<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="14710" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Britney-spears">Britney Spears</keyword> was a <keyword id="7" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="style">style</keyword> icon in the 1990s and 2000s.</li><li>Many of today's female celebrities and influencers wear styles that are similar to Spears'.</li><li>Spears was constantly shamed for her style and is rarely credited for her impact on the industry.</li></ul><p>I can't think of <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/britney-spears">Britney Spears</a> without thinking of my 10th birthday party.</p><p>I celebrated hitting double digits by listening to "Toxic" on repeat, dancing in my living room with a gaggle of my friends until the CD player gave out from overuse. </p><p>As we danced, my friends and I tied our shirts up to give off the illusion that we were wearing crop tops. The Limited Too tank tops we all wore underneath our clothes ensured no one saw our stomachs, but we didn't care. We wanted to look as much like Spears as we could, and tying our shirts - and crimping our hair - was the most effective strategy we could think of. </p><p>My friends and I loved everything about the "Hit Me Baby One More Time" star - not just her fashion.</p><p>And while we were far from alone in our love for Spears and her style, the singer was also frequently the <a href="https://www.insider.com/framing-britney-spears-sexism-crossroads-2021-2">subject of criticism and ridicule</a>, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/framing-britney-spears.html?smtyp=cur&amp;smid=tw-nytimesimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times Presents</a>' documentary <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Fseries%2Fthe-new-york-times-presents-f22278d1-ef56-40e8-9227-af3a029ca6f4">"Framing Britney Spears"</a> examined.</p><p>People often attacked Spears' revealing clothing, arguing she wasn't a good role model for young fans because of what she wore. </p><p>Twenty years later, many of the trends Spears popularized are celebrities' go-to looks, highlighting her influence in the fashion world and how unfairly she was treated. And although we've made strides in the way we discuss their style, modern female stars face similar criticism to Spears, making clear we still have work to do when it comes to misogyny in fashion and <keyword id="6355064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Celebrity">celebrity</keyword> culture.</p><h2>Britney Spears became a fashion icon early in her career</h2><p>Although Spears became famous for her singing, her fans - and critics - were soon paying attention to every part of her life, keeping a particularly close eye on her fashion.</p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/britney-spears-style-evolution-2017-11">Spears' style choices</a> were notable because she often opted for clothing that was deemed suggestive at the time.</p><p>Early in her career, Spears was often pictured in crop tops, tight dresses, and sheer pieces during performances. But she wasn't afraid of experimenting with her fashion, either. Spears was also known for wearing cargo-style pants and denim pieces, as well as accessories like bucket hats.</p><p>But the daring pieces she sported in performances and music videos were often what people remembered, and magazine covers frequently featured Spears' latest looks in the late '90s and early 2000s.</p><div type="image" title="britney spears vmas 2001" height="2761" width="2000" msid="81093718" hostid="261"></div><p>Spears wasn't the only, or the first star, to popularize daring looks that showed off skin. </p><p>The members of <a href="https://www.insider.com/beyonce-fashion-2016-9">Destiny's Child</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/then-and-now-best-90s-girl-groups-2020-5">TLC</a>, and the <a href="https://www.insider.com/victoria-beckham-tight-clothes-insecurity-style-fashion-interview-2020-6">Spice Girls</a> were wearing crop tops and sheer outfits before Spears, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/mariah-carey-style-evolution-2018-3">Mariah Carey</a> was no stranger to breaking fashion boundaries either. The singer's peers, like <a href="https://www.insider.com/christina-aguilera-paper-interview-daughter-hair-dye-2018-3">Christina Aguilera</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/jessica-simpson-wears-pink-outfit-2020-2">Jessica Simpson</a>, were wearing similar looks, too.</p><p>But the combination of Spears' youth and her monumental stardom made her a lightning rod for attention, turning her into a bona fide fashion icon before she turned 18. </p><h2>Today, celebrities are wearing similar outfits to the looks Spears sported in her heyday</h2><p>Spears' early looks went out of style in the late 2000s, but they've made a comeback more recently.</p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/gen-z-fashion-trends-that-baby-boomers-will-never-understand-2020-6">Fashion trends from the 1990s and 2000s</a> have been on the rise over the last few years, with celebrities turning to retro styles like crop tops, bucket hats, and slip dresses. The revival of these styles reinforces Spears' role as a fashion taste-maker, as many of the outfits stars wear today look just like outfits the singer was wearing 20 years ago.</p><p>In fact, you can look to almost any of Spears' favorite looks from the 1990s and 2000s and find a celebrity who wore something similar in recent years.</p><p>For instance, Bella Hadid sported a see-through white crop top with loose pants in 2020.</p><p>The outfit looks similar to an ensemble Spears wore for a promotional shoot in 1999. Spears' transparent, white top and relaxed pants have the same energy as Hadid's modern look.</p><div type="image" title="britney bella hadid side by side" height="900" width="1200" msid="81093719" hostid="261"></div><p>Other stars have opted for red-carpet ensembles that look similar to outfits Spears wore early in her career.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrity-daring-dresses-red-carpet-2017-2#elsa-hosk-put-a-twist-on-the-underwear-as-outerwear-trend-for-the-vanity-fair-oscar-party-in-march-2018-15">sheer gown Elsa Hosk wore</a> to the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party looked like an updated version of Spears' minidress from the 2001 VMAs. </p><div type="image" title="britney spears elsa hosk" height="900" width="1200" msid="81093721" hostid="261"></div><p>The matching sets Spears favored early in her career are becoming popular again, too.</p><p>For example, in 2019, Halsey wore a tie-dye top and matching pants reminiscent of a set that Spears wore to perform in 2000.</p><div type="image" title="britney halsey side by side" height="900" width="1200" msid="81093724" hostid="261"></div><p>Spears was also a fan of shirts that drew attention to her navel, such as crop tops or shirts with cutouts on the torso.</p><p>Recently, stars have worn tops that look like copies of those Spears wore two decades ago. For instance, in 2020, Kendall Jenner wore what looked like a modern version of a crisscrossed, strappy pink tank top Spears sported in 1999.</p><div type="image" title="britney kendall" height="900" width="1200" msid="81093725" hostid="261"></div><p>These are just a few of the looks celebrities are wearing today that have roots in the outfits Spears popularized, highlighting her lasting impact on the fashion industry.</p><h2>Despite the popularity of her style, Spears was shamed for what she wore</h2><p>When modern stars wear styles that were popular in the '90s, the media and fans take notice, but typically it's merely to note the rise of a <a href="https://www.insider.com/fashion-and-clothing-trends-that-will-be-popular-in-2021">nostalgic fashion trend</a>.</p><p>But when Spears bore her stomach or opted for a sheer outfit, it was a scandal.</p><p>Throughout her career, Spears became an object of ridicule and shame, with her critics pointing directly to her outfits as a reason for insulting her on many occasions.</p><p>As shown in "Framing Britney Spears," comedians, reporters, and consumers vilified Spears for wearing revealing clothing. She was slut-shamed and presented as a danger to young fans.</p><p>In one of the most extreme examples, Kendel Ehrlich, the former first lady of Maryland <a href="https://www.insider.com/britney-spears-diane-sawyer-2003-interview-fan-backlash-documentary-reactions-2021-2">said in 2003 of the pop star</a>: "Really, if I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would."</p><p>Those critiques didn't come exclusively because of what Spears wore, but there's no denying her ensembles played a role in people's <keyword id="6356002" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="opinion">opinion</keyword> of her.</p><div type="image" title="britney spears grammys" height="603" width="804" msid="81093727" hostid="261"></div><p>The public also conflated Spears' outfit choices with her sexuality, with some talk-show hosts and journalists often asking Spears prying questions about her sexual activity or making inappropriate comments on her appearance. </p><p>Of course, Spears' outfits did not entitle anyone to information about her sex life or give people the right to make vulgar comments on her appearance, but they acted as if it did. </p><p>For instance, <a href="https://www.insider.com/framing-britney-spears-documentary-justin-timberlake-backlash-2021-2">a radio host once asked Spears' ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake if he had sex with Spears</a>, which is outrageous in and of itself. But Timberlake then said that he had slept with her, demonstrating that even those who were once close to Spears had no regard for her privacy.</p><p>Likewise, a study of profiles on Britney in magazines from early in her career highlights the public's fixation on her appearance as well. For instance, a <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/britney-spears-teen-queen-rolling-stones-1999-cover-story-254871/">1999 Rolling Stone</a> article about then 17-year-old Spears describes her chest as "ample" within the first 500 words of the piece.</p><p>The harassment was sexist and unfair, and few even realized it was a problem at the time.</p><p>The fault doesn't lie just with the media, either. Many of Spears' fans would read tabloid articles about her and engaged with gossip about her looks, her sexual activity, and her mental health, making even those who love her complicit in the abuse Spears experienced.</p><h2>We've made progress in allowing women to wear what they want, but we still have a lot of work to do</h2><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/britney-spears-father-coconservator-estate-judge-ruling-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spears</a>' refusal to tone down her look to make others comfortable emboldened a new generation of stars to experiment with their fashion as they see fit, but her contemporaries are still facing unfair criticism for their outfits today.</p><p>The critiques aren't always as extreme as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLHeN4bh3av/">Rosie O'Donnell calling Spears' outfits "trampy"</a> in an interview with Mariah Carey - but stars are still shamed for their ensembles nonetheless.</p><p>For instance, <a href="https://www.insider.com/kim-kardashian-mom-shamed-naked-photo-instagram-2018-1">Kim Kardashian West</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/ariel-winter-shamed-for-dress-response-2018-1">Ariel Winter</a> have both been slut-shamed for bearing skin in recent years, and Billie Eilish has said that she typically avoids wearing fitted clothing altogether to prevent people from commenting on her appearance, as <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/billie-eilish-baggy-clothes-calvin-klein">Teen Vogue reported</a>.</p><p>On one occasion when Eilish did wear a tighter tank top, people took to social media almost immediately to <a href="https://www.insider.com/billie-eilish-hated-body-baggy-clothes-reason-dazed-interview-2020-4">make sexual comments about the young star</a>.</p><p>Eilish was only 17 years old at the time, demonstrating that little has changed for famous women aside from their own confidence.</p><div type="image" title="billie eilish" height="1645" width="2193" msid="81093728" hostid="261"></div><p>We fail female celebrities when we equate their worth to the clothes they do or don't wear, sending the message that all that matters is how they look.</p><p>Our failure to stand up for Spears negatively impacted her mental health, and we owe it to the celebrities of today not to repeat history. </p><p>The cycle will continue if journalists, other celebrities, and fans don't realize that their words have consequences, which is why we have to call out sexist behavior toward female stars - and women in general - when we see it.</p>

