Kickstarter-funded documentary has potential to permanently change the way women relate to high fashion.

by Kaylen Ralph

StyleLikeU started in 2009 as a video blog of documentary-style interviews, during which people of all genders opened up about their bodies and the insecurities they’d been taught to harbor in conversations with SLU’s co-founders—mother-and-daughter team Elisa and Lily.

In May of this year, StyleLikeU began releasing a series of videos under the umbrella of the “What’s Underneath Project.” These videos, ranging from four to 12 minutes long, are nearly identical in format. Subjects “remove their clothes to honor how style is not the clothes you wear.” As they reveal the truths that have shaped them emotionally and sartorially, they methodically remove their clothes, piece by piece.

I learned about StyleLikeU when Elle linked to Myla Dalbesio’s “What’s Underneath” video in their article about her “controversial” Calvin Klein campaign. Watching Dalbesio’s video led me to check out the rest of the series, and I was struck by the intimacy of each video. Not only are StyleLikeU’s interview subjects revealing the most vulnerable parts of their psyche, they’re doing so while physically stripping their clothes. By the end, you feel the subject hasn’t left anything unsaid, and (save for undergarments), they’ve not left any clothes on, either.

Right now, the StyleLikeU team is almost mid-way through a 30-day Kickstarter campaign. With a goal of $100,000, they’re less than $15,000 away from successfully funding a feature length documentary film. I Am What’s Underneath will reveal SLU’s roots (before starting the body-positive and inclusive website, Elisa worked as a fashion stylist for the very fashion magazines that were making Lily, her daughter, feel bad about her body), on top of featuring the beautiful people they find along the way.

As the campaign ramped up in its early days, I had the chance to talk to Lily via email about her and her mom’s goals and what they think the long-term effect of their work could be. Donations will be accepted through December 20th. 

Kaylen Ralph: In addition to being a force for a body positive and inclusive fashion culture, StyleLikeU serves as a means of introduction to some of the coolest “It Girls” around. How do you decide who to feature?

Lily Mandelbaum: It’s always a combination of having singular personal style with being an open, honest person, willing to share their story with us! We find people all sorts of ways (scouting, referrals, online research) and then research to hear more about their story and what they do with their lives. 

KR: Do you envision StyleLikeU more as an agent of change in the world of high fashion and glossy magazines, or do you see it as an “alternative” that could eventually become the norm?

LM: Both, but mainly an alternative that could eventually become the norm (great question, by the way). However, there are some things that we do to directly change the industry from within. For example, we do casting as part of our business and cast “real” people of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds in major ad campaigns for big brands. So that’s one way we are bringing our message to the industry. 

KR: What inspired you to turn your web series into a feature-length documentary film?

LM: We were getting flooded with requests from around the world of people who were touched by the series and wanted to help and participate and we knew that we needed to take this project further than NYC. And we know that capturing the journey and going into deeper stories will be extremely impactful in getting our message across. Also, there is so much that we want to explore regarding why so many people struggle so much to accept themselves and their self-image in today’s society that we can’t get across in the video series alone. We know that the forum of a feature length film will address all of this and will be a very powerful tool for change. 

KR: Why go the crowd-funding route?

LM: Because “power to the people”! We are creating a movement, and what better way than to launch it with the help of our fans?

KR: Your docu-style videos are so intimate….people literally strip their clothes in order to reveal their truth, which in turn informs their stylistic choices. How did you come up with this format and what were people’s initial reactions to it?

LM: It was extremely organic. We came up with the questions five minutes before our first interview. It was instinct. First we had multiple people in one video, but then one person came in and told a much deeper story about her history with an eating disorder, and it inspired us to take the project to the next level and have single-person episodes, going into more depth regarding their personal struggles and stories. 

KR: New York, NY is your home base. Do you think that, because of its high concentration of fashion magazines and fashion houses, it’s harder for women to embrace authentic personal style in NYC than it might be for women who live elsewhere?

LM: Not particularly. The marketing/media is pervasive everywhere and we are all affected by the same messages that make it hard to be true to ourselves and feel comfortable in our own skin.

KR: You’re already almost two-thirds of the way to your goal of $100,000 and you still have 25 days to go on your Kickstarter campaign. What happens if you drastically exceed your goal?

LM: Our goal to pledge $100,000 is the bare minimum that it is going to cost for us to get this movement off the ground and produce our documentary. With more funds, we will travel to more cities and spend more time in the cities we make it to, creating a final product with more depth and quality. We will be able to invest in more post-production and distribution of the film, getting the film into more festivals and beyond. We will also turn StyleLikeU.com into a robust, interactive, social platform, where we will invite people to share and upload their own stories.

(photos and images courtesy of Lily Mandelbaum)

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Kaylen is one of The Riveter’s co-founders and the EIC. She moved to Minneapolis, MN after graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism in August 2013. In addition to her editorial duties at The Riveter, Kaylen also works as a freelance researcher for The Sager Group. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @kaylenralph.