Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 330

"I used to drink a bottle a day. But then I met my...

"I used to drink a bottle a day. But then I met my guru." 

(Amritsar, India)

"I’ve been overweight all my life. But I broke up with my...

"I’ve been overweight all my life. But I broke up with my boyfriend last year, and things weren’t going well, so it got worse and worse. I’d try to diet, but I’d eat something that I wasn’t supposed to. I’d try to go to the gym, but I’d leave early. I was trying to lose weight because I felt like I needed to be a different person. But time has passed now, and I think I’m approaching weight loss with a much more positive attitude. I know that I can be happy without losing weight. Sure, I wish I could wear prettier clothes. I wish I could take a photograph without my face looking like a football. But I know that I’m not my weight. And it’s hard to come to that conclusion. You really have to battle to separate your self-image from your weight. Because weight is always the first thing that somebody sees. Somebody will see you after a few years, and their first comment is about the weight you’ve put on. Maybe I’ve become a better person these last few years. Maybe I’ve been a great friend to someone. Maybe I’ve read a lot of books and become smarter. Maybe the reason I’ve put on weight is that I’ve got a great job that can be stressful and doesn’t leave me time to go to the gym."

(New Delhi, India)

"I’ve got to stop being so emotional. If someone is sad, I...

"I’ve got to stop being so emotional. If someone is sad, I normally start crying before they do."

(Amritsar, India)

"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of...

"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?"
"If you feed your children with food earned from corruption, they will be corrupt. If you feed your children with food earned from honesty, they will be honest."

(Dharamsala, India)

"He’s very naughty. He won’t play with his toys. He...

"He’s very naughty. He won’t play with his toys. He only plays with his kitchen utensils."

(Amritsar, India)

Thanks to all of you who came to the meet-up in Delhi. It went...

Thanks to all of you who came to the meet-up in Delhi. It went about as well as a spontaneous meet-up could possibly go. Amazingly, we were able to have a pretty organized, calm speech. Until the very end, of course, when we ran from the police. Coolest part for me was when the police were looking for someone to blame for the crowd, and asked: “Who is he with?” And everyone screamed in unison:
"All of us!"

Today in microfashion…(Jammu, India)

Today in microfashion…

(Jammu, India)

"Some people still prefer the arranged marriage, especially in...

"Some people still prefer the arranged marriage, especially in the countryside where tradition is still strong. The thought is that your parents know you very well, and will make the decision based on experience and not emotion. The divorce rate with arranged marriages is lower, because both families are heavily involved and there are many people committed to making the match work. But the tradition is on the way out. It used to be that you didn’t even see your wife until your wedding day, and you fell in love after your wedding, as you learned to support and care for each other. But today there’s Whatsapp and Facebook, so keeping two people apart is almost impossible. ‘Love marriages’ are becoming much more popular than arranged marriages, and even arranged marriages involve much more interaction than they used to. Many families still choose to uphold the appearance of an arrangement. Their children will come to them and say: ‘I fell in love.’ And they’ll say: ‘OK, let us arrange it.’"

(Jammu, India)

At an Indian wedding, the bride has a tough act to...

At an Indian wedding, the bride has a tough act to follow…

(Jammu, India)

Today in microfashion…(Jammu, India)

Today in microfashion…

(Jammu, India)