---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have no ambivalence about myself…"
description: "\"I have no ambivalence about myself wearing make-up or designer clothes but I have an enormous ambivalence about what the fashion world has done to wome..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/310/nan-goldin-6289_ambivalence_i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-weari_468120.png"
---

#  I have no ambivalence about myself wearing make-up or…

![“I have no ambivalence about myself wearing make-up or designer clothes but I have an enormous ambivalence about what the fashion world has done to women.” quote by Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/310/nan-goldin-6289_ambivalence_i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-weari_468120.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/310/nan-goldin-6289_ambivalence_i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-weari_468120.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/310/nan-goldin-6289_ambivalence_i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-weari_468120.png)

> “I have no ambivalence about myself wearing make-up or designer clothes but I have an enormous ambivalence about what the fashion world has done to women.”

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker feels conflicted about personal fashion choices but is deeply uneasy about the fashion industry's impact on women.

**In simple terms:** Personal style vs industry harm.

Key Takeaway

Question fashion's impact on women.

Themes

fashion gender identity industry media

Mood

critical concerned

Type

social political

When to use this quote

- shopping
- media consumption
- career in fashion
- activism

Key Concepts

consumerism body image empowerment

Questions to Reflect On

- What changes would make fashion ethical?
- How does personal style reflect values?

A Different Perspective

The fashion industry often exploits women, creating moral conflict for consumers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ambivalence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalence/) [Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) [Designer clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designer-clothes/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Fashion world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [The only time this happened to me before was in Jil Sander in Berlin where they said, "We have nothing that will fit you."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/the-only-time-this-happened-to-me-before-was-in-jil-sander-in-berlin/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [I'm not ashamed of my body and you know everything in the fashion world, if I was vulnerable to it, could drive me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-m-not-ashamed-of-my-body-and-you-know-everything-in-the-fashion/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [As a person, I am still very middle class. People don’t realise these things. Most of the black suits that I wear are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/as-a-person-i-am-still-very-middle-class-people-don-t-realise-these/)

[Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/)

> [There are two types of girls: those that can make cheap clothes look expensive and those that make designer clothes look cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-santo-domingo/there-are-two-types-of-girls-those-that-can-make-cheap-clothes-look/)

[Lauren Santo Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-santo-domingo/)

> [I like dressing in designer clothes, and it's hard to buy them if you are overweight. And I got tired of, like, going in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustard/i-like-dressing-in-designer-clothes-and-it-s-hard-to-buy-them-if-you/)

Mustard

> [I've always cared about fashion and what I look like. I don't like to spend a lot of money on designer clothes, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-efron/i-ve-always-cared-about-fashion-and-what-i-look-like-i-don-t-like-to/)

[Zac Efron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-efron/)

> [The idea of life in France is a utopia where the women are beautiful and they eat cheese all day and wear designer clothes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/the-idea-of-life-in-france-is-a-utopia-where-the-women-are-beautiful/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water log stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/a-dog-has-no-use-for-fancy-cars-big-homes-or-designer-clothes-a-water/)

[John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/)

> [She sold her soul for designer clothes. For the perfect lips and the perfect nose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otep/she-sold-her-soul-for-designer-clothes-for-the-perfect-lips-and-the/)

[Otep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otep/)

> [I don't shop as much as a lot of people but I do like designer clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-don-t-shop-as-much-as-a-lot-of-people-but-i-do-like-designer-clothes/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [I am not somebody who would go on holiday carrying designer clothes and only click pictures for Instagram and then chill in my hotel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zareen-khan/i-am-not-somebody-who-would-go-on-holiday-carrying-designer-clothes/)

[Zareen Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zareen-khan/)

> [“She’d paid full price, but life was a competition and she knew non-working wives of wealthy men loved to talk about how they’d saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/she-d-paid-full-price-but-life-was-a-competition-and-she-knew-non/)

[Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/)

> [“Everyone wants to be a God. We manufacture our own worlds, duping ourselves with things to escape the reality we call our lives. Drugs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krans/everyone-wants-to-be-a-god-we-manufacture-our-own-worlds-duping/)

[Brian Krans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krans/)

> [“Even at the tender age of twelve, when I knelt in front of the bishop for my confirmation, I had the sneaking suspicion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-edwards/even-at-the-tender-age-of-twelve-when-i-knelt-in-front-of-the-bishop/)

Megan Edwards

> [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/)

[Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/)

