The World of ‘I Hate Blonde’
Rachel Lynch, creator of the blog ‘I Hate Blonde’ and overall social media mogul, started her adventure online over ten years ago. Known for dramatically leaning over balconies in lingerie and flaunting her angel wings around New York City, Lynch unapologetically depicts her world to her audience everyday.
Image Credit: ihateblonde.com
It was during her sophomore year of high school, over 10 years ago, that Lynch started to develop an interest for fashion. She recalls that she started wearing strictly vintage clothing during that time and then began creating her own, starting with making heavy metal tees into dresses. “One of my favorite parts of the process was actually documenting photos of the outfits. I kinda let it roll from there!” Rachel Lynch eventually decided to upload her pictures online, on the (then) popular platform LookBook, where she quickly began to develop an important following. “I thought it was really cool to have a place to tag all your items right in the photo. That hadn't been done before, or made so easily accessible,” Explains Lynch, “LookBook really helped me monetize my blog. They gave me all my first big campaigns - H&M, Guess, Doc Martens, Diesel.”
The ironic name of ‘I Hate Blonde’ was born during a junior biology class, where a then vegan Rachel Lynch found herself having to dissect pigs. “You do this because the size of their organs makes it easy to find and identify, also because it is a similar structure to humans.” Explains Lynch, “Then I thought about, "what if pigs did human things, like dying their hair?" One of the greatest joys of my life at the time was that I could finally dye my hair (my Mom didn't allow us to do this during childhood/high school). I guess I was just an angry vegan - but hey a blog name came out of it!”
Image Credit: ihateblonde.com
Originally from Michigan, Lynch fell in love with New York City when she was just 11 years-old, “My Dad brought me along on a business trip here. We took a limo, stayed at the Ritz Carlton, saw the Lion King on Broadway, he bought me my first diamond necklace from Tiffany's and a dress from Macy's. Basically the royal treatment!” Retells Lynch, “I don't think it was all that though. I think it was the energy of the city, the movement, the taxis, the sounds the city makes me when you’re sleeping. I learned from a very young age that I couldn't live without it.” Altough New York City is one of the hardest places for an artist to live from their craft, it is also a permanent source of inspiration to Lynch. She explains, “I wouldn't be the artist I am without New York. She is my blood and tears. We are one in the same. The city's pulse is my pulse, I know a lot of artists feel this way. We feed off New York's greatness, and she replenishes our inspiration.”
Image Credit: ihateblonde.com
Lynch realised early on she could make a living out of her art, and since starting her blog she has been relentless in her work effort. She explains that she workouts every day, which keeps her physically fit and mentally grounded. She also practices intermittent fasting, which gives her “clarity of mind, discipline, and will power.” ‘I Hate Blonde’ is more than just a blog for Rachel Lynch, it is her world that she depicts and lives in.
“One of my favorite things I've ever heard is to not make happiness the focal point of your life, because it trivializes your experience. To know great joy, you must also know great pain. Dramatic, but when I have bad days (and I have at least one a week), I know a good day will follow.” Says Lynch, “I am incredibly playful so I've developed a certain skill set to balance that playfulness. I always think about what Eric Thomas said, “pain is temporary, it may last for a minute, an hour, a day, or ever a year. If I quit however, it will last forever.”
Image Credit: ihateblonde.com
Rachel Lynch’s style has changed a bit since her LookBook years, but her mantra of “no pants, no problem” hasn’t budged. She describes her transition from blogging about full looks to lingerie as a natural evolution. Lynch doesn’t plan much and tends to simply go with her interests day by day, “I think it's important as an artist to let your interests guide you.”
Working as both the model, the creative vision and the stylist, Lynch describes the creative process behind her shoots to be the product of a careful curation of what she lets into her mind- especially visually. “My inspiration comes from within,” Explains Lynch, “I don't want to see work done by too many other influencers, I don't watch Netflix. I read poetry, novels. I dance, I run, I listen to a lot of music. My inspiration comes when I move and when I dream.” Angel wings make a consistent appearance in Rachel Lynch’s photographs, so much so that it has become her trade mark. She frequently flaunts her wings in the streets of New York City, and the choice behind the accessory is nothing but random, “I've believed in God and Angels my entire life.” Says Lynch, “I've had lucid dreams, synchronicity, answered prayers. The celestial world is a big part of my art.”
Aside from her work online, Rachel Lynch is also a painter. You can often spot her artwork in her photographs as she poses with brushes and paint in her New York City apartment, “It's usually less about a finished product for me and more about being lost in the moment.” Says Lynch, “The movement of brush to canvas [is what inspires me], the process is just incredible.”
Image Credit: ihateblonde.com
Lynch is currently working on a stay at home campaign for Agent Provocateur, creating a lingerie line with Uye Surana and is planning a collaboration with Patrick Church, “he's an artist here in New York, so I'm very excited about that!” When asked about the future of her blog, Lynch confides she isn’t much of a planner, and is open to see where the future will take her.
PS: “I love Arthur, the aardvark from children's television. LOVE him. I have a stuffed doll my friend Brent bought me and I still have it.” Jokes Lynch as a conclusion to our interview, “Arthur loves living in New York, JUST in case you're wondering ;)”
You can find Rachel Lynch on Instagram and on her blog, I Hate Blonde