Why do you put your self esteem in the hands of complete strangers?
Helena Bonham CarterRead
Wear what you feel comfortable with. People say nasty things about what I wear in the street. I'm always in worst dressed lists, but you just have to dress for yourself and nobody else.
Interpretation
This quote encourages individuals to wear what makes them feel comfortable, regardless of others' opinions.
Helena Bonham Carter's quote emphasizes the importance of self-expression through clothing choices. Despite facing criticism and being labeled poorly in fashion circles, she advocates for personal comfort and authenticity over conforming to societal standards. The underlying message is to prioritize one's own feelings about fashion rather than succumb to external judgments.
In practice
During a fashion seminar, I shared this quote to inspire young designers to focus on comfort in their designs.
Why do you put your self esteem in the hands of complete strangers?
Sometimes I get it right and I sometimes I get it wrong. But fashion is all about having fun. I think fashion has been hijacked by the fashion industry creating rules on what one should wear and I feel like breaking the mold and seeing that the world won’t crumble.
I just went and got an agent because I thought I can create my own world - you can't right your own life, but you can escape to a world where you can have control.
Sometimes I go, “What am I doing with my life?” But then I get letters from young women, or people come up to me, and they say, “You’ve made such a difference to my confidence.” And that is a good thing. I should read more fan mail though. I’m crap at responding.
My life had been very work-orientated, and all in close-up. Once I had the family, it went into sudden widescreen.
Very early on, you figure out that you put your self-esteem in the hands of strangers. There's a different commodity. There's the Helena Bonham Carter that everyone thinks they know, who really has nothing to do with me. But you just have to let that go.
Elegance isn't solely defined by what you wear. It's how you carry yourself, how you speak, what you read.
It's easy to make clothes for a model, but when you can put them on real women and real curves, that's the test.
On a hanger, no dress is sexy. It's just fabric on a hanger.
Having the chance to walk at New York Fashion Week for Yeezy and Milan Fashion Week for Alberta Ferretti and Max Mara in a hijab is so significant. It sends a message to young women everywhere that you can be beautiful for just being you.
A woman has no need to be perfect or even beautiful to wear my dresses. The dress will do all that for her.
The way I looked when I started modelling - I was a skinny schoolgirl, stuffing tissues into my little 32A bra. I wasn't trying to be that thin; I was perfectly healthy, but still - that look is a total impossibility for women over the age of 20. Fashion has a lot to answer for, doesn't it?
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