On Powerful Women

If I had to pick two women who I can truly say I'm inspired by, it would be my mother (a given), and Kelly Cutrone. Cliche, I know, but I don't know too many people who can build and then sustain the type of career she's had after two divorces, a child, a drug addiction, and then a stint on ANTM.


Just kidding. I'm choosing to forgive her for that...

I've read both of Kelly's books: If You Have to Cry, Go Outside and Normal Gets You Nowhere. The latter was a bit more cooky for my taste, but if there's something no one can deny, it's that she's a very, very strong, wise woman. Although she rubs many the wrong way -- i.e., my sister, who simply called her "mean" -- her books show she makes no apologizes for what she believes in, how she runs her business, and how she lives her life.


Then, there's my mom. She is a full-blooded Sicilian woman, worked as a scientist for 15 years, and now works in finance. My mother has taught me to be restless but in the best way possible -- to always strive for more because you know you deserve it. She has also taught me the value of strong friendships -- and relationships, at that -- and although it's important to cultivate relationships, never settle for less than what you deserve. 


To close, a few of of my favorite quotes from Kelly (since I really couldn't choose just one):


“We’re constantly getting these messages to mind our own business and look the other way if we want to be well liked, to not tell the truth or speak our mind or say anything too intense. Well, I’m telling you here that this approach not only makes you party to other people’s crimes against themselves but is a prescription for mediocrity and delusion.”


"Do your best and become as successful as you can because the more powerful you become, the smaller the other person gets, right? So it’s like the bigger you are, the better you become, the less power other people have over you. The best thing to do is to always compete with yourself and not to compete with others. The only thing you can control is your own performance and what you’re doing to yourself and with yourself. You also have to be careful about how you handle it, because you never know. That one cunt-y person could become the new Editor-In-Chief. Sometimes the nasty person wins. That’s why it’s always good to compete against yourself."


"This is an important lesson to remember when you’re having a bad day, a bad month, or a shitty year. Things will change: you won’t feel this way forever. And anyway, sometimes the hardest lessons to learn are the ones your soul needs most. I believe you can’t feel real joy unless you know what it means to fail. You can’t know what it’s like to feel holy until you know what it’s like to feel really fucking evil. And you can’t be birthed again until you’ve died."


And a recent one from my mom. For shits and giggles: 


"Working out is overrated. That's what Torrid is for."