. David Bowie, Damien Hurst, Gus Van Sant, Wes Anderson, Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson… they’re all weirdly unique and awesomely wonderful in their very own ways.
Sure, not everyone will understand or like them, and at some point every single one of them has been called ‘controversial’. But that’s great! They don’t (or didn’t) do what they do for those people. They’re do what they do for themselves and for the weirdos just like them.
No matter how many grumpy fashion victims might turn their noses up at Iris Apfel’s eclectic style, I’d much rather be like her. I want to live loudly and shamelessly in a way that makes me overjoyed every day. I want to be colourful and creative and to not care what anyone else thinks.
My wish for you is that you do too. In doing that, we can show other people that is possible to be different, weird, unique and successful, and that they too can go out and live their own truth.
Iris is amazing! I hope I’m like her at 90! I’ve always said that when I’m older, I’ll be the little old lady with bright hair colours because I’ll have such a perfect white base! Haha!
http://www.ceejayell.blogspot.co.uk
Amen, Kat! Hope everyone in the world (including myself) can find their unique spirit and create room (plenty of it) for its fullest expression 🙂 thanks for sharing this! x
What a fantastic lady. I hope im like this when im old. Thank you for a great post xx
This was my very favorite thing I learned in Blogcademy. I felt so inspired to be around people who were themselves, and did not apologize for it. It’s hard to keep holding onto your uniqueness en weirdness in a world that wants to dim your light. I know my light has been dimmed many times. It’s just not fun to know that people dislike you. I absolutely LOVE this post, Kat. Well written!
Love this! So inspiring xx
Amen to that, glad I saw this today, off on a shopping trip 🙂
http://www.mumswearlipstick.blogspot.com
You always know the right things to share at exactly the right time Kat!
Thank you for this blog, it has reminded me that I need to keep being who I am, no matter how much “hating” I receive from those who don’t like the way I am progressing in my life and in my new ventures.
x
Oh Iris! What a star. Loving the new quote boxes too, Kat. xo xo
I’ve literally just written about how to bring a riot of full on colour into our lives on my blog this week! Love Iris Apfel. She is inimitable x
“You need to keep prancing along doing your own thing anyway.” Heck yes sister!
You’re right! Sometimes I feel insecure about myself because I worry about other people’s opinions of me. I realized that this kind of thoughts will always going to be a burden and limitation for myself to do something that I love.
xo,
http://www.colorsinmybubble.blogspot.com