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Related AF
It started as two sisters talking out loud on the gym treadmills.
Related AF is where opinions get aired, ideas get poked, and nothing is rushed toward a takeaway. We talk culture, confidence, habits, nostalgia, and the everyday things that shouldn’t matter — but somehow do.
No advice.
No alignment.
Just thinking out loud.
Pull up a chair.
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Stay if you want.
Related AF
Come As You Are
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
This episode starts with aesthetics and somehow ends with biblically accurate angels...
Along the way we unpack why every personality seems to need a label now, why "looking like yourself" is harder than it should be, and why we're officially against treating your life like a Pinterest board.
Also discussed:
• clean girl aesthetic
• Come As You Are energy
• Kelly tell's the story of her Thief Summer Aesthetic
• socks with sandals
• and a little warmed corpse summer
Cold Open And The Standoff
KristinAll right. This is your show. I'm just here. Why no, it's in my show? Well, no, I meant like you you wanted to talk about this is your idea. I just I just said the word, you ran with it. I didn't run with it. I said I like that. That's the equivalent of running with it. No. Standoff. The standoff. The standoff.
What People Mean By “Aesthetic”
KristinOkay. I said we could talk about aesthetics. What does that mean to you? Nothing at all. Then why'd you say then why'd you say it? Because well, I mean, like, I know what it means, but it doesn't. Me personally, I don't jive with the word aesthetic. Like, I don't get the thing. Why did you want to talk about it then? What are you talking about? Why do I want to talk about it? You're this isn't a therapy podcast. Who cares why? I'm trying to understand. Why? You said you had things you wanted to talk about, about aesthetics. So I'm trying to figure out what you meant by it. What do you mean? What did I mean? Why would you want to talk about aesthetics? No, what I was talking about is how permeated our society has become with aesthetics. Is strange. What do you mean when you say aesthetics? I mean the cultural phenomenon that is making yourself, your person, an aesthetic. Like a brand? No, like an aesthetic. I think it's branding, but I think it's it's been branded as aesthetics. So, but like, would do you not have things you want to talk about with it? I just like the way things look. I could talk all day about the way things look. But what branding is that? You said I have a list of things to talk about aesthetics. Yeah, I do. But I'm trying to figure out what you mean by it so we can align. I don't think we're gonna align. Because I think what I meant and what you meant are very different. I've never heard anyone call it aesthetics. Where have you been? In my house. You haven't been online? Not really. Okay, so my Instagram is all art. Which I would argue is an aesthetic. Yeah, yeah. But it's not a branding, but that's actual aesthetics. No, I think that what I meant by it was the cultural phenomenon of and I don't even know if it's so much a cultural phenomenon or if it's just amplified by how connected our culture is. No, it's a thing that's going on in culture right now. It's like clean girl aesthetic. Uh my my moody summer girl aesthetic. I don't know, like whatever. Like that, that's like a it's like a thing that people want to be a moody summer girl aesthetic. I don't I just pulled that out of my. I'm sure there's somebody somewhere that is, but you could be a moody summer girl aesthetic. In fact, we can we could start it right now, right here. Right now. No, but the idea that like your life takes on to me a one-tone is that on me or on you? I can't tell if you're taking a selfie or if you're you're not taking a selfie. You wanted stuff for Instagram. Oh my goodness. So you don't know the cultural idea of aesthetics. You wanted to just talk about the way things look. Yep. Gotcha. And aesthetic. I'm aestheticing. On on the podcast. What else are we supposed to do? You wanted Instagram stuff? Yeah, but that's like that's like extra b-roll. That's not like during the main event. So, okay. What look did you want to talk about?
SPEAKER_01You didn't have a list. You said you had a list. I said I said I could talk about aesthetics all day.
