Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 205

(2/3) “It began to seem like my destiny was to be a fashion...

(2/3) “It began to seem like my destiny was to be a fashion designer. So many things started happening for me. I started studying fashion at the Art Institute. I was invited to show at Fashion Week in South Africa. I won an award for emerging designers. Then right before graduation, the greatest thing of all happened. I got an email from my favorite actress’s stylist. You have to understand how much I loved this actress. I used to daydream about being her best friend. She was my inspiration. She was the model I used for all my sketches. And now she wanted to wear one of my dresses during a trip to Kenya! The stylist requested that I send ten samples to choose from. I borrowed $5,000 to make the dresses. I worked for weeks. I couldn’t sleep. I even skipped my final portfolio presentation to deliver the samples. I told everyone: my friends, my professors, and even the president of my school. Everyone hugged me and said: ‘We aren’t surprised. You have so much talent. You were meant for greatness!’ Over the next few weeks, I refreshed the actress’s website all day long, waiting to see my dress.”

(1/3) “I used to work at a bank in Cameroon. I designed...

(1/3) “I used to work at a bank in Cameroon. I designed clothing as a hobby, but I never really saw it as a possible profession. There really is no such thing as a ‘fashion designer’ in Cameroon. If you make clothes, you are known as a ‘seamstress.’ When I arrived in America, I realized that it was possible to pursue a career in fashion. At first I tried to become as Western as possible. I tried to change my accent. I wore extensions and straightened my hair. I started wearing high-end name brands. But when I finally went back to Cameroon for a visit, I was able to see my country with new eyes. I’d always viewed the culture as local and primitive because it was all I’d ever known. But having gotten some distance, I could appreciate its beauty. As soon as I got back to America, I cut my hair and sewed myself a traditional dress. I wore the dress to my job at Saks 5th Avenue, and a customer asked me where she could find it in the store. That gave me so much confidence.”

For 72 hours every year, Amazon and Barnes and Noble actually...

For 72 hours every year, Amazon and Barnes and Noble actually sell $30 HONY books for $10. We’ve dressed Simon in his favorite pair of pajamas to let you know: THAT TIME IS NOW. Here’s the math:

HONY Stories Retail Price: $29.99
HONY Stories Wholesale Price: $14.99
HONY Stories for the next three days: $10.50

That’s a $4.50 loss on every book sold. Which is a $4.50 win for us. Honestly, these books are so cheap that Santa just shut down the workshop and ordered a bunch of HONY books. He’s sitting on a beach right now getting hammered. For anyone that’s interested, the links are below. Along with the coupon codes you’ll need at checkout. They are valid through Sunday. Happy Holidays!

AMAZON
HONY Stories: http://amzn.to/1aXqwEk
Humans of New York: http://amzn.to/1FBuzy4
*30% off Coupon Code: HOLIDAY30

BARNES AND NOBLE
HONY Stories: http://bit.ly/1Idvkoa
Humans of New York: *30% off Coupon Code: 30BFRIDAY

“I decided to become a teacher because I knew what it was like...

“I decided to become a teacher because I knew what it was like to grow up poor, and I wanted to help kids in similar circumstances. I didn’t expect it to be easy. But I guess I thought there’d be only one or two kids acting up in class, and everyone else would be paying attention. Instead it’s only one or two kids who actually behave. I’m drained every day. I’ve been teaching for thirteen years. And if it wasn’t for summer break, I’d have quit already. Forty percent of my job rating is based on standardized testing. It’s the only job I know where your performance is based on how other people behave. I can’t control what’s going on outside my classroom. I can’t control if my kids are from abusive households, or don’t eat breakfast, or can’t get to school on time. But those things affect my rating when they show up in test scores. I need to find a new career where my performance is based on me.”

“At first I didn’t think he was manly enough. He would...

“At first I didn’t think he was manly enough. He would do anything I asked. He was very easy to manipulate.”

“I just lost my first tooth. I was at Times Square and I just...

“I just lost my first tooth. I was at Times Square and I just swished it to the side and it came out and it didn’t even hurt. My cousin Melissa said that that I could write a book about losing my tooth in Times Square. Melissa is also my teacher’s name. I put my tooth under my pillow and I got five dollars and a toothbrush from the tooth fairy. I didn’t see the tooth fairy but my friend Jamie saw it once and said it had wings and a shirt and maybe some pants!”

“I’d always wanted children, but I just never met the guy. So I...

“I’d always wanted children, but I just never met the guy. So I decided to go to a sperm bank. I started trying when I was 42, and I had her when I was 45. People always ask me if it’s hard being a single mother. I say: ‘Yes. But not as hard as it would be if I didn’t have her.’”

Remember the young man from last week who said he wanted to...

Remember the young man from last week who said he wanted to interview the Director of NASA? Well his name is Max, he just filed his report, and there are already murmurs about a Pulitzer. After an intense bidding war with all the major media organizations around the world, HONY narrowly edged out the New York Times to secure the rights to the story:

“It all started when I was walking with my dad down a street in midtown. A man, Brandon (an amazing photographer) met me, took our picture and I told him what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said I wanted to be a reporter and that my dream would be to interview the head of NASA. And then NASA responded, how amazing is that? NASA then invited me to interview the administrator today and I learned so much but I’m going to focus on a few things. First of all, I learned that in 2030 we will be on mars! Next, Administrator Bolden (a very nice man) told me that 90% of the film “The Martian“ is real except the size of the dust storm because the atmosphere is too dense. After the interview, we went to the NASA Headquarters Space Operations Center, where I watched the sunrise live from the space station – they see it 16 times a day. I had so much fun and I hope one day that I’ll be able to work for the news again.”

– Max

“I’ve got a little bit of man tits. I know,...

“I’ve got a little bit of man tits. I know, you’d never guess. It’s the nipples. Really big nipples.”

“It’s our anniversary tonight. He shopped for Mama. Mama got a...

“It’s our anniversary tonight. He shopped for Mama. Mama got a new bracelet. Mama got earrings. Mama did good. Now we’re going to a steakhouse. I’ve been preparing for this all week. I’ve been cleansing. I took supplements. I’m wearing my Spanx.”
“Don’t tell him that.”
“I’ll say whatever I want. I’m wearing my Spanx. He thinks we’re going to a club later so he can see some booty ass naked women. But we’re going home. Only booty he’s gonna see is me with my Spanx off.”