Anna Wintour Reveals the Brilliant Way She Deals With Criticism

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Anna Wintour rarely speaks to press, so when we caught wind of a new interview she did with CNN, you can bet we devoured every word. None other than Christiane Amanpour interviewed the Vogue editor in chief, who is on the promotional tour for the upcoming Met Gala. She discussed a slew of different topics, including sustainability, diversity, politics, and how social media has changed fashion. Oh, and she also confirmed that, no, she has no plans of ever taking off her signature sunglasses, which she explains are "incredibly useful because you avoid people knowing what you're thinking about."

What caught our eye, in particular, was Wintour's discussion of criticism. "Sometimes there has been a certain level of personal criticism directed at me that, possibly, might not have been [used against] a man in a similar position," she told CNN. So what's her trick to surviving those unwanted opinions? "I'm very focused," she said. "So I, maybe because of my clarity and my focus, haven't let it in." We can't all be as decisive as Wintour, but it's certainly a wise suggestion to put your blinders on and concentrate on what you're doing with laser focus to prevent letting criticism to get to you. Thanks for the reminder, Anna. 

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Erin Fitzpatrick
Senior News Editor

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern over 12 years ago—back when the site only published a single story per day. (Who What Wear has since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC, which is how she ended up moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of San Diego. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2016, where she currently holds the title of senior news editor (as well as the unofficial title of resident royal expert—in case you haven't noticed her numerous Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton stories). She spends her days trying to incorporate her idols, Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, into as many stories as possible. Outside of work, she loves tennis, classic rock, traveling, and smothering her dog with affection.