Dressing Like Yourself Without A Costume
KristinNo, you said I have a list of things to talk about. That was your exact words. Well, like Okay, so when I was in the Chicago airport, I was amazed by how many people don't think about how they look. That amazes you? Yeah. Cause I think very hard, and and I don't, you know, I don't, it's not complicated, but I think hard about like how stuff fits me. Not right this second. It's not that I want to look perfect in any way, but it's that I want my appearance to project me. And I don't know, and maybe that maybe this is similar to what you think of as the aesthetics.
SPEAKER_01It's not me, it's culture. But okay.
KristinBut like I want my I want my outwardness to reflect my inwardness. I want one whole package that is Kelly. Yeah, and I think that that is super important. And I I think the same way. I don't know. I was gonna say probably more so now than I did when I was younger. I I I had a little bit of laissez-faire, I don't care, but I don't know if I really did. I think that might have been my aesthetic. When you're younger too, I don't know if you know yourself well enough to create a whole package. No, you should be trying on different things and you should be, you know, figuring some things out. But no, like I I still don't know how you didn't realize that people don't care. I just assumed or I want to assume that everyone curates their existence. But I don't think that's true anymore. I don't know if it would be good if everybody curated their existence though. Imagine all of the loudness if everybody was curated. I think curating to yourself, like having like this is Kelly's style, this is Kelly's being. It's for me. Yeah, it's for me. That's different than I think aesthetics. Like, oh, this summer I'm gonna look like the clean girl. And like exactly, but you're curating something for other people. No, I'm curating Kelly. Not you, universal you. There's a de I was agreeing, there's a difference between being yourself and projecting being yourself and having that be your outward appearance to mirror your inward selfness. And I'm going to pick a aesthetic and I'm gonna look like that. Yeah, I don't wanna do that. I don't like that either. It's expensive, right? Yeah, like I just went through my closet yesterday. It's everything's ombre. I go from white to beige to pink to black. And anything that didn't fit those four colors, goodwill bag. Unless it's a sweatshirt. They can be whatever color. I was gonna say except for blue, but I have blue sweatshirts. I don't wear blue. I have blue socks. I have blue socks that I actually wore to the gym the other day because I didn't have any other socks clean. And it was very off-putting to me. Well, I think it's weird when you don't feel like yourself. Yeah, I don't feel my like myself in colors. Like when you said I look like Sherbert the other day, you said I wanted to die. I wanted to die. But I didn't in public looking like Sherbert. You're looking like Sherbert was just that your shoes were green. Those are a neutral green. Yes, but I don't ever wear them with any colors. I need different shoes. See, I need you what color were you wearing though? That I pink. Oh, that's right. Yes, you had green shoes in a in pink. They're not green shoes. They're green shoes. They're green shoes. They're mint green shoes. They're mint green shoes. Mint green. Mint green. They're not mint green. They are mint green. They're grayish. They're not they're not like neon mint green, but they are mint green. They're muted mint green. Which you wouldn't have noticed if I didn't have the pink shirt on. Pink shirt tipped you into the shirt category. Or I wear grayish. I don't usually wear both at once. Oh, except that picture at the gym. Where did I get a salmon colored shirt? Why would I ever wear your gym photo? You looked like the crazy lady on the 5 p.m. news that like got caught stealing puppies. Yeah. Like that's who you look like. Where did I get a salmon-colored shirt? When have I ever owned a salmon-colored shirt? I don't even know what that shirt would be. It definitely looked like a county jail lockup. And then they hold the camera like out on the side. I don't even want to know what mine looks like. I don't even know. Why do we go and lap them? What do they need them for? Do you need photos of everybody? Yeah, because when you come in and you scan your thingy, the photo pops up to make sure that you're not somebody else sharing. I wouldn't even have known it was you. If I if they look at that photo every single time you come in and they think, yep, those are two the same ladies, they're nuts. Like those photos don't work case proven. Because they should have stopped you and been like, I'm sorry, I think you're using someone else's badge. Those teenagers aren't gonna stop anybody, no matter what the photo looks like. You know, someone in corporate thinks that they do. No, and they shouldn't. They shouldn't get paid enough to stop people.
