Leandra Medine

“That's what I always wanted Man Repeller to do - to change the way people actually think. Showing young girls that there are no rules.”

“I have such a simple process - it takes me, like, ten minutes to get ready.”

“I really love the category on the site called Brain Massage.”

“My blog is not about repelling men, it's about good fashion.”

“Nothing's worse than oily skin.”

“Especially with Instagram, I feel reluctant to make all the photos beautiful because I don't necessarily want to send this message that life is perfect and your avocado toast is always going to be beautifully lit. I want readers to feel like the Man Repeller page is real and kind of dirty. Messy.”

“I realized that if I were a 23-year-old girl getting married, and I wasn't struggling with it, that would likely mean that something was either massively wrong with me or that my brain is made up of delicately wrapped almonds that serve perfectly as party favors.”

“I knew I wanted to be a fashion writer but didn't want to contribute to the over-saturated market unless I could contribute in a meaningful way.”

“I always grew up with the idea that in order to be a successful writer, I should have a book published.”

“I'm someone very comfortable airing out the stories of my own life. Some people call it narcissism, but for me, the intention is that it will positively affect other people.”

“People always ask me how I muster the strength to be so open about things, and I explain to them that I took the Myers-Briggs test, like, four times, and every single time, I ranked an 87 percent extrovert, so it would probably take more strength for me to shut up.”

“As long as you are promoting something that you really believe in - yes, it's incredible to see that designer earn the esteem they deserve - but there's something to be said about the fact that if you're convicted about an opinion, and you really believe something's great, you're not going to credit yourself for their success.”

“I think that when I started Man Repeller, the Internet was still hungry for authentic content from girls that weren't actresses or supermodels and were just relatable girls who had opinions and outfit ideas, and they weren't always good, but at least they were original.”

“I got a C in art when I was in 11th grade. That it is even possible to come out of a high school art class with a C is wondrous, especially considering the creative license we were encouraged to use to, for lack of a better axiom, color outside the lines.”

“I feel like alternative piercings in the ear is this untapped way to festoon yourself. Not many people understand this, but it hurts so good. It's like getting dental work done. It hurts in the right way.”

“Sloane Crosley and David Sedaris are two of my favorite writers; they're the kind of writers who make you feel like, 'I can do this. I want to do this.'”

“I have a pretty decent understanding of which posts will perform better than others. Specifically on Instagram, when it's a style picture, those ones always get way more likes.”

“I always wanted to make sure that I was honest to myself and that people wanted to hear an opinion that was authentic... I wanted Man Repeller to be a voice for women who felt like they didn't have a voice or for women who didn't know how to express their voice.”

“I think the thing about New York City real estate is that you kind of just take what you can get when you're renting.”

“I do know that I would never - though you should never say never - work with a decorator, because I don't want to see the touch of someone else in my own space.”