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The Comment Section with Drew Afualo

FASHION IS AN ART Ft. Griffin Maxwell Brooks

29 Nov 2023

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What unique perspectives does Griffin Maxwell Brooks bring to fashion?

0.031 - 5.564 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

I want people to be confused as to why they're attracted to me. I want people to look at me and be like, I'm into this. Why am I into this?

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5.584 - 10.715 Drew Afualo

Confused and a little scared. Right, yeah. Because of their attraction to you. They're like, why do I feel this way?

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11.196 - 12.078 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

What's wrong with me?

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13.121 - 35.012 Drew Afualo

Why do I feel like this? Exactly. That's so T. Hey everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Comment Section Show, starring me, your fave, everybody knows me. Yeah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. On to the amazing guests. Today we have the wonderful, the iconic, the legendary Griffin Maxwell Brooks.

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35.312 - 38.619 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Woo! Hey! I'm so excited to be here.

38.639 - 44.309 Drew Afualo

I'm so excited to finally have you. Griffin and I have been trying to sync up for over a year. A year!

44.429 - 57.07 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Every time I see you, I'm like, let's do it. And you're like, I know, I know, and we have to make it happen. I feel like I'm terrible at texting, which doesn't help. Same. But it's just kind of like, oh my god, I love you, I miss you. When are you free? I'm like, I'm free in a month and a half. Yeah. Fuck.

57.19 - 58.432 Drew Afualo

And then we never connect in a month.

58.452 - 58.793 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Yeah.

Chapter 2: How did Griffin navigate their rise on social media while in college?

280.29 - 300.747 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Not, I think, enough to have, like, kind of, like, the brand. You know, the, like, GMB LLC that we're at right now. But, like, you know, I, like, returned to school. And I was an athlete, too. I was a springboard diver at Princeton. Period. So that was... It was an interesting space to navigate. That was a whole other thing. Yeah, saga after saga. But it was interesting.

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300.827 - 326.434 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

I think it enhanced the college experience in that I felt like I had this escape that I didn't have otherwise. I think Princeton is a bit of a polarizing place. There's a lot of privilege in being in a place like that, but at the same time... Being somebody who sticks out even a little bit in such an uptight place immediately makes that experience a bit jarring. I think it was a useful resource.

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326.474 - 351.464 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

It was a little bit isolating at times. Also just because I felt like I was adulting on the side. It was weird because school began to feel like the side hustle. And then I'm doing social media full time and I'm going to my silly little engineering classes now. Who is a robot that I built, like, now it's fashion week? Seriously. But, yeah, I don't know. I think it taught me a lot, you know?

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351.484 - 353.627 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

I didn't have free time, like, ever.

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353.928 - 357.473 Drew Afualo

Yeah. Because you're working on and off the clock kind of thing.

357.613 - 370.172 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

And that was, like, athletics, too. Like, it just... Oh, my God, yeah. I mean, it's part of the reason I ended up, like, retiring, like, a year early. Because it was just, like, I don't... I currently were getting, like, a solid two hours of sleep a night, which... Fun fact, not enough.

370.393 - 372.058 Drew Afualo

Yeah, in case you weren't aware.

372.179 - 380.666 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Right. But, yeah, I don't know. It's interesting now being on the other side of it and looking back and being like, oh, how did I manage all of that?

380.887 - 380.987

Yeah.

Chapter 3: What challenges does Griffin face regarding gender expression in the fashion industry?

513.945 - 514.887 Drew Afualo

Irony.

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515.107 - 518.012 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Yeah, I love irony. I'm a big fan of irony.

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517.992 - 536.604 Drew Afualo

I think your outfits are so iconic and a lot of people have really gravitated towards you, especially lately, because you've had the platform for a minute. But I feel like especially within the last year, your outfits have been like people have been like, wow, that's like so incredible. Like, do you ever get a lot of questions about where you get your fashion inspiration from?

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536.784 - 541.873 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Yeah. I mean, I speak about it sometimes because I think like fashion was always like a.

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541.853 - 568.452 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

um like a tool i used to express myself and but it sort of changed when i like was living in new york and i started like working and like um like having a presence in nightlife um because i was inspired by like the 90s club kids and like the aesthetic of like like drag queens and club kids and you know just like nightlife presences because of how outrageous it was yeah um and how it was such a vessel for like breaking the boundaries of expression in a way that i think

569.478 - 594.304 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

doesn't happen like anywhere else like i think like specifically in nightclubs people are like there is like this essence of like expression through like drama and like almost like a character yeah where it's like look at me and i was like i love that like i feel like we need to see this more yeah and when i started doing it it was more just like it started out like i'm gonna wear something that i like and then it became like a

594.284 - 605.424 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

this is kind of like a political statement, you know? I want to look iconic, and I'm going to piss some people off. Like, I want to look silly. I want to, like, push the boundaries. Absolutely. I want to be able to question, like, what they like and why they like it.