Shoplifting Stories And Jewel Thief Energy
KristinWhen I worked at um American Eagle, they made me run after shoplifters sometimes. Um you know, and then you then you start to think like, is this what I get paid to do? I was making at the time like four dollars and fifty cents an hour. So I had a boss when I worked at Blockbuster, he would have us pull these elaborate like Pink Panther type things on people who were stealing like movies. How do you steal movies? You shove them in your pants, put them in your shirt. Why would Blockbuster care about people? Why do any of them care? Really? Well, yeah, unless you're talking about something that's like high dollar, then pay your employees high dollar to go chase. Yeah, exactly. Then have security because I made four dollars and fifty cents an hour. You're running through the McComb mall.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, get back here.
KristinI don't I don't need to do that.
SPEAKER_01What were you gonna do if you caught up to him and be like, excuse me?
KristinIt was awkward, but we should have just called security. That's what I'm saying. Yes, why wouldn't we do that? Why was it me and anyone else who happened to be asked? You know, I never shoplifted. I did. You didn't, yes, I did. Dad had to come pick me up from Meyer.
SPEAKER_01You shoplifted from the I was with made me do it.
KristinI shoplifted a um El Lisa lip smackers or whatever they were, the lip lip smackers. And then the guy took me into the security office and called dad, and then dad came to pick me up, and by that time it had been like hours. I don't know what the hell dad was doing, but it had been hours I was sitting there, and the guy was like, She's a good kid, I wouldn't worry about it. And he couldn't have just let you go. No, I think your parents have to come pick you up if you if you I also don't know how old you were so yeah, that was my one and only. That was my my life of crime. Yeah, I never shot. I've never shot aesthetic. What would you call that? Ooh, you've always wanted to be a jewel thief. Wouldn't that be amazing? I don't know. It seems like a lot of bending. You do yoga. Not like I'm not like amazing at yoga. I'm not like going through the lasers. I don't know. If I if if I was to be any kind of thief, I would definitely be a jewel thief. Like over like a bank robber or something. I mean you'd have to for a while. Yeah, but I mean you'd have to for a while until the heat was off. If because if you just had jewels and you didn't and you didn't sell them, you'd be poor with jewels. Yeah, you'd be just that lady in like a trailer with all your diamonds. It's fine. I have this crown and ramen noodles. I do like thief aesthetic though. A thief is not a good word. Jewel thief is though. Jewel thief is a good word. Jewel thief aesthetic. I accept it. Jewel thief summer aesthetic. Not winter. You don't want to wear furs. Ooh, yeah, okay. All right. That gives us more time to prepare. Yeah. Moving it to the water. So I don't know what aesthetic in Arizona in the summer is why bother? Yeah, no, if you're not in beach girl aesthetic, you know, in 115 degrees. If you're not in like I'm in my house air conditioned aesthetic. Oh, yeah, that's that's also true. And like all the water is hot. Yeah, there's no cold water that you can find anywhere. It's warm girl aesthetic. Oh, there we go. Warmed corpse summer corpse aesthetic. Warmed corpse summer aesthetic. I don't think anybody's gonna do that one. I like it. I'll try it. I'll try it this year. Okay. I put my corpse colored nail polish on it. You did actually it it's a lot nicer than I thought it was gonna be. It's a gray for people who you said yeah, do the gray. Not at first. Remember, I said don't do gray at first. But no, I I thought it's a warm gray, it's nice, but it is a little like zombie skin. Yeah, kind of, yeah. It's my there we go. We're moving literal toe dip into warm corpse aesthetic. What would my aesthetic be? But you're I really not my warm, not my warm corpse summer. Kelly, it's not so I have style. I don't have it. It's not a personality, it's just a look. It's not it kind of is a personality for somebody, but like I don't know if anybody's that flat of a personality. My my style is flat. No, I no, no, no. I was saying aesthetics, like like like when you're putting on an aesthetic, that's flat to me. But if you had to name mine, why am I naming yours? You name yours. Oh, is it kind of like giving yourself a nickname? You can't do that. Because then I'm gonna come up with something that's like brutal as chic. See, because that's not you don't see yourself the way other people see you. I get you. Like, what is your style? My aesthetic. If people were gonna be like, I want that aesthetic, I'm not saying they do. I'm just saying it's very hard, like off the cuff. That's my aesthetic off the cuff. No, no, I'm saying it's very hard to name off the cuff. Just like if I were to ask you what's my aesthetic, you would probably be like, I don't know. You're come as you are, fall girl. That's terrible. What does that even mean? I don't know. What does clean girl mean? Nothing. It means you showered. Apparently, it doesn't, so you could be dirty.