Britney Spears' style was the blueprint for today's female stars, and she was shamed for it every step of the way

At Rosemead High, generations of students were harassed or groomed for sex as they tried to get an education

No way out

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwf9TcLyS5KDoLRLjke41Hg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Molly Burke</a> is a YouTuber with nearly two million subscribers.</li><li>She has collaborated with famous creators such as Shane Dawson, Colleen Ballinger, and James Charles, often being called the "blind girl" in the title.</li><li>She posts fashion hauls and hair dye videos, as well as educational content about <keyword id="16753" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Blindness">blindness</keyword>.</li><li>But Burke never wanted to be "the blind girl of YouTube." She'd rather there were many voices from her community on the platform sharing their own experiences to spread awareness.</li><li>She also doesn't want her <keyword id="56659" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="sight">sight</keyword> back, and believes in the social model of <keyword id="6371630" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="disability">disability</keyword> which means tackling the misconception that the only option to be successful, happy, and whole as a disabled person is through finding a cure.</li></ul><p><keyword id="9346871" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="molly-burke">Molly Burke</keyword> turned to YouTube when she lost her sight, and subsequently all her friends, at 14 years old.</p><p>Early teenage years are tough for anyone, but getting bullied and going blind on top of the hormones, puberty, and general unease sent Burke to a really dark place where she even considered suicide. It was delving deep into the world of YouTube that helped pull her out and find a new path.</p><p>"I somehow ended up stumbling upon the beauty lifestyle community and that kind of became my home on YouTube," she told Insider. "Because I found these girls who were all around my age, either 13, 14, or 15, and they were talking about all the things that I've always loved: makeup, fashion, dating — all of these things that at 14 felt so important to me. And honestly, at 26, still feel important to me."</p><p>She said it was like having friends again, because these were things teenage girls talk to their friends about when they're going shopping or having sleepovers, which Burke was no longer invited to. Her former friends stopped talking to her when bullies started seeing her as an easy target.</p><p>"It kind of filled that gap in my life," she said. "I could no longer look in store windows, read magazines, or swatch lipsticks on the back of my own hand at Sephora. But I could listen to them describe the colors of the lipsticks. I could listen to them talk about what clothes were trendy."</p><p>These videos were a way for Burke to get into the world of fashion and makeup again, through listening to her new-found best friends and big sisters.</p><h2>Starting her channel was a journey</h2><p>Burke knew she one day wanted to set up <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwf9TcLyS5KDoLRLjke41Hg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">her own channel</a>, but she didn't actually do it until she was 20. She said she always wanted to wait until she was at the tail end of her journey through recovery and self-acceptance rather than the beginning.</p><p>Even at 16 she had the wisdom to understand she wasn't ready, because if she set up her channel and received unkind comments they would destroy her. She knew she had to be in a place where she was fully secure with who she was.</p><p>To this day Burke gets comments saying she's faking her blindness, or suggesting she's been cured and is just continuing the facade for attention — all of which are things people would say to her back when she first lost her sight.</p><p>"It's something I faced at 14 and it crushed me because it felt so invalidating to the very real pain I was living with," she said. "But because I started at 20 when I worked so hard to get through that period in my life and get to the other side, by the time I was receiving those comments, I just laughed. It didn't bother me at all. I'm like, 'Oh, look at you with your cute little ignorance.'"</p><p><div type="image" title="Molly Burke" height="957" width="1275" msid="76200485" hostid="261"></div></p><p>One Reddit post Burke finds particularly hilarious is dedicated to a conspiracy about how she used to be blind, but she found the cure and is keeping it to herself.</p><p>"It was like, 'She knows too much about blindness to have not at one point been blind, but I think she either found a cure or got better,'" she said. "Like blindness is the common cold that you just recover from, or like I'm harboring the cure in my two-bedroom LA apartment. Like I know the cure for blindness but I'm not going to share it."</p><h2>Turning trolling into education</h2><p>Comments doubting Burke's disability have inspired her to highlight topics that the online world needs to know more about, such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBB8nIz9FW0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">why her eyes shake</a>, how she <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsDPU6tEblY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">can look at the camera</a>, and why the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TijjjfIx1w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eyes of blind people don't all look the same</a>.</p><p>Burke uses the criticism — whether it's made in good faith or is blatant trolling — to energize her to make more content to educate people. This was a lesson she learned through going to five different schools and getting bullied each time.</p><p>"By the time I was in grade 11 and 12, it was just like, 'Instead of letting it tear me down, I'm gonna let it fuel me up,'" she said. "Let it fuel my fire, raise me up, push me forward."</p><p>Once Burke had been on YouTube for a while, she received a comment that has stuck with her until today. The fan said they didn't just want to hear her talk about blindness, they wanted to hear about her life, too.</p><p>For Burke it was a relief, because before YouTube she already had a successful career as a motivational speaker. She loved educating people, but for over two years she was booked solid speaking about being blind, being bullied, and mental illness.</p><p>"I was starting to feel like things were defining me again," she said. "I wanted to have another creative outlet, another way to continue to entertain and educate like I did as a motivational speaker, but about the things that also make up Molly. The other facets of who I am: the girl who loves fashion and makeup, and dogs, and funny dating stories, and yoga, and tea, and bubble baths, and all of these other things. And so that's why I started the channel."</p><h2>Facing everyday discrimination</h2><p>Burke, and her trusty guide dog Gallop, now have a huge following of nearly two million subscribers. She has collaborated with some of YouTube's biggest stars, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH_Zq1ZS7O8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane Dawson</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THIC7O2N4Uo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colleen Ballinger</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQQit01HHLY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Charles</a>. To maximize clickbait in the titles and thumbnails, creators often refer to her as a "blind girl," which Burke has no issue with because it helps her spread awareness.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0hJlzkQr8Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In one recent video</a>, Burke emotionally told a story that she and Gallop face all too often. She'd reached a breaking point and had to talk about how Uber and Lyft drivers often cancel her rides when they see she has a dog with her.</p><p>"It was just a boiling point for me where I was noticing how much it was truly affecting me emotionally and how much it was weighing on me," she said. "I really needed to talk about it because at the end of the day, I do what I do in the hopes of creating change."</p><p>Burke explained in the video how one experience was a stark reminder that she isn't always treated equally because of her disability. After starring in a commercial and celebrating with her friends, her day was ruined when the ride she had ordered to get her home drove off upon seeing Gallop. </p><p>"My guide dog for me isn't a choice," she said in the video. "Gallop isn't a choice. Gallop is my mobility, he is my freedom, he is my independence. The best way I can explain it is Gallop to me is what a wheelchair is to someone who is paralyzed. It is a need, it is not a want."</p><p>Burke told Insider she believes people won't care about a cause until they are given a reason to, because there are so many issues in our world to be passionate about. That usually comes with having a family member or close friend who has a disability.</p><p>"I want to be that reason," she said. "I want people to feel connected to me enough to be that real human in their lives that makes them care about this community more and helps them understand that more."</p><h2>The 'blind girl of YouTube'</h2><p>Burke loves what she does because it combines her two passions: performing and educating. But she never intended to become the "blind girl of YouTube."</p><p>"I wanted to be one of many blind people, one of many disabled people, because their success doesn't take away from my success," she said. "Their success builds the success of our community, gaining representation and breaking barriers to the rest of society. And that's ultimately what I've always wanted."