605.644 - 606.445 Drew Afualo

Yeah.

607.507 - 618.83 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

And that, yeah, I don't know. One day I wore a headlamp, and the entire internet decided they were mad at me, and I was like, okay, let's just be silly. Let's be silly. They're pissed off at you. They said you did too much. Which I think is... But I love doing too much.

Chapter 4: How does Griffin use fashion as a form of self-expression?

787.469 - 788.01 Drew Afualo

I hate yours.

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788.13 - 789.752 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

So I guess it equals. Yeah.

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789.912 - 804.134 Drew Afualo

Yeah. What's even crazier is like if someone that was considered conventionally attractive by all facets of bigotry, whatever, white supremacy, Eurocentric beauty standards, whatever they may be. Yeah. If someone wore that, then everyone would be like, ooh, it's a sir.

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804.174 - 817.94 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Oh, my God. Oh, I hate it so much. I hate it. My biggest qualm right now is, like, there's, like, I feel like people are going back to, like, minimalism in a way that just is, like, I don't know. I keep seeing those, like, breakdowns of, like, Jacob Lourdes fits. And, like, love him. No hate to him. He looks great. Yeah. But it's all very, like, casual clothing.

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817.96 - 827.039 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

People are, like, dissecting the outfit. I'm like, girl, he put on jeans. Yeah. and a cut-off shirt and a little coach bag. He looks great. But it's not like, no, people are like, oh.

827.059 - 847.435 Drew Afualo

It's not serving. It's not like, you know what I mean? I'm like, give it. Sometimes I think it's like, give it to me. I want to see it. I want you to serve me. But even so, for me, I genuinely believe that Fashion is art, right? It's an art. It's a self-expression. So whatever you feel beautiful in, whatever you feel cut in, that's what you should wear.

847.555 - 868.24 Drew Afualo

And I just feel like don't throw stones if you're living in a glass house, girl. So like when people say shit to me about my looks and I go and look and you're just like a... Don't throw stones from the Vineyard Vine store. If I go and look at what you're looking and your outfit is super plain and boring to me, like, I mean, yeah, of course you're not going to like what I'm wearing. Yeah.

868.26 - 873.885 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

I also just, I think... People who were the first of their kind are never appreciated in the moment, you know?

875.087 - 882.258 Drew Afualo

People who... Like Julia Fox. That's a perfect example of someone who was serving it and they didn't get her.

Chapter 5: What insights does Griffin share about the impact of representation in fashion?

939.481 - 943.051 Drew Afualo

A suit of armor and was photographed and it was posted everywhere.

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943.111 - 945.518 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Absolutely. That was heavy, girl.

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945.879 - 947.5 Drew Afualo

Yeah. Is that actual suit of armor?

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947.581 - 964.317 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Literally sourced it from, like, a mutual of mine who was, like, the armor girl at FIT when that video went viral of her wearing, like, a suit of armor. And I was, like, okay. Like, obviously we need to be friends. Yeah. Like, will you style me in the armor? And she was, like, let's do it. Because I was just, like, I don't know. Fashion week, that was for the Clean Estrada show.

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964.537 - 964.877 Drew Afualo

Yes.

964.897 - 982.444 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

One of my favorite designers, Hilary Tamer. Also, there's such, like, a, I don't know. It's, like, awesome clothing and also just such, like, an attention to, like, detail in terms of, like, sustainability. But yadda, yadda, yadda. Every time, that's always my favorite show to, like, turn a look at because I'm just, like, I want to be kooky and crazy. Like, I want to show up.

982.805 - 1001.161 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

I don't want people to, like, expect anything. I want to show up and, like, completely blow away their expectations. Yeah. Because I think also, like, Fashion Week 2, there is, like, a polarization in the pageantry. Like, some people are looking to serve in a way that's very, like, palatable from, like, a commercial sense. I feel you. And I'm like, that's my worst nightmare.

1001.201 - 1015.335 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Like, designer doubt kind of thing. Yeah. Yeah, I feel you. I love a label. Don't knock it. That being said, if you're a designer, quiet luxury is my worst enemy. I'm like, what do you mean quiet luxury? You just mean boring clothes you spend too much money on.

1016.311 - 1023.181 Drew Afualo

And that's T. That's what I love about you, though, is, like, you're not afraid of a look. That's why I love someone who's not afraid of a look.

Chapter 6: How does Griffin address the misconceptions around non-binary identities?

1208.286 - 1216.717 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Yeah. And I really enjoy doing it. Yeah. But sometimes I get carried away. And I'm like, let's make it crazy. And they're like, girl, I got to be on camera.

0
0

1217.258 - 1219.003 Drew Afualo

You're like, I'm going to be photographed.

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1219.023 - 1221.589 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

You're like, yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. I want people to remember this.

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1221.609 - 1229.109 Drew Afualo

Yeah. I just think you would soar in that realm, too, if you ever thought about either styling or making your own line or anything like that.