SPEAKER_01What is that? Come as you are? Like, what is that? No, it's not cheap. Like, what is that? I'll take anybody. Come as you are like you're sick, you're tired, you're poor, you're hungry, I don't care. I don't care. You're coming as you are. Yeah, but they're just you're basically just saying, I don't care. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care. That's not what I'm saying. See, like I was gonna say earth princess as I look for you. Earth princess. Like earthy. I'm earthy. Yeah, you are it's like a hippie. It's like the opposite of everything an animal stand for. No, it's not. I'm not a hippie. I didn't say hippie. You said earth princess. Yeah. Just like come as you are is still the earth princess over come as you are. I feel like come as you are. It's very nirvana.
KristinGreat, no, come as you are is like a 90s vibe. It's like the you just don't understand. So is that Zara? I really like their summer deal. I bought a sweater that looks like chain mail, and I bought silk black pants with a ruffle on the bottom.
SPEAKER_01Okay, and then you're gonna you're gonna give me shit about earth princess, chain mail shirts with ruffly silk pants, and you're gonna give me shit about earth princess.
KristinNone of those things say earth princess. Oh my god, they all say earth princess. Every single one of them says earth princess. I'm not a princess. Earth duchess? No, I don't want to be earth anything, organic duchess this summer. I can't believe neo-brutalism. Neo-brutalism? It's an aesthetic. Okay. Starting it right now. But yeah, but okay, I can't believe you told me you had a whole list of things to talk about. I it's different than what I thought. Yeah, but what did you want to say about whatever it was that you thought it was? You're thinking a lot for somebody who had a whole list of things to talk about. Oh no, no, no. Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Age Rules Time And Place Style
KristinI I made a list. That's right. I did make a list. I made a list. I literally made one. But like, let's let's preface this for everybody. The list is literally one sentence. So I was on Instagram. No, it's three things. I was on Instagram, and this influencer said she was in Zara or Aritzia or something. Then she picked up a slip dress and she was like, This is neat, but if you're not 20 years old, you won't wear it. Like you shouldn't wear it if you're not 20 years old. Basically, that's what she was saying. Okay, okay. So now you won't wear it. It's that it's not a good thing. Well, she said won't as in like, oh, you would never wear this unless you were 20 years old. And I was like, people should wear what they want and look good in. Uh I do. I think that that's good. I think that you should look like yourself. You shouldn't try to look like someone else. No, and that might mean that you wear a slip dress. It also might mean, which is my new thing that I'm seeking out right now, slides with knee socks.
SPEAKER_00Oh wow, we took a we took a left.
KristinNo, I'd wear it all together.
SPEAKER_00You wear a slip dress with slides and knee socks.