</p><p>Burke said if the blind community had more voices on YouTube, it would take a lot of pressure off her. Being a prominent blind person on YouTube means people often mistakenly think she represents the whole blind community.</p><p>"That has come with blind people being my biggest supporters and blind people being my biggest haters," she said. "Because the blind people who feel like I'm representing them love me. But the blind people who don't feel like I represent them dislike me because they don't feel like my content is authentic to them."</p><p>Burke's experience is just hers, and it shouldn't be taken as the one and only story there is. That's why she always wants to make it clear in her videos and public speaking that she is not all blind people.</p><p>"I'm Molly and Molly is blind," she said. "Don't take my experience as the experience of blindness."</p><p><div type="image" title="Molly Burke" height="1500" width="2000" msid="76200493" hostid="261"></div></p><p>In one example, Burke decided she was going to get laser hair removal on her legs, but she had never shaved before (which is a requirement before the procedure). Her mother, being an "Irish mama who grew up in the sixties," had never been that bothered about hair removal, so when the time came for Burke to ask her about it, she simply took her daughter to get waxed instead.</p><p>Burke thought it would be a fun video to film herself shaving her legs for the first time. She didn't expect the backlash she received.</p><p>"All these blind girls were like, 'You are making it seem like blind girls don't know how to take care of themselves, this is ridiculous,'" she said. "I was like, I'm sorry, did you ever hear me say that once in a video? Did you ever hear me say I'm the first blind girl ever to shave? Nope. Never said it."</p><p>The expectation to represent all blind people is not one Burke asked for, or something she thinks is fair. It's too much pressure for one person.</p><p>"I cannot bear that weight because no matter how hard I try, I can never represent every blind experience," she said, "And that's why I always encourage other blind people to make content and to share their perspective."</p><h2>Molly does not want to be cured</h2><p>Another thing that divides the blind community is wheter or not they want to be cured. Burke grew up in the world of the medical model of disability, which is the belief that a cure for your disease or condition is paramount. Essentially it means seeing disability through the lens of an able-bodied person, and assuming that it must be depressing, inconvenient, and terrible.</p><p>She was literally the face of a charity whose sole goal was to find a cure for her disease — a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina called Retinitis pigmentosa.</p><p>She does not think organizations and charities should stop searching for a cure, but she does want to change the way the world sees and talks about it. She's tired of the fundraisers that describe disabilities like blindness as a devastating, life-ending thing with a young girl who will "never pick her own wedding dress" or "see her family smile" because she "lives in darkness."</p><p>"If I'm being told that my whole life and then I go blind and there is no cure for me, how the hell am I supposed to feel about myself?" she said. "Depressed, broken, less than, incomplete? Like I need to be fixed or change in order to be whole, in order to be successful, in order to find love and success in life?"</p><p>Burke now believes in the social model of disability, which means tackling the misconception that the only option to be successful, happy, and whole as a disabled person is through finding a cure.</p><p>"That is absolute garbage," she said. "We as disabled people shouldn't be told that inherently we are less than or our life won't be as good because we are disabled."</p><p>The way we talk about a cure has a great impact on how we will live our lives, she said.</p><p>"It breaks my heart how many disabled people don't live life, they sit and wait for a cure," she said. "That is no way to live."</p><h2>Blindness is only one challenge</h2><p>Burke went through a long journey of feeling angry, broken, and hopeless to reach where she is now: She does not want to be cured. It took around four years of discussions with her disability mentor, with whom she is still very close, to be open to hearing that her life was enough as it is, and how she would be able to live happily without a cure to her blindness.</p><p>Part of that journey was accepting that a cure for Retinitis pigmentosa will probably never be found in her lifetime. Even if there is progress, it will probably a very expensive surgery that results in a slight improvement in shadow and light perception, which Burke has decided she does not want to put herself through. Returning someone's full vision is unlikely to ever be on the cards.</p><p>She has accepted that and she feels comfortable, happy, successful, and whole knowing that blindness is just one challenge she faces. If she was cured, all her problems wouldn't be gone. Her focus would just be on a different one.</p><p>For example, blind people are less likely to get divorced, which is a statistic Burke loves.</p><p>"My friend might get divorced and I might get to live my whole life in a happy marriage," she said. "Divorce is a challenge that they have to cope with. I've learned to deal with my challenges to live with them, to accept them, and to make the most of them. And so I'm not going to change my life in the hopes that I won't have challenges anymore, because that's unrealistic."</p><p>When Burke told her parents she no longer wanted her sight back, her mom breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Oh thank God."</p><p>"She was so relieved because, as a parent, she had felt so much pressure to help me be my best self," Burke said. "And she had always been taught to think that was through a cure."</p><p>She wants more able-bodied parents of disabled children to be open to the idea of the social model of disability because it takes away the pressure of needing to "fix" their child.</p><p>"It empowers everyone to just say, 'You know what? We can make damn best of this,'" she said. "We can live our best lives, be happy with the beautiful, wonderful child we do have and empower them to feel beautiful and confident the way they are."</p><p>Burke doesn't necessarily think anyone alive right now will live to see the world completely shift to this frame of mind, but she hopes to be at least 0.01% of helping bring that change.</p><p><div type="image" title="Molly Burke" height="1500" width="2000" msid="76200496" hostid="261"></div></p><h2><strong style="color: #000000;">She's overworked, but she's happy</strong></h2><p>Burke is currently raising money for <a href="https://www.mirausa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the MIRA Foundation</a> through <a href="https://fanjoy.co/collections/molly-burke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">merch sales</a>, which is a charity that provides <keyword id="1297268" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Guide-dogs">guide dogs</keyword> to blind people. The organization is having a really tough time right now, she said, because they are not able to train the dogs (which cost between $40,000 and $60,000) during the coronavirus pandemic and they receive no government funding.</p><p>"I'm trying to do my part right now to help my community," she said.</p><p>Her job is incredibly stressful and overwhelming at times, but she wouldn't change it for the world. She said even when she's feeling the pressure the most, she refuses to stop or slow down.</p><p>"I don't want to because I love this so much," she said. "I can be stressed and overwhelmed and overworked in a job that I hate or I can be stressed, overwhelmed and overworked in a job that I'm so passionate about."</p><p>That passion certainly comes through because her followers, both blind and sighted, can always find something to relate to. She said a lot of her content, be it swimwear hauls, hair dye attempts, or storytime videos about first dates, ultimately show her viewers "how normal I am."</p><p>"I think if you boil my experiences and story down to one thing that is relatable for everybody is that I've overcome challenges again, and again, and again," she said. "And I will continue to, and I encourage everybody else to do the same."</p><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/garrett-watts-profile-most-unpredictable-creator-youtube-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garrett Watts might be the most unpredictable creator on YouTube, and that's why fans live for his rare uploads</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/tana-mongeau-mental-health-jake-paul-and-her-explosive-career-2020-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tana Mongeau's authenticity is the secret to her skyrocketing career, but she'll probably never date anyone in the spotlight again</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/manny-mua-on-mental-health-cancel-culture-youtube-offline-life-2020-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beauty superstar Manny MUA says being 'canceled' led to the darkest period of his life. Now he writes his own narrative.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/jason-nash-burning-out-family-life-balance-genius-david-dobrik-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A former 'SNL' assistant turned YouTuber with millions of followers tells all about vlog-life — from eating toenails to burnout</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/life-and-controversies-of-youtuber-trisha-paytas-2019-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The life and controversies of YouTuber Trisha Paytas, from public feuds and breakups to identifying as 'a chicken nugget'</a></p>