1229.129 - 1229.971 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Should we dress you up right now?

1229.991 - 1250.13 Drew Afualo

Oh, love, let's do it. Star doll edition. Star doll edition. What I love, too, is, like, people like yourself, I think, would be so impactful in the industry, too. Someone who's just got a completely different brain outside of it. I love that. I'm obsessed with it.

1250.15 - 1250.351 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Thank you.

1250.551 - 1260.966 Drew Afualo

Because even, like, as I, like, start going into styling more, like, I have stylists now. And even now, it's, like, it's harder for myself as, like, a bigger girl because I'm, like, I'm tall and I'm thick.

Chapter 7: What advice does Griffin offer to those exploring their own gender identity?

1407.821 - 1408.943 Drew Afualo

I did not expect that at all.

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1409.023 - 1423.74 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Half the time I was, like, the night would end and people were like, you're going to this after party? I'm like, no, I'm going to go either to bed or I'm going to go to, like, a rave where I know nobody. I'm going to go to the dirtiest, stinkiest warehouse, like drip down whatever I was wearing that day and just shades on and ignore you all.

0

1423.76 - 1424.621

It's going to be great.

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1425.221 - 1429.205 Drew Afualo

Speaking of, I saw that you were Stefan for Halloween.

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1429.225 - 1431.828 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Like a long time in the making. I've been waiting to do that costume for so long.

1431.848 - 1438.334 Drew Afualo

Stefan is so you coded. The character itself is so you coded. Knows all about the nightlife and weird.

1438.474 - 1459.501 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Hottest club. Yeah. So you. And weird. I... Kind of got my ass. Yeah, wait, I only did one Halloween costume this year because six days in a row, like, you've got to be kidding me. Like, that's a lot of money. Yo, I'm tired. No, I'm not that creative. Like, I'm, you know, I'm good at what I do, but not that good.

1459.522 - 1460.383 Olivia Maher

Yeah.

1460.463 - 1474.955 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

It's beating the hell out of you after that. I DJed at, like, Boom Boom Room for Halloween night, which is, like, I don't know. They do, like, the Met Gala after parties there. It's, like, New York's hottest club, which, like, you know, whatever. But I don't know. I was like, I should be Stefan. Like, this is the night to do it. Yeah.

Chapter 8: What are Griffin's thoughts on the future of fashion and inclusivity?

1699.225 - 1706.613 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

I think also just, like, the world is very gendered, you know? Yeah. Like, the Western world is, like, I don't know, they love gender here. It's, like, here in Italy, it's, like, their favorite thing.

0

1708.496 - 1725.064 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

But, like, I think because of that and because, like, of how, like, overexposed we are to, like, the norms associated with, like, gender and, like, how we associate gender with, like, sex and just, like, familial existence and, like, yada, yada, yada. I could go on and on about, like, the American dream and all that BS. Yeah.

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1725.044 - 1743.801 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

But, like, I think, like, because of that, like, I, like, understand that even for people who are, like, very loving and caring and, like, want to be, like, respectful, that, like, no one's going to mess up. Not only are people going to mess up, like, you are trained to mess up. Like, they don't want, like, people to defy these boundaries that they've set up for them.

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1743.821 - 1757.753 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

They want to be able to categorize people. Absolutely. So, like, when people, like, having said, like, I get nervous correcting pronouns for people. Like, I don't know why. I just, I feel like I'm, like, I feel like I'm going to say it and people are going to be, like, oh, like. whatever, are you going to dye your hair blue? And I'm like, maybe.

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1758.874 - 1759.955 Drew Afualo

I don't know. Check in with me in a week.

1759.975 - 1775.71 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Right. Who knows? But even that, like, I don't know. That's why, like, it never really bothers me when people get it wrong. Because also, like, 99% of the time, if I correct somebody, they're going to be like, oh, I'm so sorry. And I'm like, no, it's not that deep. Like, you're fine. Just, you know, now you know. Yeah. So we adjust. Yeah.

1775.73 - 1797.149 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

I mean, when people, you know, second or third time, I'm like, okay. That's on purpose. Yeah. You know? But at the end of the day, it's just like, like, I think if you're willing to take the time to just, like, hear somebody out, like, that's all I kind of need. Just want, you know, motivation. Try. The thing is, when you try, you quickly realize it's not that hard.

1797.17 - 1815.568 Drew Afualo

It really isn't. As someone who not only has non-binary friends and trans friends in general, but also has talked to them for extensive periods of time, it's really not that hard. To make it seem like it's such a chore is truly just, like, You just don't want to do it.

1815.588 - 1828.813 Griffin Maxwell Brooks

Yeah. Because you're a bad person, so. I just think people, like, the media has painted, like, well, they've painted trans people as, like, aggressors, I think. Truly. In a way that, like, I don't know, it roots from, like, trying to, like, masculinize trans women, and I think it's, like, fucked up for all sorts of reasons. Yeah.

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