## More by Nan Goldin

> [I shot for French and British Vogue. The British Vogue one featured clothes by Chloe and was shot at Highgate and the John Soane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-shot-for-french-and-british-vogue-the-british-vogue-one-featured/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [No place could be less sympathetic to my politics than America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/no-place-could-be-less-sympathetic-to-my-politics-than-america/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [I'm very much interested in water and women in water. I've been photographing that for years although I didn't really know it at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-m-very-much-interested-in-water-and-women-in-water-i-ve-been/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [I think it killed my sister as the times she was living in were so conformist. This is a subject I really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-think-it-killed-my-sister-as-the-times-she-was-living-in-were-so/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [American magazines are becoming very patriotic beyond belief to the point that I can't live there any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/american-magazines-are-becoming-very-patriotic-beyond-belief-to-the/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [I'm very flattered when people I respect like my work. It's like a dream of a little kid when somebody I idolised likes my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-m-very-flattered-when-people-i-respect-like-my-work-it-s-like-a/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [I always thought if I photographed anyone or anything enough, I would never lose the person, I would never lose the memory, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-always-thought-if-i-photographed-anyone-or-anything-enough-i-would/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [As a non-Catholic, and since I was a child, I have been obsessed with the ritual and the beauty of Catholic art. I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/as-a-non-catholic-and-since-i-was-a-child-i-have-been-obsessed-with/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [The main thing that I want to say is that I don't think women are at their most beautiful in their adolescence or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/the-main-thing-that-i-want-to-say-is-that-i-don-t-think-women-are-at/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [Each time I spend with Stella McCartney, I like her better. So I was excited to be asked by her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/each-time-i-spend-with-stella-mccartney-i-like-her-better-so-i-was/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [A lot of people seem to think that art or photography is about the way things look, or the surface of things. That's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/a-lot-of-people-seem-to-think-that-art-or-photography-is-about-the/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [ Some people have become \[in U.S\] a lot more conservative but I can't really speak about that because I wasn't there. I feel compassion… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/some-people-have-become-in-u-s-a-lot-more-conservative-but-i-can-t/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [I used to think that I could never lose anyone if I photographed them enough. In fact, my pictures show me how much I’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-used-to-think-that-i-could-never-lose-anyone-if-i-photographed-them/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [ I know somewhat about Kate \[Moss who featured in the Vogue spread\]. I always thought that Kate's look had come from my old friend… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-know-somewhat-about-kate-moss-who-featured-in-the-vogue-spread-i/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

> [I have very healthy strong relationships with women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-have-very-healthy-strong-relationships-with-women/)

[Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

[Explore all 99 Nan Goldin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/)

## More Ambivalence quotes

> [The less obvious hurdle is that of preparing parents emotionally and putting forward realistic images of parenthood and motherhood. There also needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/the-less-obvious-hurdle-is-that-of-preparing-parents-emotionally-and/)

[Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/)

> [“In starlit nights I saw you, So cruelly you kissed me. Your lips a magic world, Your sky all hung with jewels. The killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/echo-and-the-bunnymen/in-starlit-nights-i-saw-you-so-cruelly-you-kissed-me-your-lips-a/)

Echo and the Bunnymen

> [The base of artistic pursuit is ambivalence and complexity. And that's what I try to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-perez/the-base-of-artistic-pursuit-is-ambivalence-and-complexity-and-that-s/)

[Fernando Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-perez/)

> [We British play an important role in Europe, even if we have a traditional and historical ambivalence towards the continent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-barber/we-british-play-an-important-role-in-europe-even-if-we-have-a/)

[Lionel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-barber/)

> [“Raising a child is the very definition of ambivalence. I am overwhelmed at times by how something can simultaneously be so awful and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/raising-a-child-is-the-very-definition-of-ambivalence-i-am/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [We don't do ambivalence well in America. We do courage of our convictions. We do might makes right. Ambivalence is French. Certainty is American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/we-don-t-do-ambivalence-well-in-america-we-do-courage-of-our/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [“The problem is that when you’re not fighting for survival, it’s easy to stop making decisions and fall into the trap of thinking you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-ryder-howe/the-problem-is-that-when-you-re-not-fighting-for-survival-it-s-easy/)

Ben Ryder Howe

> ['The Simpsons' is about alienation and the ambivalence of living with a family who you love but who drive you completely crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/the-simpsons-is-about-alienation-and-the-ambivalence-of-living-with-a/)

[Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/)

> [I think we have deluded ourselves into believing that people don't know that abortion is killing. So any pretense that abortion is not killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-wattleton/i-think-we-have-deluded-ourselves-into-believing-that-people-don-t/)

[Faye Wattleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-wattleton/)

> [Prudence is not hesitation, procrastination, or moderation. It is not driving in the middle of the road. It is not the way of ambivalence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/prudence-is-not-hesitation-procrastination-or-moderation-it-is-not/)

[John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/)

> [From the beginning, there have been some religious leaders who greeted the funding of faith-based social services by government with ambivalence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/from-the-beginning-there-have-been-some-religious-leaders-who-greeted/)

[Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/)

> [Real love, the kind you have with a person, must go through ambivalence.There is simply no way around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-anupam/real-love-the-kind-you-have-with-a-person-must-go-through-ambivalence/)

[Kumar Anupam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-anupam/)

> [My children cause me the most exquisite suffering of which I have any experience. It is the suffering of ambivalence: the murderous alternation between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/my-children-cause-me-the-most-exquisite-suffering-of-which-i-have-any/)

[Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/)

> [“Life had this unmoored quality, full of voids and barely acknowledged yearnings, and if I'd made a list of things I wanted desperately at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/life-had-this-unmoored-quality-full-of-voids-and-barely-acknowledged/)

[Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/)

> [Horizontality is a desire to give up, to sleep. Verticality is an attempt to escape. Hanging and floating are states of ambivalence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/horizontality-is-a-desire-to-give-up-to-sleep-verticality-is-an/)

[Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/)

[Browse all 121 Ambivalence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have no ambivalence about myself wearing make-up or designer clothes but I have an enormous ambivalence about what the fashion world has done to women.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nan Goldin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-wearing-make-up-or-designer/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ambivalence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-wearing-make-up-or-designer/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/310/nan-goldin-6289_ambivalence_i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-weari_468120.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/310/nan-goldin-6289_ambivalence_i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-weari_468120.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/310/nan-goldin-6289_ambivalence_i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-weari_468120.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have no ambivalence about myself wearing make-up or designer clothes but I have an enormous ambivalence…” — Nan Goldin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Nan Goldin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have no ambivalence about myself...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-wearing-make-up-or-designer/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-wearing-make-up-or-designer/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