Why Molly Burke, the 'blind girl of YouTube,' doesn't want her sight back

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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Just Eat/YouTube</span></p><p class="caption">Evans cast the characters for Just Eat's "Chicken Madras" ad last year.</p></div><p></p></div></div>In a small basement room in Soho, central London, Kate Evans - a casting director with more than 20 years experience - and I sat on a brown sofa, surrounded by camera equipment.</p><p>In front of us was a white screen, and a table covered in food.</p><p>We were at a casting session for a TV ad for a well-known restaurant chain, which I agreed not to name.</p><p>Cameraman Oggi, a filmmaker from Norway, was next to us. He explained that he films <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> auditions to pay the bills, while sending movies to film festivals, where he hopes his own work will get noticed.</p><p>The film industry is notoriously difficult to break into for actors and filmmakers alike. Even after years of drama school and promising auditions, many aspiring performers are left with their dreams of fame and riches in tatters.</p><p>Fortunately, you don't need well-honed acting skills to get screen time and earn a thick wage packet from commercials, the co-founder of <a href="http://www.kateandloucasting.com/">Kate and Lou Casting</a> told Business Insider.</p><p>Evans explained that being too well-trained can actually hinder your chances of getting a role in an ad.</p><p>"Lots of people are trained in theater and drama schools for years, so they act everything. In commercials, they just need to be themselves," she said.</p><h2>Actors can earn up to $30,000 from a single commercial</h2><p>It's a lucrative business. Actors in the UK used to be paid by the "repeat fee system," according to how many times the ad was played. However, that was replaced by a buyout system, where actors and companies agree on a set fee.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kate Evans</span></p><p class="caption">Kate Evans, casting director.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Starring in just one TV commercial, you can earn anywhere between £2,000 (about $3,000) and £20,000 (about $30,000) from a buyout.</p><p>The exact amount "depends on the product, the marketing space, and the media space," Evans said.</p><p>Celebrities can earn far more by endorsing products on ads, but, rather than being cast by people like Evans, they are approached directly by ad agencies.</p><p>Before the actresses entered the room we were sat in to audition for the role, Evans explained how the process works.</p><p>About 400 people had applied for the part in the ad.</p><p>Evans reduced this to the shortlist of 12 that we would meet that day.</p><p>Afterwards, the video director re-watches the auditions and then decides who gets the part. "We don't need to re-cast very often," Evans told me.</p><p>They were looking for a young woman with a "rock 'n' roll attitude", who was prepared to dye her hair, and get tattoos. For the audition, each woman had to dance to a '70s punk track while putting together an item from the chain's menu.</p><p>During each audition, Evans was a ball of energy, jumping out of her seat and dancing to the music to encourage the actresses.</p><p>"It's my job to get the best out of every single person who walks through my door," Evans said.</p><p>Evans gave everyone three takes, asking them to adjust their performance each time.</p><p>Often Evans asked them to look into her eyes and "flirt." Other times she told them to smile more, or dance less.</p><p>Understandably, some of the actresses struggled to perfect the balance between dancing and cooking, but the casting director did not utter a single negative word during the auditions. Instead, her enthusiasm could be measured by whether something was "amazing" or simply "good."</p><h2>"I constantly spend my time chasing people down the road"</h2><p>In the pause between auditions, Evans kept asking me if I thought the last person was a trained actress, model or a "street person."</p><p>Evans is a passionate advocate for giving roles to "street people" - normal people that have not applied for the part.</p><p>Evans spots these people in the street or reaches them online, often through Twitter.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Royal London/video</span></p><p class="caption">Evans did the casting for this Royal London ad.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"I constantly spend my time chasing people down the road. I jump off trains and I'm like, 'Please talk to me. I'm a casting director and you've got a great look.' I don't stop working," Evans said. "That's the best part of my job."</p><p>She explained that you don't even need to be good looking to star in adverts.</p><p>"No, my dad's not good looking at all, it's characters," Evans said. "I got my dad to do a Pizza Hut advert. They needed an old man's mouth and my Dad is old and craggy."</p><p>I left the auditions, half-annoyed my "look" wasn't interesting enough to get scouted.</p><p>Then I passed corridors lined with hopefuls with bright blue hair, phenomenal bone structure, and striking clothes, and I understood why.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazing-facts-about-octopus-2016-3">Humans are finally starting to understand the octopus, and it's mind-boggling</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="VtbTVoMjE6YLwiZmc67EPMJyh4CCyVIm" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A casting director explains how you can earn $30,000 from being in a 30-second TV ad

