Hi Stephanie, so enjoyed reading this yesterday. Such an inspiring perspective about such an iconic woman. Was reflecting on it today and, (through a rather random thought flow remembering my best friend and her daughters recently arrive on holiday completely bare faced), wondered how you felt about another somewhat iconic woman - Pamela Anderson. I'm fascinated by her recent personal 'rebrand' which appears to have changed perception of her and perhaps even created a new role model. Fascinating to know if the recent rave reviews she's received for The Last Showgirl are a reflection of the actress she has always been or if the shift in perception has made people view her differently?
Our thoughts have a wanderlust all their own which I find delightful; I love where yours took you. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.
As for Pamela Anderson, just wow.
Initially 'relaunched' by the press, Anderson took the reigns and took it to the next level — that's power right there. When I go out without makeup I feel incognito, my favourite state. It's so freeing, letting go of all the shackles of the status quo. In Anderson's case, she told Martha Stewart that she didn't think anyone would notice. And I don't think anyone would have except that she's, well.... she's Pamela Anderson!
If I think about her in terms of personal brand, I see her as a woman who is 1000% comfortable in her own skin, has embraced life beyond the insecurities of youth, no longer interested in the male gaze or public adoration (the latter only as a tool to wield on her own terms), has transcended the status quo, strategically leveraged the attention to launch a skincare brand (that has sold out of many items!), — it's the ultimate superhero comeback as a public figure - somewhat of an anti-influencer, which only elevates her influence - and I'm in utter awe.
That's such a neat observation, thank you so much. I love that you picked up on the different threads and how they fit together; that really makes my heart smile.
I really enjoyed both the content and format of this read! It doesn’t take millions in marketing to create your brand. All you need is to learn how to position your authenticity in a way that’s digestible to your audience.
This is the first homework assignment I’m excited to do. My life goal is to live true to myself in both a personal and professional setting. With change being a constant, I know these questions will help me realign when necessary.
Diamond, I'm blown away — you've articulated the essence of the message so easily. There's a quote I lean into which has inspired me to approach questions in a different way, maybe it will inspire you, too:
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” — Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Thank you so much for such an awesome compliment. I hear you on Li — it's a great place to connect & network with likeminded and complementary pros, but Substack is like a cognitive pinball machine. The discourse over here is thoughtful and interactive in the most beautiful way. It's drawn me back to sharing my ideas and makes it so easy to do that. I'll share posts via LI, but Substack is where my heart is rn.
Using Marilyn Monroe as the poster child for personal brand tenacity and authenticity is (for me anyway) unexpected - but the examples you gave in her life - and all the other influencers you featured - illustrated the action points in your masterclass workbook beautifully.
This feedback means the world to me, thank you so much. I love finding finding connections between seemingly unrelated things, but this was ambitious even for me! Her story has been fuel for my life & work for over a decade, and I'm glad to finally share it. Thanks also for being first subscriber to brandlust, I'm so glad you're here!
Enjoyed your article Stephanie and was doing the class homework you set.
On your final question about what would be healing or empowering, perhaps we can’t answer this before doing it e.g. by showing vulnerability about our personal experience, and daring to do so, we then find it healing (or not) or we find it empowering (or not) but couldn’t or didn’t know this beforehand. It took courage.
From my POV, sometimes even what I want to do requires a leap of faith or heart/ mind committed to experiment. Emotionally, I lean in to how I feel to assess it's direction (is it a POTENTIALLY or a HELL NO?!); practically, I dip my toe in to test it out. Personally, I like to feel stretched, and enjoy leaning into a modicum of discomfort. What's your style?
Just calling my newsletter 'brandlust' felt terrifying — what does using the word 'lust' in the name say about me?!? what if it deters traditional brand teams from hiring me?!? what if ANYTHING I say can be used as a reason not to give me a contract?!? (— had to deal with all of these thoughts just with the pub name alone!) But I thought f*ck it, I LOVE it, and it felt extra empowering to make it a saucy purple ;)
Sharing how much Marilyn Monroe's story has inspired my life & work also felt like a stretch — she's not the obvious poster child for authenticity, relatability, and connection (or growth marketing!!!), but her story has inspired me more than anyone else. I wasn't sure how to share, but leaned in and discovered how to connect the dots with other creators, which enabled me to share as aspect of myself in a less obtrusive (& less vulnerable) way.
Sharing who you are is cumulative over time, word by word, action by action — it's completely idiosyncratic. As your comment suggests, we learn from our experiences. There's so much we can't control, but I find that deciding what I do and when, to whatever capacity I can — and regardless of outcome — is very empowering. And the 'doing' itself creates confidence.
I've been hugely inspired by something Brooke Castillo said, who was sharing something she learned from Dan Sullivan, and I am now paraphrasing:
"Commitment is the first step, followed by courage, then capability, and finally confidence."