KristinTell me I couldn't pull it off. Tell me, tell me I couldn't. Actually, it's very on brand for you. So I mean, who am I? I can't do socks with sandals. It's just not my thing. By the end of the summer, I feel weird. It'll be part of your come as you are washing. It won't because A, because that's not my aesthetic. Come as you are 90s girl is not my aesthetic ever. But B, just no. And like by the end of the summer, it's 115 degrees here. I'm not putting socks on wear 115. 115 degrees. I have a full-on black turtleneck with long sleeves and socks and sandals on pretty much the entire summer. Yeah, because you're nuts. When have you ever seen me in anything summer? But two dollar flippity flops. Exactly. Because it's 115 degrees. Even when it's 30 degrees outside, you have your two dollar flippity flops. Oh, I have shoes. I have regular shoes. I wear regular shoes now. I just I don't think that we should be telling anyone what they should wear based on age. Like I do fundamentally agree with what you're saying, but I also think that we do need to remind ourselves about styling as appropriate. Like when we went to the ramen restaurant and there was the lady in the basically nude lace dress, your ass cheeks were out at a restaurant. People are eating there. That's a whole nother thing. I don't want your ass cheeks anywhere near my phone. But if yeah, and if you're in Vegas, go on with your bad self. Yes, exactly. Yes, time and place appropriate. Like it's one thing on a red carpet, it's another thing out in the world, even for celebrities. Like if I was at the mall and I saw a celebrity walking around in an in a lace dress, it wouldn't work. I do feel like it would work if they were comfortable. No, no, I think you would feel differently if they were comfortable. That lady didn't look comfortable, she was fidgeting because no one is comfortable naked out in public, and you shouldn't be. Yeah, it's the fidgeting, which can happen in pretty much anything. You can be wearing frumpy jeans and a frumpy shirt and not feel good and fidget. And I'm not saying you can't move around, I'm not saying you have to be a statue. And I used to fidget when I was uncomfortable. That's because I was uncomfortable. Yeah, and I think that's a big part of curating your inside and your outside. Let's let's call it living inside out aesthetic. Living inside out all year aesthetic. All seasons, all seasons. No, I get well, and I I think you should take parts of all these different aesthetics, right? Because I think there is some not not like playing dress up, but I I think you can figure some things out about yourself by by wearing different hats and yeah, stretching yourself and stretching what you think. And if it doesn't work out, you stick them in the goodwill bag and let it be someone else's aesthetics. I just don't know about the flatness of like, I'm gonna take a whole vibe. Yeah, a whole vibe, and that's me. And it's like, well, why can't you take pieces of? Things and put it into what is you. So this maybe comes, maybe it's a stretch. Maybe it's a segue. Maybe it's a stretch. Okay. I'm here for it. Okay. So I was thinking the other day about the quote from Empire Records that's I don't have to explain my art to you, Warren, because I want to take one of my blazers and like paint that on it. And I was thinking about that as you brought up aesthetic, because I do think that that's a big piece of it. And it's probably a piece that's missing out of what you're calling aesthetic. I'm not calling it aesthetic.
SPEAKER_01That's what it's called. I might have got the look wrong, but the like the idea of it I got right.
KristinLike it is, like that's what it is. People call it aesthetic. I don't call it aesthetic. But I I maybe that's what's missing is a little bit of that. Like, I don't have to explain my art to you. Like, I don't have to explain my age and what I'm wearing to you if I feel confident in it. I don't have to explain my neo-brutalism versus earth princess. Organic duchess. Is that better? No, because I'm not organic. Oh my god. I am I am decidedly man-made. Anyway, I don't have to explain it. I don't care what the heck you think about my outfit. Because it's me. It's me inside out. I don't have to care. And because it's me, I feel very confident in it. And I don't think anyone bats an eye because it just looks like me. And I think that's a big part of it. I don't have to call it anything because it comes from the inside. And and I think that's kind of touching on the idea of why aesthetic is kind of ick to me. It's like everything, like you said, not everything needs to be explained. Not everything needs a name. Not everything needs to be put in a nice little box. And I don't know, call it the 90s in me or whatever. But like I have an aversion to like over-explaining things. Like just do it. Just do the thing and let it be you. What is this? Like, what why are you putting on a costume? Right. If you if you see someone else and you're like, oh, that looks good, make maybe maybe go out and look for it. But make it your own. And don't take the whole vibe. Take whatever piece of that that resonated with you. Because that piece of it is you. Maybe you're maybe you're full on clean girl. Can you be yano aesthetic? Ooh. Yeah, no. Yeah, I know. Could be. And then if you're going real wild, it could be yano, yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's a Midwest thing. It's not just a crisszy thing. I don't say it. Maybe it is just a crissy thing.
