Ella Emhoff on the Advice Her Therapist Gave Her
Bazaar’s 2022 Icons issue celebrates a rising generation of stars—people 30 years old or younger—who are making an impact on the world through their ideas and their art. Here, we talk to Ella Emhoff, who first captured the world’s attention with her personal style at the inauguration of her stepmother, Vice President Kamala Harris, and has since gained acclaim as a model, artist, and designer.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My therapist gave me one of the best pieces of advice ever, which was “Compare and despair.” It’s the idea of, if you compare yourself to people, you’re always going to feel this sense of emptiness, so kind of just focus on yourself, and then whatever anyone else is doing, they’re doing it. Doesn’t matter.
When do you feel the most iconic?
These days, I think it’s harder to feel iconic. I think just with the state of everything, there’s less moments where I’m like, wow, I’m doing something iconic, or I’m being the most iconic. But I felt really iconic when I was a kid. I really had a lot of confidence, and I would do things that just felt like I’m the boss bitch of this world. I think whenever I try to feel iconic, I think back to little Ella and what would she do?
What’s the most iconic zodiac sign to you?
I mean, obviously a Gemini for so many reasons, meaning I am also a Gemini. But you know, we’re really complex. There’s two sides of us, and one of them is maybe a little scarier, but then the other side is really iconic, no matter what other people say, because we’re really an underrepresented sign.
Read more from Bazaar’s 2022 Icons issue.
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