2020 proved the 'relatable' celebrity was always a myth

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/53130433@N08/5135954234/in/photolist-8PR7g5-8PM3hp-8PM2zZ-aqCzHW-8PM29e-8Q8yJu-aqBqVF-8PM3a8-aqzQ8x-aqB2pZ-8PQ8cy-8PQ6F7-aqeAr4-8PQ5UG-aqEaMs-8Q5EQr-8Q5JVc-8Q5Lsi-8Q5Dm2-aqCzPw-aq6ZpD-8Q5jqP-8Q8ri1-aqCyyA-8PM31X-8PM2dD-8Q8tp7-aqzVzX-8PM1qB-8Q5kzz-8Q5j38-aq6ZZ6-aq9Hum-8Q8HJG-8PR3fJ-aqEa8W-8PQ5M9-aqCAuL-8Q5qyn-8PR7Hj-8PM1xV-aqzQMZ-aqCAsJ-aqDGcQ-8PM2YF-8Q8sQE-aqezzk-8PLTs4-aq6YKz-8PM2k6-8Q8DRE">Flickr/More Good Foundation</a></span></p><p class="caption">Mormon women in appropriate dress.</p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p>A recent New York Times article on <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/us/a-growing-role-for-mormon-women.html?_r=0">the rise of female Mormon missionaries</a> points to the <a href="https://missionary.lds.org/dress-grooming/sister/grooming/skin/">guidelines for appearance described and modeled on the church's website</a>. We decided to take a closer look at the dress code for this fast-growing religion, which is formally known as the Church of the Ladder Day Saints (LDS).</p>
<p>As described on <a href="http://mormon.lds.net/mormon-beliefs/mormons-and-modesty">LDS.net</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">You might not immediately be able to spot an individual Mormon by his or her clothing. The clothing Mormons wear is fashionable and ordinary, chosen by the members themselves to suit their style within the guidelines. However, if you were to observe a group of young LDS teenagers, you might notice that overall, there is a difference. These girls will not have low-cut tops or tops that reveal their stomachs. Their shoulders will be covered and their dresses will reach their knees. Their clothing won't be tight or suggestive, even though it's fashionable. They'll have no more than one set of earrings, positioned in the usual place on the ears.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Boys won't have overly baggy pants that reveal underwear and their waistlines won't hang low. They also have their shoulders, stomachs, and chests covered and their clothing is designed to cover them, not reveal them. Neither group will have tattoos.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary/dress-grooming">Standards for missionaries</a>, as exemplary Mormons, are even more explicit. Here's a summary of their guidelines:</p>
<h3>Clothing</h3>
<p>Women should wear "professional suits, skirts, blouses, jackets, sweaters, and dresses." Jeans or pants are only acceptable during certain activities, like exercise.</p>
<p>Shirts with "cap sleeves" can't be worn alone. But women don't have to tuck in their shirts. While layering is okay, undershirts shouldn't be noticeably longer than the top layer.</p>
<p>Skirts and dresses must cover their entire knee when sitting or standing. No mesh, fishnet or lace tights. And if they wear leggings, the bottoms can't be visible. Wear boots or colored nylons that match with flat shoes.</p>
<p>And all the above clothing should be"attractive, colorful, tailored to fit well, and conservative in style."</p>
<h3>Hair and Make-up</h3>
<p>While there's no specific style, length, or color for hair, it should be "attractive," "easy to manage," "natural," and "conservative."</p>
<p>If women choose to wear any accessories, like clips or headbands, they can't draw attention or "distract from your message."</p>
<p>Make-up isn't required, but the guide notes it can help women look your best. If women do choose to wear cosmetics, they should be "neutral and conservative in style and color." The same goes for nail polish.</p>
<p>And of course, "bathe daily, use deodorant, and wash your hair frequently." Perfume, if worn, can't be "overpowering or distracting."</p>
<h3>Shoes and Accessories</h3>
<p>This section covers it all: flats, everyday shoes, heels, boots, exercise shoes, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, watches, rings, and bags.</p>
<p>For safety reasons, women should wear closed-toe and closed-heel shoes. Also, for safety and security, earrings (only one in each ear) can't hang longer than approximately one inch below the earlobe. Naturally, tattoos, nose rings, other body piercings, and toe rings are unacceptable.</p>
<p>Lastly, "backpacks are not professional."</p>
<h3>Men</h3>
<p>Men should wear wrinkle-resistant suits and ties. When choosing to wear a lighter color, they should stick with grey or brown. Only polyester blend, white shirts can be worn under suits. In colder weather, sweaters and vests are also permitted.</p>
<p>Men also have to wear closed-toe and closed-heel dress shoes or boots with matching socks. No suede shoes or cowboy boots. No backpacks or hoodies either.</p>
<p>Hair should be kept "relatively short and evenly tapered." Faux-hawk, crew cuts, mullets, spikey styles, and messy hair are prohibited. They can't bleach or dye their hair. Sideburns can't be longer than mid-ear either.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">"Bathe, shave, and brush your teeth each day. Use deodorant, and wash your hair frequently."</span></p>
<p>While the guide doesn't mention facial hair, all of the men we saw on the site are clean-shaven.</p>

Here's How Mormons Are Supposed To Dress

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="caption">It was a long time ago in an America far, far away.</p></div><p></p></div></div>On Sunday, my wife and I will be talking our two young sons to see "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens."</p><p>I'm completely terrified.</p><p>Not because I think the movie will be a disaster - all the advance reviews say that director J.J. Abrams nailed it, that the new characters are exciting and well-drawn, and that the return of the war horses (Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher) actually works.</p><p>I'm terrified because I've been faking it with my family when it comes to "Star Wars." </p><p>The problem is that I outgrew "Star Wars" in a furious hurry four decades ago, but with the my kids, I've pretended that the films represent a deep and resonant tapestry of timeless myths. At times, I almost talked myself into believing that. But the truth is that I think all the "Star Wars" movies are pretty bad, as movies. As a 10-year-old boy, I was thrilled beyond words by "Star Wars." But I wasn't planning on remaining a wordless awestruck 10-year-old forever.</p><h2>It's baaacckkk ...</h2><p>We are definitely a "Star Wars" family. My two older kids, at 13 and 10, have seen all the movies and watched a lot of the follow-on stuff, like "Clone Wars," and know the ins and outs of what I have to admit has become our modern-day answer to Homer. My five-year-old hasn't seen it all, but he knows enough to get by.</p><p>It's all my fault. I inflicted "Star Wars" on them years ago. I felt it was a necessary initiation.</p><p>But I also sort of forgot what "Star Wars" actually meant to me.