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

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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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to the Curation, a show for the
culturally curious.
This is your host, noor Hassan.
Each week, I'll guide youthrough a curated edit of the
finest in art, fashion, design,culture, luxury, wellness, tech
and more.
This is your go-to space fordiscovering trailblazing ideas,
untold stories and meaningfulconversations with innovators

(00:28):
and creators who are shaping ourworld.
There's no gatekeeping here, sosit back, tune in and let's
discover only the best together.
Hi guys, I said that I'm verybusy.

(00:49):
I didn't mean to do that.
I'm doing a podcast, so Idecided that I'm going to do it
today, and it's going to beabout a controversial topic, as
usual, and you guys like thesetopics a lot, lot.
So today's topic is aboutoriginality and how we actually

(01:12):
you know we all stopped beingoriginal and how to actually
start to get your originalityback.
The most thing I notice in thissummer actually more than any

(01:40):
other safe is that the amount ofpeople who look like they're
copy-p, although honestly, Ithink this is true.
I mean, it's not possible thatwe're all wearing the same
slippers, we're all wearing thesame bags, we're all wearing the
same dresses and shirts andthings like that, and I always
think to myself, like, in thefuture, if I have a daughter

(02:00):
like would I want her to looklike a clone of all of her
friends?
I don't know.
This topic really bothers me alot because I feel that one of
the best things, the bestcompliments that I used to get
growing up is people used totell me I love your style.
It's so unique, your character,your style, that you always

(02:23):
stand by who you are.
So I think that we're losingthe art of being ourselves.
We're losing the art of kind offearlessly and unapologetically
and without thinking about whowill think what and say what,
that we should be ourselves,that we should be original, that

(02:46):
we should actually wear what wewant and talk in the way we
want.
And I did a very famous episodeonce called that Girl how to Be
that Girl okay.
And this episode went viral, Ithink, because people wanted to
hear that it's okay to beyourself and I, as Noor, one of
the things that made me start apodcast, لأن الناس كان نفسها

(03:07):
تسمع أنه it's okay to beyourself.
وانا كنور, من أكتر الحاجات الليخلتني أبتدي podcast واني أبتدي
platform اسمها.
The curation is in كنت حاسة أنهمفيش حد بيوريني رأيو بقد مفيش
حد.
In his reviews there's no onewho chooses the things that he
really uses and shows us and I,honestly, I factually I'm not

(03:29):
like this.
I factually don't do this.
Actually, because you can askmy friends.
They tell me and ask me a lotabout skin care, makeup, fashion
, confidence, so many things.
I'm so proud of that where Iwould never compromise that
because I don't actually love.

(03:53):
So I think I'm gonna give you afew tips in this episode on how
I think we can bring back ouroriginality and our personality,
because I personally scrollthrough TikTok and Instagram and
you're just scrolling,scrolling, scrolling and like,
honestly, you're not seeinganything new.
Like, how many Orans can I see?

(04:16):
Like how many, um, I don't knowlikeochie 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 avictim to this let's say not
victim, but yeah, I've fallenfor it, you know.
Because how can you not?
If you see the same thing amillion times, how can one have

(04:39):
an opinion of oneself and startfeeling like times, is they in
the way head, you're dirty, youcan run right now.
So we didn't actually like theway that you know bag looks, or
the way those sandals look, orthe way that dress looks like.
Actually, I hate patterns,muscle on, you know.
I don't want to wear a dressthat's like a Missoni zigzag,

(05:01):
whatever.
Like that's not me.
Yeah, I know how Satan will hitthe pad.
That's like a Missoni zigzag,whatever.
Like that's not me.
You know what I mean.
You don't go there withyourself at all and it's really
strange.
So, anyways, my number one tipto kind of get back to that is

(05:23):
to curate your following, andI've spoken about this so much.
There's an episode I did calledBoundaries and Blocking that
you can listen to, and it's so,so cool and viral.
We've got the episode where Italk about how to set boundaries
, but this is not what I'mtalking about.
And number eight, I do a trickthat I'm going to share with you
guys.
I filter who I'm following,okay, and not just like this.

(05:48):
I very carefully, very carefully, think twice before clicking
follow.
I have folders for Instagramand I started making folders for
TikTok, okay, and let's say, Ilook at a fashion brand and I
think, hmm, I like it, but Idon't love it, I shouldn't
follow.
Okay, I'll put it in a folderthat I've created called fashion

(06:11):
, the saved folders.
So my biggest hack is the savedfolders on social media will
allow you to save things.
Think about it before you clickfollow, and then you see that
in your face every single day.
So you start to think of courseI do love that style or that
brand or that person, and thisis really important with

(06:34):
influencers, you can even createa folder called influencers and
kind of put the ones that youlike but don't love in the
folder and don't follow.
Yet and I'm saying this assomeone who is a content creator
, as someone who is a contentcreator and an influencer
actually.
So imagine.
But I mean it seriously though.

(06:57):
So ultimately, I just think youknow I have my head into you.
Don't go ahead and followpeople so quickly because you're
just saying that that's likeyour aesthetic, that's something
you vouch for.
You are promoting those, thosepeople.
You are platforming them andpeople, brands, whatever you
want to call it.

(07:17):
If you don't really mean it,then why did you do it?
You know what I mean.
Tani Haiga is something I yapabout all the time, which is
that you need to learn to sitwith yourself and kind of go
shopping alone for a day.
You know, don't take all yourfriends, don't go with your mom,
don't go with whatever.
Just go shopping online or inperson or whatever and just look

(07:40):
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?

(08:01):
What do I want to look like inperson?
So, spending time with yourselfand trusting your own opinion,
your own opinion, shopping, asthey call it?
No, it's okay, I go home, I goto the store.
Personally, I hate shoppingwith other people because I know

(08:23):
my style very well and,although it's fun, I know
exactly what I like and what Idon't like.
Okay.
So that's the second point.
And no, spend time withyourself, curate your own
wardrobe, your own thoughts,your own aesthetic, and then
present it to the world, afteryou've made sure to curate your

(08:45):
online presence and your onlineconsumption.
Because we're not going to lieto ourselves and say that
everyone's screen time isn'tinsane.
So it is what it is, guys, youhave to embrace it.
And my last thing and I don'twant to make this episode too
long, because there's a lot ofdifferent things that I would
love to speak to you guys moreabout is, in order to have
originality, you need tocultivate the fearlessness, the

(09:08):
fearless side of you.
You have to be unapologetic andyou have to stand your ground.
And how do you do this?
By practicing.
So what if you wear somethingand you feel that it's so weird
and it's not on trend, but Ilove it, and so what?
You know, try your best tostand your ground and you're

(09:32):
gonna find that it's notembarrassing, and people will
eventually and I'm gonna reallytell you this as someone who has
had experience from all theywill copy you, they will
compliment you, they will askyou how you're doing it, and the
only way that happens is ifyou're being yourself and we're
bombarded by clones, I would saycopy-paste of everything.

(09:54):
So if you forget or you show anew personality, a new way, a
new point of view, anything new,that's going to be your edge.
So I just really, really neededto talk about this.
I hope it was helpful toliterally anybody and I'll see
you guys on my next episode.
Thank you for listening.

(10:20):
Don't forget to follow at theCuration Podcast and stay tuned
for all of our future episodes,as well as at Noor Hassan and at
Pilates by Noor, for all of mycontent.