The Curation by Nour Hassan

Nour Monday Monologue [MM]: The Lost Art of Being Unapologetically You

• Nour Hassan • Season 11 • Episode 142

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We've stopped being original, and it's time to get our uniqueness back. This episode explores how to break free from the clone culture that's making everyone look the same and reclaim your authentic personal style.

• The problem of "copy-paste" culture where everyone wears identical fashion items and adopts the same aesthetic
• How constant social media exposure erodes our ability to form independent style opinions
• The importance of carefully curating who you follow on social media platforms
• Using saved folders instead of following accounts to maintain your independent perspective
• Spending time shopping alone to discover what you genuinely like without outside influence
• Cultivating fearlessness and being unapologetic about your personal style choices
• Why originality will ultimately become your edge in a world of sameness

Don't forget to follow @TheCurationPodcast and stay tuned for all of our future episodes, as well as at @NourHassan and at @PilatesbyNour, for all of my content.


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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Curation, a show for the culturally curious. This is your host, noor Hassan. Each week, I'll guide you through a curated edit of the finest in art, fashion, design, culture, luxury, wellness, tech and more. This is your go-to space for discovering trailblazing ideas, untold stories and meaningful conversations with innovators and creators who are shaping our world. There's no gatekeeping here, so sit back, tune in and let's discover only the best together.

Speaker 1:

Hi guys, I said that I'm very busy. I didn't mean to do that. I'm doing a podcast, so I decided that I'm going to do it today, and it's going to be about a controversial topic, as usual, and you guys like these topics a lot, lot. So today's topic is about originality and how we actually you know we all stopped being original and how to actually start to get your originality back. The most thing I notice in this summer actually more than any other safe is that the amount of people who look like they're copy-p, although honestly, I think this is true. I mean, it's not possible that we're all wearing the same slippers, we're all wearing the same bags, we're all wearing the same dresses and shirts and things like that, and I always think to myself, like, in the future, if I have a daughter like would I want her to look like a clone of all of her friends? I don't know. This topic really bothers me a lot because I feel that one of the best things, the best compliments that I used to get growing up is people used to tell me I love your style. It's so unique, your character, your style, that you always stand by who you are. So I think that we're losing the art of being ourselves. We're losing the art of kind of fearlessly and unapologetically and without thinking about who will think what and say what, that we should be ourselves, that we should be original, that we should actually wear what we want and talk in the way we want. And I did a very famous episode once called that Girl how to Be that Girl okay. And this episode went viral, I think, because people wanted to hear that it's okay to be yourself and I, as Noor, one of the things that made me start a podcast, لأن الناس كان نفسها تسمع أنه it's okay to be yourself. وانا كنور, من أكتر الحاجات اللي خلتني أبتدي podcast واني أبتدي platform اسمها. The curation is in كنت حاسة أنه مفيش حد بيوريني رأيو بقد مفيش حد.

Speaker 1:

In his reviews there's no one who chooses the things that he really uses and shows us and I, honestly, I factually I'm not like this. I factually don't do this. Actually, because you can ask my friends. They tell me and ask me a lot about skin care, makeup, fashion, confidence, so many things. I'm so proud of that where I would never compromise that because I don't actually love.

Speaker 1:

So I think I'm gonna give you a few tips in this episode on how I think we can bring back our originality and our personality, because I personally scroll through TikTok and Instagram and you're just scrolling, scrolling, scrolling and like, honestly, you're not seeing anything new. Like, how many Orans can I see? Like how many, um, I don't know likeochie dresses can I see in one summer? And, yeah, they're beautiful. And even I have been such. I don't know, I've been a victim to this let's say not victim, but yeah, I've fallen for it, you know. Because how can you not? If you see the same thing a million times, how can one have an opinion of oneself and start feeling like times, is they in the way head, you're dirty, you can run right now.