</p><p>And now I'm going to relive the whole thing, because my 10-year-old is going to see "The Force Awakens" in a <em>real movie theater,</em> replicating my own "Star Wars" origin story - I saw what was my "Episode 1," later rechristened "Episode IV: A New Hope," in 1977, when I was his age. (My kids have only ever watched the "Star Wars" films on video.)</p><p>I can already tell that the "Force Awakens" isn't really Episode VII. It's a reboot of the original film, with Abrams taking a page from his successful "Star Trek" playbook.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Disney/Lucasfilm</span></p><p class="caption">Can she still make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs?</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>This is going to place me in the awkward position of deciding whether to do the fatherly thing and guide my 10-year-old toward what I felt, over 30 years ago, was the correct response to "Star Wars," or just give in and allow "The Force Awakens" to achieve what Disney clearly wants it to achieve: mint a whole bunch of new 10-year-old superfans who can keep "Star Wars" going for at least another three installments and, maybe, forever.</p><p>This isn't going to be easy because I've been a total fraud where "Star Wars" is concerned. </p><h2>Lies, lies, lies</h2><p>Here's why. "Star Wars" was indeed exhilarating in 1977. I hadn't really ever seen anything like it. It was spectacular, somewhat gritty, but also utterly simple - an old-school black-and-white epic, pitting good against bad, darkness against light</p><p>In the context of the mid-1970s, "Star Wars" was the ultimate cinematic distraction. Because outside the theater, America was in rough shape. The grownups were all freaked out, and the kids could tell. Just two years after "Star Wars" opened, President Jimmy Carter would give his infamous "Malaise" speech, which now serves as shorthand for the grim realities of the '70s: stagflation, the Iran hostage crisis, the collapse of the American middle class, the breakdown of traditional family. The 3 Mile Island nuclear disaster, the long hangover of Watergate and Vietnam and the vanished promise of Woodstock and the counterculture.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Wilson</span></p><p class="caption">Even the President looked freaked out by America in the '70s.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"Star Wars" has been derided for being nostalgic, but in those days, when the Cold War was still on and the Detroit auto industry was losing its battle against upstart Japanese car makers, when the US military was still licking its wounds after the debacle in Southeast Asia and inflation was in double-digits, the country was lusting for a throwback mood swing. Ronald Reagan, a creature of Hollywood in the 1950s, arguably rode that desire to the White House in 1980.</p><p>"Star Wars" was the turning point. But it did arrive a long time ago in an America that now seems far, far away, indeed.</p><p>Although I thought "Star Wars" was very cool when I saw it at age 10, by the time "The Empire Strikes" back landed in 1980, I considered "Star Wars" to be embarrassingly uncool. I was a teenager - "Star Wars" was kid stuff.</p><p>This is basically the way my 13-year-old is thinking about "The Force Awakens."</p><p>"It's going to be awful," I told her, right after I saw Carrie Fisher as Princess (now "General") Leia on a sign atop a New York taxi (I know far too much about Fisher's post-"Star Wars" life) and before I read some of the early reviews.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Disney/Lucasfilm</span></p><p class="caption">The gold bikini will not awaken.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>My daughter agreed. Not that she isn't going to see it (she'll beat the rest of us by at least a day). But she's got the jaded teenager thing down. Even if it's terrific, it will still be "Star Wars" and vastly less cool that what she really likes these days, which is rock-n-roll and hair dye.</p><p>The vast cultural phenomenon that "Star Wars" has become never stopped baffling me, even as I grew to accept it. For starters, I saw many more movies after "Star Wars" and I quite quickly realized how bad "Star Wars" was as cinema. The logical and mature reaction to "Star Wars" was to put it rapidly in its proper place and at the very least move on to "Alien."</p><p>But that was a lost bet on a different future. "Star Wars" set us on a course for "The Avengers," inevitably. My adulthood unfortunately developed in the wake of a period of rebellious innovation in moviemaking - and the rejection of that innovation in favor of "Star Wars"-style blockbusters. It didn't take me long to figure out how bad "Star Wars" was. But that coincided with over three decades of fighting the tide.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Disney</span></p><p class="caption">How far we've come.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Giving up</h2><p>So I gave up and just let "Star Wars" wash over me - my kids have the arsenal of toy light sabers and the Lego sets and action figures to prove it. To borrow a line from the TV reboot of "Star Trek," resistance was futile. I can do a decent impression of Darth Vader informing Luke Skywalker that he's his <em>FAH-ther</em>.</p><p>Still, I wasn't <em>wrong </em>in the late '70s. And here I am, with a 10-year-old boy who in the next few years is going to have to make up his own mind about "Star Wars." The guidance that I received when I was in his position was "that's not a real movie."</p><p>"The Godfather" was a real movie. "Citizen Kane" was a real movie. "The Graduate" was a real movie. "M*A*S*H" was a real movie. "The 400 Blows" was a real movie. "Blue Velvet" was a real movie. "Lawrence of Arabia" was a real movie.</p><p>But everything I've said and done since I introduced "Star Wars" to my kids has suggested that it's actually <em>more</em> than a real movie. It's something that defines us. "You raised me on 'Star Wars'," my daughter said, trying to convince me let go to a midnight showing.</p><p>Of course that was a fun angle to take for a while, but it's also something I don't entirely believe. And now I'm at a treacherous impasse: the right thing to do is seize the moment and set him on a path away from superfandom - but he's going to want to know what all the fuss over "Star Wars" since he was five was all about.</p><p>The obvious solution here is to simply relax, get some popcorn, sit back, enjoy myself, and let the entertainment value of "The Force Awakens" override the fear. My kids can draw their own conclusions. Life goes on, bra! And who knows, maybe Abrams has found a way to make his 1977 flashback both exuberant and aesthetically magnificent. </p><p>I'll let you know how it goes. Because the truth is, I'm scared to death!</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jennifer-lawrence-acting-joy-2015-12">Jennifer Lawrence does something other actors won't, and it's why she keeps improving</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="E2cm9reTpDcoEgpu_60wG3Q4FKDLzZ-B" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