KristinYeah, no. No, no, no, yeah. No, yeah, no. That's your aesthetic. Yeah, no. Yay.
Biblically Accurate Angels And A Bold Reset
KristinOkay, so the other thing I'm super into right now. Okay. Biblically accurate angels. Which I think is an aesthetic. I don't know how to react to this, but I also don't know what you mean. So explain more. So angels who are biblically accurate. Uh-huh. So like less steel, it's like it's like angel core, but darker. Because biblically accurate angels are like not what's the show? Michael? Oh, but Michael's a good one. Biblically accurate angels. So like smiting and yeah. Like meddling and meddling. Like giving humans fire and doing things that they shouldn't have been doing. I don't know anything about that, but I'm gonna look into it. Okay, I'll look into it. But smiting for sure. Gotcha. Like more like super more like Castilla, more like real angels. Yet the celestial aesthetic part of it is still the same. Is it though? Mm-hmm. In my mind. Okay. I can't fight with that. Okay. And like what are we doing with these biblically accurate celestial angels? Learning. Okay. So we're just into it. We're not talking. It's this is not an aesthetic you're going for. You're not gonna like come to the gym and like wings.
SPEAKER_01I don't think they have wings with a flaming sword.
KristinI would do that. Okay. But no one's gonna let me. They're not gonna let me in. Even if I have my app on my phone, the barcode, they're not gonna let me in. I don't know though. I mean, they're just teenagers. They might let me in. They might let me in. They'd probably call somebody though. They'd probably call a manager. You could probably get in though. Cause I have a flaming sword. Yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty I'm pretty sure they'd be like, I bought Go ahead, ma'am. I bought a card deck, kind of like tarot, but it's not tarot. Okay. It's be not afraid, and it's a biblically accurate angel card deck. Okay. And I've been pulling cards when I have questions. Okay. And it's been pretty accurate. Give me an example. Today I pulled me and ChatGPT. Oh wait, oh hold on. Back up. Pause. How did Chat GPT pull a card? It didn't. I pull the cards and then I take a picture and ChatGPT interprets them for me. Can't you just read it in the book that came with the card, Dek? But then I don't get the magic of interpretation. Because it puts it all together for me. It puts it all together. Okay, carry on. That's fine. We're just gonna Metatron, Pennyum, and Barbieal. So the creative matrix, the mightier than the sword, and the heel and reveal. So what kind of question? What was your question? My question was what should I know going forward into this week? It's not predicting the future, it's just giving you vibes. Okay, and so what's your vibe? It was a rainbow coming into this lady's head, and her whole mouth and and her hands are bound. And then the two on the other sides were creative cards. So if I can get out of my own way, basically, I can do the things that I want to do, but I'm in my own way. You know, I'm gonna start doing what? Cutting up my wedding dress. Oh. Wow. Like the whole thing, like a dress, or like you're gonna put pieces of it. Not true yet. Okay. See how far the cutting goes. All right. My wedding dress has a big wine stain down the back. Who spilled wine on you? No idea. Was it me? Probably you.
unknownOkay.
KristinIt's most likely you. Which sucks because I wanted to donate it, but so donate it. You don't think someone would want it? With a wine stain on it? I don't know. They can clean it up. Maybe that's maybe their aesthetic is sloppy bride.
SPEAKER_01Sloppy bride, sloppy fall bride aesthetic. No.
KristinSloppy fall bride aesthetic.
SPEAKER_01Come as you are. Come as you are. Oh my god. That is me. I told you it was thinking 'cause it's good.
Final Laughs And Sign Off
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