Speaker 1:

So we didn't actually like the way that you know bag looks, or the way those sandals look, or the way that dress looks like. Actually, I hate patterns, muscle on, you know. I don't want to wear a dress that's like a Missoni zigzag, whatever. Like that's not me. Yeah, I know how Satan will hit the pad. That's like a Missoni zigzag, whatever. Like that's not me. You know what I mean. You don't go there with yourself at all and it's really strange.

Speaker 1:

So, anyways, my number one tip to kind of get back to that is to curate your following, and I've spoken about this so much. There's an episode I did called Boundaries and Blocking that you can listen to, and it's so, so cool and viral. We've got the episode where I talk about how to set boundaries, but this is not what I'm talking about. And number eight, I do a trick that I'm going to share with you guys. I filter who I'm following, okay, and not just like this.

Speaker 1:

I very carefully, very carefully, think twice before clicking follow. I have folders for Instagram and I started making folders for TikTok, okay, and let's say, I look at a fashion brand and I think, hmm, I like it, but I don't love it, I shouldn't follow. Okay, I'll put it in a folder that I've created called fashion, the saved folders. So my biggest hack is the saved folders on social media will allow you to save things. Think about it before you click follow, and then you see that in your face every single day. So you start to think of course I do love that style or that brand or that person, and this is really important with influencers, you can even create a folder called influencers and kind of put the ones that you like but don't love in the folder and don't follow.

Speaker 1:

Yet and I'm saying this as someone who is a content creator, as someone who is a content creator and an influencer actually. So imagine. But I mean it seriously though. So ultimately, I just think you know I have my head into you. Don't go ahead and follow people so quickly because you're just saying that that's like your aesthetic, that's something you vouch for. You are promoting those, those people. You are platforming them and people, brands, whatever you want to call it. If you don't really mean it, then why did you do it? You know what I mean.

Speaker 1:

Tani Haiga is something I yap about all the time, which is that you need to learn to sit with yourself and kind of go shopping alone for a day. You know, don't take all your friends, don't go with your mom, don't go with whatever. Just go shopping online or in person or whatever and just look around and think to yourself, like, what do I actually like? You know I love you. What do I dislike? What do I not like? Um, let's see, I don't know, try a couple of makeup looks and just sit and think, like, what's my personal style? What do I want to represent, showcase, what do I want to say online? What do I want to look like in person?

Speaker 1:

So, spending time with yourself and trusting your own opinion, your own opinion, shopping, as they call it? No, it's okay, I go home, I go to the store. Personally, I hate shopping with other people because I know my style very well and, although it's fun, I know exactly what I like and what I don't like. Okay. So that's the second point. And no, spend time with yourself, curate your own wardrobe, your own thoughts, your own aesthetic, and then present it to the world, after you've made sure to curate your online presence and your online consumption. Because we're not going to lie to ourselves and say that everyone's screen time isn't insane. So it is what it is, guys, you have to embrace it.

Speaker 1:

And my last thing and I don't want to make this episode too long, because there's a lot of different things that I would love to speak to you guys more about is, in order to have originality, you need to cultivate the fearlessness, the fearless side of you. You have to be unapologetic and you have to stand your ground. And how do you do this? By practicing.

Speaker 1:

So what if you wear something and you feel that it's so weird and it's not on trend, but I love it, and so what? You know, try your best to stand your ground and you're gonna find that it's not embarrassing, and people will eventually and I'm gonna really tell you this as someone who has had experience from all they will copy you, they will compliment you, they will ask you how you're doing it, and the only way that happens is if you're being yourself and we're bombarded by clones, I would say copy-paste of everything. So if you forget or you show a new personality, a new way, a new point of view, anything new, that's going to be your edge. So I just really, really needed to talk about this. I hope it was helpful to literally anybody and I'll see you guys on my next episode. Thank you for listening. Don't forget to follow at the Curation Podcast and stay tuned for all of our future episodes, as well as at Noor Hassan and at Pilates by Noor, for all of my content.