I'm going to see 'Star Wars' this weekend, 38 years after the original - and I'm completely terrified

A 3-year-old shape-shifting startup founded by a Vice alum is betting on viral Asian hip-hop stars to be the future of the entertainment industry

<p></div><p></p></div>In May, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mink-3d-printed-make-up-grace-choi-2014-5">Grace Choi presented a startup</a> at New York technology conference, TechCrunch Disrupt. Her idea seemed too good to be true.</p>
<p>Her product, Mink, promised to help anyone easily 3D print their own makeup from any home computer. All that was required was a colorful image from the Internet, a tool like Photoshop that could lift a hex color code, and a Mink Printer, which hooks up to a computer to print specific ink colors on colorless shadows and creams.</p>
<p>While Choi didn't win the startup competition, Mink generated a lot of interest from potential users, top makeup companies and investors. S<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">he has spent the past few months figuring out how to bring 3D makeup printing to the masses, even if it leaves her broke. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">And she's decided she <em>really</em> doesn't like venture capitalists.</span></p>
<p>Business Insider caught up with Choi, who gave us a step-by-step guide on how to 3D print makeup using a home computer and a regular HP printer. She also told us how she came up with an idea that could disrupt the $55 billion beauty industry.</p>
<p><a href="how-to-3d-print-lipstick-makeup-eyeshadow-and-nail-polish-from-a-home-computer-2014-9"><strong>Jump straight to Choi's tutorial on how to 3D print makeup from your home computer &gt;&gt;</strong></a></p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>Choi, 30, was raised in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents immigrated from Korea, where her father was an aerospace engineer and her mother was a nurse. In New York, Choi's father opened a small fruit and vegetable shop. "It was a simple store, but he's a great entrepreneur, and I learned a lot from him about negotiating and business," Choi says.</p>
<p>As an undergraduate at Cornell University, Choi majored in hotel administration. But she wasn't ready to settle on a career, so she tried a "bajillion" internships. She spent a year in finance after she graduated in 2005, decided she hated it, then quit. While perusing a Cornell alumni job board, she stumbled across a listing seeking an assistant to a Cornell professor in New York City. The professor, Dr. Martin Prince, was an established inventor and physician who hired her despite her lack of experience in science and medicine. He quickly became Choi's mentor, and she worked as his assistant until 2011.</p>
<p>Under Prince's leadership, Choi was able to work on a number of his inventions, learn from other physicians in his lab, and come up with a few ideas of her own.</p>
<p>In 2010, Choi saw a nationwide casting call from Home Shopping Network for its reality show <span>"Homemade Millionaire," which features </span>aspiring inventors. Determined to cook up a clever idea, Choi went on HSN's site and hunted for inspiration. She noticed jewelry was a major category on the site, and that necklaces, earrings and bracelets were the main featured items. Using magnetic clasps, Choi invented a 3-in-1 necklace that could be easily be converted to a bracelet or pair of earrings by disassembling then reconnecting the magnets. Choi's invention, "Convertible Necklace," won the fifth episode of the show, and her items were sold online.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>Choi didn't feel fulfilled as a jewelry inventor though (she says making accessories felt "empty"), so she applied to Harvard Business School, in hopes of increasing her credibility as an inventor and continuing to pursue her own ideas.</p>
<p>While at Harvard, Choi came up with her first beauty product, which was inspired by a popular cosmetic in China, BB cream. BB Cream was a tinted moisturizer that Choi felt could be big in the United States as a blend of lotion and concealer. Choi created her own line of the cream, dubbed it "<a href="http://thedailyobsession.net/2012/07/best-bb-cream-grace-choi-harvard/">Grace Choi Porcelain Skin BB Cream</a>" and priced it at $34 per bottle. Choi had long felt Asians were underrepresented in beauty industry marketing, and she'd struggled to find skin care products that catered to her skin tone. She was determined that her line would be different.</p>
<p>"I felt pretty insignificant when there was no Asian Cover Girl model," she says. "America is supposed to be progressive."</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left" style="width:250px"><div class="image"></div><p></p></div>Choi approached a Harvard mentor with her cream idea and asked for advice: She had a limited amount of money to spend on the product line, but she wanted to offer options for many skin tones. How, she wondered, could she do that efficiently?</p>
<p>The mentor's response startled her:</p>
<p>"Go with the lighter shades," the mentor told her. "Those people have more money to spend."</p>
<p>"That response really hit a nerve with me," Choi says. She didn't realize it then, but that comment led to the idea for Mink. With Mink, "the color [variety] question doesn't have to come up, because the Internet solves that. Every color is free on the Internet," Choi says.</p>
<p>When she graduated from HBS in 2013, she was recruited by Burger King to work on food innovation for the fast food chain. After three months, though, Choi felt out of place and left the job. She went back to inventing.</p>
<p>Choi says there wasn't one "aha" moment for her 3D makeup printer. </p>
<p>"<span>When I started at business school and was trying to make a cosmetics product I realized, '</span>Oh, this is how a cosmetic is made.' And I thought, 'It's so interesting how it's so inefficient,'" <a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/06/custom-color-makeup-helps-stop-racism-in-beauty.html">Choi told New York Magazine</a> in June. "<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I wanted to do something more meaningful and impactful. I decided I wanted to tackle challenges in the beauty industry. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The challenges are diversity issues and issues with women's confidence."</span></p>