Hi Stephanie, so enjoyed reading this yesterday. Such an inspiring perspective about such an iconic woman. Was reflecting on it today and, (through a rather random thought flow remembering my best friend and her daughters recently arrive on holiday completely bare faced), wondered how you felt about another somewhat iconic woman - Pamela Anderson. I'm fascinated by her recent personal 'rebrand' which appears to have changed perception of her and perhaps even created a new role model. Fascinating to know if the recent rave reviews she's received for The Last Showgirl are a reflection of the actress she has always been or if the shift in perception has made people view her differently?
Our thoughts have a wanderlust all their own which I find delightful; I love where yours took you. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.
As for Pamela Anderson, just wow.
Initially 'relaunched' by the press, Anderson took the reigns and took it to the next level — that's power right there. When I go out without makeup I feel incognito, my favourite state. It's so freeing, letting go of all the shackles of the status quo. In Anderson's case, she told Martha Stewart that she didn't think anyone would notice. And I don't think anyone would have except that she's, well.... she's Pamela Anderson!
If I think about her in terms of personal brand, I see her as a woman who is 1000% comfortable in her own skin, has embraced life beyond the insecurities of youth, no longer interested in the male gaze or public adoration (the latter only as a tool to wield on her own terms), has transcended the status quo, strategically leveraged the attention to launch a skincare brand (that has sold out of many items!), — it's the ultimate superhero comeback as a public figure - somewhat of an anti-influencer, which only elevates her influence - and I'm in utter awe.
Wow. What a fantastic article. You give a history lesson and a masterclass playbook with other references. Very well done!
That's such a neat observation, thank you so much. I love that you picked up on the different threads and how they fit together; that really makes my heart smile.
I really enjoyed both the content and format of this read! It doesn’t take millions in marketing to create your brand. All you need is to learn how to position your authenticity in a way that’s digestible to your audience.
This is the first homework assignment I’m excited to do. My life goal is to live true to myself in both a personal and professional setting. With change being a constant, I know these questions will help me realign when necessary.
Congrats on the first of many successes!
Diamond, I'm blown away — you've articulated the essence of the message so easily. There's a quote I lean into which has inspired me to approach questions in a different way, maybe it will inspire you, too:
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” — Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Wow this is amazing. You should publish on LinkedIn and maybe even do a LinkedIn series on this!
Thank you so much for such an awesome compliment. I hear you on Li — it's a great place to connect & network with likeminded and complementary pros, but Substack is like a cognitive pinball machine. The discourse over here is thoughtful and interactive in the most beautiful way. It's drawn me back to sharing my ideas and makes it so easy to do that. I'll share posts via LI, but Substack is where my heart is rn.
Your first brandlust newsletter is great!
Using Marilyn Monroe as the poster child for personal brand tenacity and authenticity is (for me anyway) unexpected - but the examples you gave in her life - and all the other influencers you featured - illustrated the action points in your masterclass workbook beautifully.
Great job!
This feedback means the world to me, thank you so much. I love finding finding connections between seemingly unrelated things, but this was ambitious even for me! Her story has been fuel for my life & work for over a decade, and I'm glad to finally share it. Thanks also for being first subscriber to brandlust, I'm so glad you're here!
Enjoyed your article Stephanie and was doing the class homework you set.
On your final question about what would be healing or empowering, perhaps we can’t answer this before doing it e.g. by showing vulnerability about our personal experience, and daring to do so, we then find it healing (or not) or we find it empowering (or not) but couldn’t or didn’t know this beforehand. It took courage.
Really relevant observation.
From my POV, sometimes even what I want to do requires a leap of faith or heart/ mind committed to experiment. Emotionally, I lean in to how I feel to assess it's direction (is it a POTENTIALLY or a HELL NO?!); practically, I dip my toe in to test it out. Personally, I like to feel stretched, and enjoy leaning into a modicum of discomfort. What's your style?
Just calling my newsletter 'brandlust' felt terrifying — what does using the word 'lust' in the name say about me?!? what if it deters traditional brand teams from hiring me?!? what if ANYTHING I say can be used as a reason not to give me a contract?!? (— had to deal with all of these thoughts just with the pub name alone!) But I thought f*ck it, I LOVE it, and it felt extra empowering to make it a saucy purple ;)
Sharing how much Marilyn Monroe's story has inspired my life & work also felt like a stretch — she's not the obvious poster child for authenticity, relatability, and connection (or growth marketing!!!), but her story has inspired me more than anyone else. I wasn't sure how to share, but leaned in and discovered how to connect the dots with other creators, which enabled me to share as aspect of myself in a less obtrusive (& less vulnerable) way.
Sharing who you are is cumulative over time, word by word, action by action — it's completely idiosyncratic. As your comment suggests, we learn from our experiences. There's so much we can't control, but I find that deciding what I do and when, to whatever capacity I can — and regardless of outcome — is very empowering. And the 'doing' itself creates confidence.
I've been hugely inspired by something Brooke Castillo said, who was sharing something she learned from Dan Sullivan, and I am now paraphrasing:
"Commitment is the first step, followed by courage, then capability, and finally confidence."