Alok Vaid-Menon Finds Freedom In Body Hair, Mini Skirts & Dressing for Pure Joy | Closets

In this episode from our Closets series, Alok Vaid-Menon takes us on a journey through their revolutionary mind and closet which reflects the boundless freedom that compassion and forgiveness has granted them.

"Imagine having the ability to live on earth, such a sacred place with so many beautiful things, and wasting your time hating me when you could be free." - Alok Vaid-Menon

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[juliarene]

"I was waiting for someone to come an protect me, and I realized the person I was waiting for was me" cut straight to my soul.

[mmegraham]

Wow. I think I need to listen to this every day for weeks on end. There's so much truth and love here. Thank you, Alok, for being exactly who you are.

[ardriaweston]

This resonated with me! “I no longer outsource my joy. I claim it. I seize it.” “Fashion is external validation but style is internal validation.” I so love this! It is true we do have to heal from within so that we get the chance to love ourselves and loving others can be an extension of that healing. Thank you for the video!

[paris]

Talk about changing my perception of what I believed was acceptable and what wasn’t.
I love every bit of this video. My perception has been irrevocably transformed and I’m so grateful!

[purpstatus]

I am not homosexual, nor trans, and do not have this around me in my everyday life. I have a wife and 3 kids. That being said, I like Alok. I would definitely associate with Alok and appreciate you for who you are. I enjoy the fact that you are able to live your life the way that you feel is best for you, in a way manner that allows you to respect yourself and be happy.

[capitangian]

This was so wholesome at so many levels. Alok radiates confidence in the deepest of ways - they're fully, unapologetically themselves, they went deep and went through so much pain and found a gorgeous treasure. What I cherish here is also their intelligence and gentleness mixed with assertiveness and confidence, which truly isn't the "diva attitude" we so often experience in the LGBTQIA+ community: it's the truest form of expression, being confident in who we are without the need to be harsh to others and their own journeys. Being confident, yet gentle and sweet. Being who we are by also taking care of who's around us. That's to me the most attractive trait: self-discovery that is never ego or validation-seeking, it's light for oneself and for others. Thank you for being inspiring, Alok.

[lvvrgrl]

I was crying and tearing up through almost this whole video. What a beautiful soul.

[gigi-t-cp]

It would be such an incredible world if we could all accept, display and love ourselves and others wholly as we/they are. Thank you ALOK for giving us this gift.

[sophiag]

This is the most inspiring interview about style and expressing your true self that I have ever seen. Thank you so much Alok and thanks to all the lovely people behind the camera for making it possible for people like me to see and be inspired!

[zoyadulzura]

"That's how we win at life: we play pretend until it begins to feel real." Alok has such a way with words and so many good quotes, but I just really like this one.

[ameliaheart]

This is one of the best and most real videos I’ve ever on the topic of living in self-acceptance, love and freedom of expression. You can truly sense that all he says comes from a place of so much wisdom and strength and truth, acquired from living through the opposite and working his way through healing, reflection and choosing love. This honestly gives me so much courage to show my (dark, obvious) leg hair. I’ve felt for a very long time now that I didn’t want to shave my legs anymore, I’ve never ever ever truly done it for myself. I just cannot lie to myself like that, it feels like the weakest move. But judgement from others still terrifies me, so I didn’t show my legs if it was possible. Now I feel ready to start taking steps to embrace my leg hair and just wearing dresses without tights to hide my natural body behind. I know so many people are going to judge, and it’ll be really hard but I want to respond with love to those people, because love has the power to change. I mean years ago I still felt that it was “ugly” or “gross”! And I know so many people that are unfortunately brainwashed by western beauty standards to feel the same. I just hope that it might change peoples judgements and they start to open up to the possibility that it might be beautiful. They might be beautiful. We all might be fucking beautiful. Thank you so much from a hairy girl🙋🏻‍♀️

[lilki]

I feel like alok really saved me in the past year. My mental health got so much better since I listened to their interviews and tried to implement in my life what they are saying.

[eileenms]

I LOVE when they said "I feel like I'm a polyglot of so many traditions, histories, and cultures" ❤ I have a very similar feeling. Parents are from different countries, I grew up in NJ and I live in Brazil. I feel such a connection to them

[SandyAlexandre]

Alok has a soothing voice with a soothing philosophy of life to match. The self-regard here is not only important because it exists for us to bear witness to but also because we have so much good to learn from it. Thank you, Alok!

[cienbiswas]

This was so inspiring and wholesome…thank you❣️

[stephg.]

Alok stuns me with the beauty of their words and their freedom. They're a beacon of hope and love and I'm so lucky to be alive when they are.

[neeliwilson]

Alok always expresses themselves so wonderfully!

[ma]

this just changed my day and mood around, i needed to hear this. i’m gonna circle back to this all the time. thank you alok. thank you for showing up in the world as who you are and not what conditioning wanted you to be.

[kristinay.]

This was so healing to watch. Ive been personally struggling with the concept of forgiveness lately and this interview really helped me to see it from a deeper place. I love the way it feels like Alok is rising above the confusion of other people (who dont even know who they are) into their own freedom of how they want to feel. I feel like this interview helped me see what is gained by forgiveness, the type of liberation and clarity that a person can walk on Earth with when they are not caught up by other peoples emotional and spiritual illnesses. It is extreme in this society how much so many people reject love and freedom, how attached they are to systems that eradicate the embodiment and expression of their true self and how they can feel so threatened by someone who isnt going along with that reality and is instead chosing love and freedom. There is so much deep life wisdom in this interview. Thank you for sharing this.

[mcemee]

I need a transcript of this! I heard so many things I want to make affirmations from. Beautiful.