<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Choi started mulling over a way to bring down makeup prices. She realized what makeup companies primarily charge a premium on - the colors and dyes they use in their formulas - is actually cheap to acquire before it's mixed into the creams. She wondered if there was a way to use the four computer printer colors (Black, Cyan, Yellow and Magenta) to allow anyone to mix their own makeup colors cheaply from home. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>"</span><span>The makeup industry makes a whole lot of money on a whole lot of bullshit," Choi explained during her TechCrunch Disrupt presentation. "</span><span>They charge a huge premium on something that tech provides for free. That one thing is color."</span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It took Choi one month to go from the idea stage to having a semi-working prototype. That may sound fast, but Choi insists any curious self-starter can pull off something similar.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"There are so many learning tools now, like Google, and tons of people you can ask questions of," she says. "I worked a lot of the prototype for Mink out in my head and thought, 'What materials would I need to make this work?' Then I'd do small tests and take a little ink and mix it together with raw materials. I'd go to Staples and Best Buy and look at every single printer and open up the printers to examine the inside."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Choi says she went through about 20 printers to find one that would print the best results and cover an entire eyeshadow pan, for example.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Choi's solution prints just a top layer of ink onto a blank (white) shadow, cream or moisturizer. It could be seen as a problem that the ink doesn't seep all the way through like consumers are used to when they buy makeup. Choi actually thinks it's a good problem that could save consumers money.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Mink only covers the top layer, but not a lot of people use all the eye shadow they buy," says Choi. "A girl's makeup junk drawer is a clear sign that the system of makeup is not working. There's too much of it you have to buy. So what I tell girls with Mink is, 'Listen, when you want that neon purple eyeshadow that's trendy, just print the top layer. When you're done with that color, scrape it off, and print the next color on the remaining blank eyeshadow.'" </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In other words, Mink prints sample sizes, rather than making consumers commit to entire products.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Right now Choi doesn't have any employees, and she doesn't have any traditional funding from investors, although she's taken a lot of meetings. She says she butted heads with a number of venture capitalists and, in some cases, got into yelling matches over the direction she should take Mink. </span></p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The venture capitalists, Choi says, wanted her to produce an official Mink printer and start making money immediately. But Choi believes Mink will be best served by teaching the world how to make its own 3D makeup printers from home. She wants to start a beauty revolution first, and a business second.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"I'm definitely not meeting with anyone who has 'VC' in their title ever again," Choi says. "I think they're a little too rushed. Mink could disrupt an entire market, and with that kind of opportunity, it's best to take your time. The way for me to kill Mink would be for me to come out with a printer that's sucky....<span>The whole model for entrepreneurs is like, 'I'm going to make a billion dollars then donate a chunk of my money to charity.' Not to judge other people, but just throwing money at stuff doesn't add value. I think sharing the journey of building the business adds value."</span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>Down the line, Choi agrees that a Mink-branded printer could make sense. But she also thinks that if she teaches the world to print its own makeup and turns every young girl into her own L'Oreal shop, business opportunities will arise naturally. Choi envisions a world where celebrities have iTunes-like pages for makeup, where a girl can log on and print Kim Kardashian's exact lipstick shade to wear. And if DIY makeup becomes popular, consumers will need easily-accessible FDA-approved inks, which could be Mink branded, or raw makeup materials like white creams and lipsticks to print on top of, which Mink could also sell.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"One person alone can't disrupt this entire beauty market," Choi says. "Together, as a community, we can disrupt it. I'm willing to take a hit financially because my number one motivation is for change. This is a very important social mission for me. I think of Mink as an educational tool for kids, and one that can get girls interested in technology. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I don't need to be on some billionaires list. I'm aggressive and I'm going to make this happen. Before I die, this [beauty revolution] will happen."</span></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-3d-print-lipstick-makeup-eyeshadow-and-nail-polish-from-a-home-computer-2014-9"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Now check out Choi's step-by-step guide for how to hack your home printer to 3D print nail polish, lip gloss, eye shadow and other makeup &gt;&gt;</span></a></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://vimeo.com/105411537">Hack Your Own Mink - Happy Minking! ;)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user31891465">Minnie Mink</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

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